Gardening and Observing Life in SW Washington

Western Wildfires

Posted by: BriarCraft, 9:15 PM GMT on September 17, 2012

A couple of things have happened recently to focus my thoughts on wildfires. First, Ylee featured a webcam from Sisters, Oregon, on his blog and within a few days of posting it, the mountain view was obscured by smoke. Then, last week the weather service issued a Fire Weather Warning for parts of Washington and Oregon, including a "high Haines" index. During that period, when the prevailing high level westerly wind reversed, the sun could not be seen through the layer of smoke aloft.

Prior to last week, I had never heard of a Haines index. Thanks to a link posted by RenoSoHill on Ylee's blog, I discovered InciWeb. WatchinTheSky remarked that it seemed odd for the Evergreen State, home of the Emerald City (Seattle), to be under a Fire Weather Warning. And in my weekly email from Earth Observatory, the first photo was of -- you guessed it -- Washington wildfires. All this, at a time when I was trying to think up a new blog topic, so Wildfires it is.

Earth Observatory image of Central Washington wildfires

The Top 10 wildfires at InciWeb at the time I created this entry. There were 339 entries in the listing at the time and it changes frequently.

What is the Haines Index?
In a 1988 paper, Mr. Donald Haines of the USDA Forest Service’s North Central Research Station proposed what he called the “Lower Atmosphere Stability Index.” Renamed the Haines Index in his honor since then, it has a value of 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 and is a simple measure of how strongly atmospheric conditions near the earth’s surface might contribute to an existing fire becoming a dangerous, erratic fire with a strong, well defined updraft. It reflects atmospheric stability and dryness for a layer of the atmosphere roughly 1 to 5 km above the surface.

To learn more about the Haines Index and view climatology maps, go to http://info.airfire.org/haines/whatishaines.html

The wildfire pictures below, as well as the chart above, are just a sampling of what you can find at InciWeb.org

Chall Creek fire (BriarCraft)

Pole Creek fire (BriarCraft)

Yakima Complex fire (BriarCraft)

Stafford fire (BriarCraft)

InciWeb 10-01-12 (BriarCraft)

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51. GardenGrrl 6:54 PM GMT on October 05, 2012
Hi ya, it's time to catch up on blogs...although a nap is starting to sound good. In addition to several souvenir t-shirts I brought back a souvenir cold. They had some great T's at Harry Potter land. Bought a Gryffindor jersey that will most likely be worn out from wearing all the time. Member Since: March 25, 2007 Posts: 217 Comments: 7241

52. ycd0108 4:23 PM GMT on October 06, 2012
Morning BriarCraft: Five Cat Fall Afternoon - what are you going to do in the winter? Tloml is allergic to horse and cat dandruff but we have had a few strays adopt us over the years. They tend to sit on me because Tloml can not touch them without a reaction. She decided years ago that she would rather put up with some discomfort than live in a plastic shroud but she still shies away from horses because that reaction is so severe. Old story (stop me if you've heard this one): A couple we knew renovated the lower floor of a barn that had been horse stables. Everything was cleaned and drywalled and painted. They held an "House Warming" with good food and drink and a good time was had by all - except Tloml and two of the men started sneezing and weeping and had to be taken home. The end. I want to thank you for commenting on the pictures I post. It feels good to know someone has noticed, eh. Member Since: January 1, 2008 Posts: 141 Comments: 3430

53. BriarCraft 7:21 PM GMT on October 06, 2012
GGrrl: souvenir cold? Some people just don't know where to draw the line. At least you didn't bring back any tribbles. YCD: Five Cat Fall Afternoon - what are you going to do in the winter? If it gets a little colder, I've got a blankie. If it gets a lot colder, then I light a fire in the wood stove, but then there's the problem of roasted cats. They sprawl on the floor a little too close to the stove. By too close, I mean they actually become hot to the touch. Good story about the converted barn. Whodathunk cleaning, drywall, and paint wouldn't have solved the horse dander problem? I'm with Tloml in that I'd rather put up with some discomfort rather than live in a plastic shroud, too. That's what aspirin and antihistamines are for. ;-] Member Since: June 21, 2004 Posts: 49 Comments: 2403

54. Proserpina 1:31 PM GMT on October 08, 2012
You really are a cat woman! Do I see five of them? Any others hiding somewhere? I love the elongated one, he/she is as long as your legs (almost)! A friend of mine fosters kittens and cats, she helps them heal and or adjust to humans and other pets. She asked me to name one of her latest guests, so I asked my granddaughter to help find a name. So the all black kittie is now known as Pepper. Have a wonderful day and week. Member Since: May 6, 2008 Posts: 151 Comments: 16712

55. BriarCraft 8:06 PM GMT on October 08, 2012
Pros: We're down to 5 cats, the oldest is 16. All but one were strays we adopted. And yes, all are "fixed". The long orange one is Charlie and when he is stretched out on the floor, he measures 38inches from toe to toe. He's the only cat I've ever known who could reach the kitchen countertops while standing on the floor. Charlie also patrols the property to make sure no more cats come to live here. ;-) Member Since: June 21, 2004 Posts: 49 Comments: 2403

56. janetlee 8:19 PM GMT on October 08, 2012
I see I'm not the only crazy cat lady down at the end of the road :D Member Since: March 14, 2006 Posts: 46 Comments: 1403

57. LowerCal 8:39 PM GMT on October 08, 2012
"Crazy ...." or alternatively "Highly Popular ....", great portrait photo. :^) Member Since: July 26, 2006 Posts: 58 Comments: 8971

58. BriarCraft 12:43 AM GMT on October 09, 2012
Hey Janetlee! LC: Aaaahhh shucks! I found a new website with info about wildfires. It's the National Interagency Fire Center, which is where I found this: Daily statistics 10/5/12 Number of new large fires 2 Number of active large fires 19 Total number includes full suppression and resource managed fires. Total does not include individual fires within complexes. Acres from active fires 686,270 Fires contained since 10/4/12 2 Year-to-date large fires contained 746 States currently reporting large fires: Colorado (1) Idaho (8) Minnesota (2) Montana (2) Oregon (1) Washington (4) Utah (1) Member Since: June 21, 2004 Posts: 49 Comments: 2403

59. Ylee 8:45 AM GMT on October 09, 2012
I'm just guessing, but it looks like the number of big fires is decreasing! How's the Tai Chi coming along? Member Since: February 3, 2011 Posts: 65 Comments: 11286

60. WunderAlertBot (Admin) 8:43 PM GMT on October 09, 2012
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Live. Love. Harm no one. Help when you can. Be happy.

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