Welcome to Summer! (and soon-to-be fire season)

Wow. We have been MIA for a little while!  Hope you all haven't missed us too much ;-)

We have only just started meteorological summer and the wildfires have already started popping up here and there. Just in the past week we have dealt with at least 3 in the local area, with a couple of them a little too close for comfort to the NWS Reno office (two fires on highway 395 near the Parr exits in Reno).

Photo Courtesy of Reno Fire Department Facebook Page

So we aren't fire fighters or fuels specialists, but here at the NWS we do have to stay in tune with the fuels status so we can be ready for the fire season. Namely, if the fuels aren't ready, then we aren't issuing Red Flag Warnings. Whoa whoa whoa... what is a red flag warning? Check out this short video and it will cover the basics. So as the video stated (you should really take the time to watch it), we at the NWS have to coordinate with our local fire partners to issue Red Flag Warnings for when the fuels and weather combine to create dangerous fire weather conditions.

Although we aren't fully into fire season yet, because all the fuels aren't "ready", we are still seeing some decent fires - especially in the grasses. Thankfully, the sagebrush is still green and not quite ready to burn yet.  This will not be the case when we go into July and August because the sagebrush and grass will all be dry enough to burn at that point.

There are a few important things to remember about our behavior during these hot and dry summers to reduce the threat of wildfire. One of those things is to practice target shooting responsibly, especially during hot and dry afternoons or if there is any wind like the Washoe Zephyr.  Here are a few tips from the Bureau of Land Management in Carson City...


Here at 10 tips for safe target shooting:
  • Bring water. This may seem obvious, but shooters often forget to bring enough water to put out a fire. A five gallon bucket of water could help prevent a fire disaster.
  • Bring a shovel. Use the shovel to dig a trench around your targets before shooting. This will help ensure any fires can easily be contained.
  • Shoot at quality steel targets designed to minimize risk. Don’t shoot steel during hot, dry, and windy days.
  • Place your targets on dirt or gravel away from any vegetation.
  • Don’t shoot trash and remove your spent cartridges. Illegal trash such as couches and televisions can be a fire hazard when shot.
  • Know that all types of ammunition can start fires under the right conditions, especially steel core ammunition. Don’t use steel core ammunition, and avoid shooting in rocky areas.
  • Don’t use exploding targets.
  • Don’t smoke. You can easily start a wildfire. If you’re shooting in a dry area, make sure the cigarette butts are fully extinguished or avoid smoking.
  • Park your vehicle away from dry grass. While it may not seem like a hazard, the hot undercarriage of the vehicle can heat up the grass and cause a fire.
  • Shoot responsibly. Clean up after shooting.
Source: Bureau of Land Management
Let's all have a safe and smart summer!
For the latest weather information go to www.weather.gov/reno or search NWSReno on Facebook and Twitter. 

Popular posts from this blog

NWS Wind Forecasts: AKA What's the Deal With Friction?

Image
We have had a number of comments on social media which mention much lower observed wind speeds locally than are in the forecast. Well, you are unlikely to know this (it is not exactly advertised!) but National Weather Service wind forecasts are for 10 meters, or almost 33 ft, above the ground. As we are about to explain, that makes all the difference in the wind between eye-level (~5-6 feet) and ~33 feet.  It is natural to wonder the purpose of a wind height forecast well above where you and I typically reside. The main reason for this is the complication in forecasting wind as one nears the ground due to frictional influence caused by the surface. Here is a diagram showing the concept of wind speeds change as one gets away from the ground.  As you can see above, there is a rapid speed reduction (gray dashed line) near the ground with a lesser change away from the surface. Note that the above diagram is generalized. How much reduction is realized depends on the nature of the surface wh
Read more

What is the Rain Shadow and What's Wind Gotta do With It?

Image
The dreaded rain shadow - something that those of us who live east of the Sierra crest are more than familiar with and hate to hear. So what is this rain shadow and why does it even exist? Lets start with the topography just to our west... The Sierra Nevada mountain range runs 400 miles from north-to-south and is approximately 70 miles wide. It includes the highest peak in the lower 48, Mt Whitney at 14,505 feet, and rises above 10,000 feet in many locations. Left: The Sierra Nevada Mountains highlighted in blue. Right: A relief map showing elevation (in meters) of the Sierra. The Sierra are a significant barrier for Pacific storms which typically move from west to east. The movement of air masses and associated weather cannot go through the mountains and is forced up and over the mountain range. As Pacific moisture is driven eastward by the wind, the air mass is lifted up and over the Sierra. Rising air will cool and once it reaches the point of saturation, condense into
Read more

Forecasting "Dry Microburst" Potential From Soundings and Observations

Image
Summer afternoons in the valleys of eastern California and western Nevada usually feature dry low level relative humidity. In certain cases where low levels are very dry (single digit relative humidities) and enough instability for showers and/or thunderstorms exists, there is the heightened possibility for severe (over 60 mph) outflow winds. Now, severe winds are possible from strong thunderstorms in many cases, even without very dry surface relative humidity. However, what makes very dry surface or low level conditions special is that severe outflow winds are possible even with w eak  convection such as light showers...or even just cumulus clouds! When severe winds are produced by convection with little or no rainfall reaching the ground, it is referred to as a "dry microburst". Microbursts can be of significant danger to aviation and, if they are strong enough, life and property. Before we move onto what conditions we look for to determine the threat for dry microbursts,
Read more