News DetailMassive wildfires ravaging parts of southern California!
Posted At: October 22, 2007 @ 3:01 PM
Posted By: Reed Timmer
Related Categories: General
Massive wildfires have been ravaging several populated areas of southern California since the weekend, fueled by strong, hot, dry Santa Ana winds gusting over 80 mph at times. The most significant fires are currently located in San Diego County, Malibu, Santa Clara, and Lake Arrowhead -- in the mountains east of Las Angeles. The Santa Clara fire has burned over 12, 500 acres just 35 miles NW of Los Angeles, and 40-50 homes have been destroyed in Lake Arrowhead, with many more communities threatened or burning in Malibu, Santa Clara, and parts of San Diego County. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared a disaster area for seven counties in southern California!
The largest difficulty faced by firefighters in southern California are the strong, dry Santa Ana winds gusting over 80 mph, fueling the fires and causing them to spread at an uncontrollable rate. The Santa Ana wind is a common mesoscale feature in southern California during the cold season (October-March), when the Great Basin becomes relatively cold due to its high elevation, and an anticyclone develops over the western U.S. The clockwise circulation around the high pressure results in strong easterly/northeasterly flow over Southern California to the south and southwest of the anticyclone, and the air dries and warms adiabatically (~10C per km) as it flows westward and downward from the Great Basin to the Pacific Ocean. The hot, dry northeasterly flow across southern California is often funneled through several narrow valleys, with wind gusts exceeding 60 mph at times. The dry and windy conditions during a Santa Ana event, and the dry chaparral vegetation of southern California create a perfect environment for massive wildfires. Shown below is the surface pattern of a textbook Santa Ana event:
The Santa Ana winds are expected to persist for at least the next 24 hours over Southern California, with gusts of over 60 mph common in the prime "funneling" locations. Thus, the wildfires will continue to spread at an uncontrollable rate through Tuesday.
Here is a live video stream from KNBC channel 4:
http://www.knbc.com/videostream/10954229/detail.html
The Santa Ana winds are expected to persist for at least the next 24 hours over Southern California, with gusts of over 60 mph common in the prime "funneling" locations. Thus, the wildfires will continue to spread at an uncontrollable rate through Tuesday.
Here is a live video stream from KNBC channel 4:
http://www.knbc.com/videostream/10954229/detail.html
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Hey Reed, ive been following this and im glad to see that the effected areas have been evacuated..... the wids and low humidity really aren't helping..... hope no one gets hurt and that they get it out soon....
Not good!!!!
I found the graphic you've used to illustrate a "textbook Santa Ana event" to be very helpful as a tool for visualizing the Santa Anas from a wider perspective.
thats not good. I hope the firefighters can get those fires out. but it doesnt look good.
For anybody how cares that last post was by me i just typed my email in the name spot. Oh well
Hey guys! Just got back from school.. Wow today is a WHOLE LOT different than yesterday! It is currently 49 degrees! AHHHHH! Winters comming TOO fast!!
Sorry to hear about the whole fire situation. I heard about yesterday. The low humidities and the Santa Anna winds are not helping at all!! I heard yeterday that it was 0% contained!
Well guys i'm not in the mood for chatting today, Have a lot of things to do and tiredness is taking over! See you guys and good night!
Hey guys just to let you know, there are tornado warning out at the moment aswell, one over Chicot AR and one over Mobile AL..... it looks to be quiet good aswell
PEOPLE BLOG ON MY SITE AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! oh and saw something cool... at reases I saw The cold front that was at Reed's house!
Check out the storms coming on shore on the Mississippi and Alabama border. Nice hooks on the storms with very nice couplets. One had a TVS sig that had 50+ knots of shear. I just happen to have GRlevel3 open and saw a Tor Warning.
Caleb be patient there. People are not just going to blogyour site over night. It takes time for people to see it. Thats why i advertise my site in my videos and that stuff. Do not worry i takes time.
Patience Caleb.... ;)
Hopefully the fires get put out, that's not good for anyone there. Good luck to the firefighters out there!
Hey guys, wat's up?
Tornado report in Alabama South of Mobile. I figured something had to be on the ground.
http://www.cnn.com/video/live/live.html?stream=stream2
That's another good live stream for the fires
Yes exactly what Matt said Caleb. Just be patient and work more on your site and you can make your dream's come true! Maybe by the time your 15 or less, your site could be as popular as Reeds.
Hey guys, how's it going? Pretty boring here...Tomorrow's suppose to be about 18C :) And I'm still waiting on the snow!!!
Caleb just look through Reeds blog post. For a long time there was nobody posting anything on here. The first blog post was on March 10th, 2006 and until May 5th, 2007 there are 2 blog post for the first people to talk. After that it becomes more and more popular.
that was suppost to be May 5th, 2006
I just had a look at some of those posts Matt, and this site has really grown from what it seems.....to become the reat site which it is now
Its amazing to see that nobody posted on here when this site first opened. I took 2 months for a comment and what a year and a half later look at what this site has become.
