Wildfire experts forecast above normal wildfire activity across parts of the western U.S. this sumer

Higher than normal wildfire activity expected for western US in 2013
May 14, 2013

Higher than normal wildfire activity is expected across the U.S. West Coast, the Southwest and portions of Idaho and Montana during the summer of 2013.

Wildfire experts are forecasting that there will be above normal wildfire activity across portions of the western U.S. during the summer of 2013. Areas where higher than normal wildfire activity is expected include the West Coast states, the Southwest, and portions of Idaho and Montana. The Predictive Services Unit at the National Interagency Fire issued the forecast (pdf) on May 1, 2013.

earthsky.org...

reply to post by MariaLida
Fortunately the area I live in is in the green zone (below normal wildfire potential) for June and the white zone (normal wildfire potential) for July and August. Seeing as how my area is already 9 inches above normal in rainfall amount so far this year I think if anything we have a greater potential for flooding this year than drought induced wildfires. I feel badly for those who live in areas that are at a great risk for wildfires this year. Wildfires are devastating in many ways.

reply to post by littled16




Rain and fire is a 'double jeopardy' situation, scientists say

Los Angeles Times, May 14, 2013

When it comes to Southern California's increasingly perilous fire season, you can blame both the lack of rain and the little rain we did have.

Scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and at Chapman University said satellite data show the effects of a steady and largely forgettable rainfall during a roughly four-day period at the end of January.

JPL scientist Son Nghiem said the rain came just as much of the vegetation throughout the region was awakening from a dormant stage.

The rain provoked a growth in vegetation that, followed by a hot, near-record dry period, simply resulted in more fuel for potential wildfires. The situation was a true "double jeopardy" one, Nghiem said Monday.

"This timing enhanced vegetation growth early this year, particularly in Ventura County, supplying significant new fire fuel despite one of the driest overall rainfall seasons on record," he said. "Had the rains fallen earlier, when the vegetation was in a dormant state, the effects would have been minimal."

www.latimes.com...

LA Emergencies & Threats

One of the most important functions for the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) is fire prevention.

Los Angeles is prone to 13 of 16 possible federally-identified natural and man-made threats. Los Angeles is particularly vulnerable to the destructive affects wildfires, flooding, mudslides and earthquakes. Because of the many threats that Los Angeles faces, the importance of readiness as a city and for residents cannot be overstated. Part of disaster preparedness is being aware of the kinds of hazards and disasters you might be subject to living in as a Los Angeles resident. Here’s a list.

Earthquakes | Fire | Severe Weather and Flooding | Extreme Heat |
Extreme Cold | Landslides | Hurricane | Tornado | Tsunami |
Terrorism | Cyber Crime | Public Health |Chemical Emergencies |

• Each year, fire kills more Americans than all other natural disasters combined.
• Careless smoking is the leading cause of fire-related deaths.
• Cooking is the major cause of home fires in the U.S.
• About 2 million fires are reported each year, though thousands more go unreported.
• Wildfires are most common in the summer, fall and during droughts when branches, leaves and other materials dry out, leaving them susceptible to earily catching fire.

• Earthquakes can occur in cold, hot, rainy or dry weather; there is no such thing as “earthquake weather.”

emergency.lacity.org...


Special report: Big California quake likely to devastate state

Hot desert winds could fan fires that quakes inevitably cause, overwhelming fire departments, even as ancient water pipelines burst, engineers and architects say.

www.reuters.com...

Great Intel, thanks.

reply to post by spartaocean


You are welcome ..

It's good and useful to know "things", but looks like people are not interesting in things what we are ..