SPM 09-26-2020: Windy and Dry Conditions Cause Ongoing Fires to Flare Up

Issue Date: Saturday, September 26th, 2020
Issue Time: 9:30AM MDT

Summary:

Another day with no rain recorded. An incoming, dry system paired with warm temperatures to increase fire danger across the state yesterday. Surface winds were on the uptick over the northern portion of the state and parts of the Central Mountains as a jet streak moved to our north. This helped mix down some stronger winds to the surface and mid-levels, and caused WNW gusts around 40 mph near the Cameron Peak fire. This kicked up fire activity, so it expanded quite a bit in coverage and decreased in containment (only slightly). The Williams Fork fire also expanded by about 100 acres, and decreased about 10% in containment. High fire danger continues today, so stay alert to local emergency management if you’re in these areas. Also avoid any activities that could cause a spark. Cooler conditions tomorrow and into next week will hopefully help with the wildfire management.

Large ongoing Colorado wildfires update (as of 9:40AM from InciWeb):
Cameron Peak in the Medicine Bow Mountains: 111,114 acres; 25% contained
Middle Fork Fire in Routt County: 6,760 acres; 0% containment
Williams Fork in the Arapaho National Forest: 12,420 acres; 15% contained

Below is a look at the 30-day rainfall departure from normal. It shows that the early snow system really had an impact on precipitation for the month. This is especially true over the western and southern San Juan Mountains, which received up to 2 inches above normal over Rio Grande County. For reference, the PRISM precipitation climatology for September is below that. It was also a wet month for the Southeast Mountains and eastern plains. While anything above normal is welcomed, we’re still a long way behind on moisture for this year, so the 0 to 1 inch anomalies didn’t do much to alleviate the ongoing drought.

To see precipitation estimates over your neighborhood the last 24-hours, scroll down to the State Precipitation Map below. Note that the map below is nearly blank due to the lack of rainfall over the last 72-hours. The precipitation over Lincoln/Kit Carson County is an artifact due to contamination of the radar data.

Click Here For Map Overview

The map below shows radar-estimated, rainfall gage-adjusted Quantitative Precipitation Estimates (QPE) across Colorado. The map is updated daily during the operational season (May 1 – Sep 30) by 11AM. The following six layers are currently available: 24-hour, 48-hour and 72-hour total precipitation, as well as maximum 1-hour, 2-hour and 6-hour precipitation over the past 24 hour period (to estimate where flash flooding may have occurred). The 24-hour, 48-hour and 72-hour total precipitation contain bias corrections that are not disaggregated into the hourly estimates, so there will likely be some differences. The accumulation ending time is 7AM of the date shown in the bottom right corner. Also shown optionally are vulnerable fire burn areas (post 2012), which are updated throughout the season to include new, vulnerable burn areas. The home button in the top left corner resets the map to the original zoom.