Amazing in a word Matt, and i have to say more!
How are the fires going?, i havent been able to keep up to speed with it all?
Things are pretty hot and smoky out here. I'm in Orange County, very near the Santiago fire. I took a drive into the area earlier today, along Portola Hwy, which was closed earlier in the day, but finally reopened. There were still small, unattended patches of fire along parts of the road, and some of the flames had jumped to the other side into potential residential areas. Lots and lots of smoke. I was trying to find a place to volunteer, but the smoke was starting to get me a little sick, so I decided to leave the area.
Yesterday, I went hiking in the local hills and the Santa Ana winds were incredible...I've never felt them quite this strong before. I couldn't walk a straight line if I tried. A couple of gusts almost levitated me. Lots of stinging sand as well. Made for quite a hike...
Right now, we have lots of smoke over us from the Arrowhead fire, which has burned many houses...Wind is supposed to die down tomorrow, but temps are supposed to be higher by about 10 degrees. We'll see what happens next...
Anyway guys im out for the night, i hope the fires are brought under control soon, see ya!
My sis, had to evacuate, no immediate threat, last "outbreak" was 2003. CA is a little more prepared this time.
Quick observation:
That photo shows some firefighters standing close to very intense heat.....wow
Wow, I stayed off the computer and away from tv for a couple of days and all hell breaks loose.
I always thought the Santa Ana winds were more of a mid-late winter thing.
Either way, this is a major event that I had no idea was happening until 15 minutes ago. A week ago everyone was talking about how bored they were. Crazy eh.
All the fire stuff AND tornado watch & warnings along the gulf coast!!!
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
731 PM CDT MON OCT 22 2007
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A
* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
EASTERN WASHINGTON COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST ALABAMA...
* UNTIL 815 PM CDT
* AT 726 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR HAWTHORN...
OR ABOUT 16 MILES SOUTHEAST OF CHATOM...MOVING NORTH AT 30 MPH.
* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
SUNFLOWER BY 740 PM CDT...
WAGARVILLE AND CORTELUOU BY 745 PM CDT...
6 MILES WEST OF PRESTWICK BY 750 PM CDT...
LEROY BY 755 PM CDT...
SAINT STEPHRNS BY 800 PM CDT...
IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER IN A NEARBY REINFORCED
BUILDING. AS A LAST RESORT...SEEK SHELTER IN A CULVERT...DITCH OR LOW
SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.
IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
STURDY SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE NEAREST
DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.
A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM CDT MONDAY EVENING
FOR SOUTHWESTERN ALABAMA AND NORTHWEST FLORIDA AND SOUTHEAST
MISSISSIPPI.
Hey All! !How's things tonight?? I hope people don't get it too bad!! Fire scares me!! Way more dangerous than twisters in my book!! Stay safe everyone!!
hey Brady what going on today.
Ive discovered that I dont have to upload all my pics to freewebs I can jsut get tehm straight from my photobucket for my web site its pretty sweet so that way i dont take up much space.
Ugh!! Crazy day at the shop!! Apparently it was National Get Your F#@king oil changed day!! Yes I need a new career!! =(That's what I get for partying my teenage years away!! Anyway!! Just a day here!! nothing special!!
I agree!! All of you guys need to be patient with your sites!! Don't give up!! Work hard!! And stay with the people you can trust!! Weather is a product we all can sell that will never run out!! Remember that!!
Brady!!! I could have snow tonight if im very lucky!!! 3 degrees and rainy overnight!!! I hope I get something...Well I can't wait for tomorrow! So hot...22C, 71F 13 degrees above normal.
So guys what's up?
This is the OntarioWeatherService.Com forecast area, and this is the time to look at their site. I like in the Mountains of Southern California, and we might evac SOON.
Kevin Martin has been the most helpful before and through this event to us mountain folk.
I got the warning of the event back on the 13th of October!
CrestlineJim
Ontario Weather Service.Com Statement says I may be in bad standings for over a day.
"The winds will die down somewhat today, but still remain strong through at least Tuesday Afternoon before dying off Wednesday. Onshore flow will take over toward the end of the week, and into the Weekend with much higher relative humidity that would make firefighters gain advantage over the situations"
CrestlineJim
Fire info:
http://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/fire_wx/index.html#Day1
http://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/exper/fire_wx/
He's back!!
You know, funny thing happened - when I read the stuff from NWS, I was surprised to see that they did not mention AT ALL that if you get Gremlins wet, they will MULTIPLY!!!!!!! AAAAAAA!!!
We don't trust SPC up in these mountains. They are not local.