Summer Weather

[astragalus]

Looks like you will have a drop of moisture today Ralph Torrential stuff from late last night to further add to my porridge (soil) but just beginning to pass over now. with the next lot pending later today and tomorrow.

David, I wish you could send some of it here.  We're still waiting for rain.  Ground is hard as a rock and everything is brown.  Eriogonums and astragali are loving it but many plants have disappeared (temporarily, I hope).  It's been so long since we had rain we are getting concerned about the well.

[Robert]

Well it finally arrived - an out-of -control fire scenario here in our part of California.

This is not a cloudy sky. This is smoke from the Butte Fire. It grew in size by 10x just last night. Entire communities with thousands of people are being evacuated. The TV shows a line of cars packed on the highway - folks fleeing the fire.

This fire is still some distance from us, however the situation is alarming as a new fire has now erupted to our north. Firefighters are already spread thin even with reinforcements coming from as far away as Australia. Temperatures are running about 38 C in the area of the fire with 10% humidity. If the fire becomes as large as the Rim or King Fire it will reach us. The situation is completely out-of-control so anything could happen.

At times the sky is as black as the "Ace of Spades" with ash raining down on us. This is now our second day of dense smoke and ash. We are lucky - many are losing their homes. Last year part of the town of Weed, California burned due to a forest fire. This situation could burn whole towns. We will pray that somehow this situation comes under control before more harm is done.

[astragalus]

Hope the situation improves quickly, Robert. 

[johnralphcarpenter]

Robert, we all hope you are spared. Thank goodness we do not experience such terrifying events here. Keep us all posted on developments so that we know you are safe.

[Matt T]

Goodness, Robert. Here's us complaining about what a "bad" summer we've had, when you have real concerns. Hoping that this fire can be brought under control and you are spared any damage. The important thing is to ensure that you both stay safe.

[David Nicholson]

Keep safe Robert.

[Robert]

I will keep everyone posted as to how this all progresses. I did not hear any sirens during the night, a good sign. But then the local Cal-Fire station could be empty. The firefighting forces are spread very thin right now.

I care give my elderly parents, so my main concern is getting them to safety if this becomes necessary. The weather is to be cooler today, however the winds are to pick up. The Butte Fire is still a distance from us, however the new fire to our north is a concern as we could become surrounded by fire. The situation is very unpredictable and out-of-control. Many have already lost their homes and many more have been displaced.

[Robert]

The latest update on the fires:

It is still very smoky. There has been significant progress on the containment of the fire to our north. The Butte Fire is still out-of-control, however it is moving mostly off to the south away from us.

It is still a very critical situation for our neighbors to the south. There are still mandatory evacuation orders for many of the towns in the area. State Highway 26 is closed due to the fire. 15 structures have been destroyed and another 6,400 are threatened.

Right now the winds are calm, however visibility is very limited due to the heavy smoke. This limits the ability of air tankers to drop fire retardant. We will hope for good news by evening.

[Maggi Young]

A terrifying state of affairs, Robert.  You are all in our thoughts for a safe outcome.

[Robert]

The current update on the Butte Fire:

There is a mixture of both good and bad news.

First the good news: The Butte Fire grew by only 15,000 acres in the last 24 hours to 65,000 acres. It is still a large and out-of-control fire, with only 15% containment. The largest fire in California history was the Rim Fire 2 years ago. It burned 256,423 acres. The King Fire last year here in El Dorado County burned 97,717 acres.

This is where we get to the bad news: The Butte Fire is burning through a much more densely populated area. Already the fire has burned through parts of the town of San Andreas, California. 86 homes (the ones that have been confirmed, there are still more yet to be officially conformed) have been destroyed and many other structure destroyed. There are still mandatory evacuation orders for many communities in this area. The smoke is dense and black make air drops of water or fire retardant impossible. We are at the mercy of nature and the weather. The winds have remained calm most of the day, and there is even the chance of rain in the forecast. Gusty winds could change everything. Last years King Fire seemed stoppable until the winds pushed it for miles across the Placer County line.

For us, we appear to be very safe now.

[Hoy]

I suppose it gives you mixed feelings to be safe yourself but knowing other people (you may even know some of them in person) have to flee.

San Andreas seems to get a little rain Monday and Tuesday: http://www.yr.no/place/United_States/California/San_Andreas/long.html

[fermi de Sousa]

Robert,
Will be thinking of you and your family,
best,
fermi

[Robert]

Thank you everyone! 

Yes, it appear that we will be safe. The smoke and ash has been terrible, especially for the elderly.

Trond, it is correct we may get some sprinkles. The cooler temperatures and higher humidity will help the fire fighters.

[Tim Ingram]

Can't imagine what it must be like to live in places like parts of California and Australia where such fires can come from nowhere. The closest description I have read is from John Muir writing about the redwoods and the way whole trees just lit up like candles - the trees are adapted to it but not houses. Are the scale of these fires natural Robert? Presumably they are highly exascerbated by the drought but an area of over 200 000 acres is hard to take in. Very good to know that the situation has calmed down for you.

[Robert]

Tim,

Yes, at least there is an on going debate on how to manage the forest. Personally, I do not believe there is much of anything natural about the current fire suppression policies. Getting back to a more natural situation is not easy. Decades of fire suppression has created a huge build up of fuels in the forest. For me, a big question is how reduce the fuel load in the forest without burning everything down. Maybe a good starting point is how we manage to forest that have already burned. Even in areas of the Rim Fire burn, the fire did not burn everything completely and actually thinned and renewed the ecosystem. I saw this personally when I visited the area 2 years ago. Other areas burned so hot that even the dormant seeds died and the roots of trees burned far into the ground. Those areas were a lifeless moonscape. Maybe I need to return to the Rim Fire burn this coming spring to see how the ecosystem may have changed in the various parts of the burn area.

I do the best I can to keep an open mind as to various out comes.