It's fire season again

[Sierratim]

California has an annual wild fire season that starts about this time every year. This year it's being ushered in with record high temperatures , 109°F in Modesto - a new record and 130°F in Death Valley - an 89 year record. On top of that season monsoonal moisture is being accompanied with atypical electrical storms. The heat and electrical storms are setting off an unusually high number of wild fires.

We had an electrical storm pass over us at ~2AM this morning. It statred a fire in the steep and rugged Yuba River canyon about 7 miles from our home. Fire fighting crews were staged and ready to go at dawn. They've been at it all day with temps over 100°F. The fire is not yet contained with twilight upon us. Air crews will be grounded soon. Ground crews will need to withdraw. One of the major highways out of the area has been closed. Mandatory evacuation orders have ben issued to residents in the fire's projected night time path. Our youngest son and his wife have evacuated their home. The evacuation order has just been extended to within 4 miles of our home. We're packing now.

Looks like we'll need to reschedule our planned ride at Lake Tahoe tomorrow...

 

[Marci jo]

California has an annual wild fire season that starts about this time every year. This year it's being ushered in with record high temperatures , 109°F in Modesto - a new record and 130°F in Death Valley - an 89 year record. On top of that season monsoonal moisture is being accompanied with atypical electrical storms. The heat and electrical storms are setting off an unusually high number of wild fires.

We had an electrical storm pass over us at ~2AM this morning. It statred a fire in the steep and rugged Yuba River canyon about 7 miles from our home. Fire fighting crews were staged and ready to go at dawn. They've been at it all day with temps over 100°F. The fire is not yet contained with twilight upon us. Air crews will be grounded soon. Ground crews will need to withdraw. One of the major highways out of the area has been closed. Mandatory evacuation orders have ben issued to residents in the fire's projected night time path. Our youngest son and his wife have evacuated their home. The evacuation order has just been extended to within 4 miles of our home. We're packing now.

Looks like we'll need to reschedule our planned ride at Lake Tahoe tomorrow...

Wow, that’s scary.
Hope all turns out ok and all are safe.

 

[Art Deco]

California has an annual wild fire season that starts about this time every year. This year it's being ushered in with record high temperatures , 109°F in Modesto - a new record and 130°F in Death Valley - an 89 year record. On top of that season monsoonal moisture is being accompanied with atypical electrical storms. The heat and electrical storms are setting off an unusually high number of wild fires.

We had an electrical storm pass over us at ~2AM this morning. It statred a fire in the steep and rugged Yuba River canyon about 7 miles from our home. Fire fighting crews were staged and ready to go at dawn. They've been at it all day with temps over 100°F. The fire is not yet contained with twilight upon us. Air crews will be grounded soon. Ground crews will need to withdraw. One of the major highways out of the area has been closed. Mandatory evacuation orders have ben issued to residents in the fire's projected night time path. Our youngest son and his wife have evacuated their home. The evacuation order has just been extended to within 4 miles of our home. We're packing now.

Looks like we'll need to reschedule our planned ride at Lake Tahoe tomorrow...

Stay safe. Check in when you can. This modern weather is nothing to take litely.

 

[Cowlitz]

We have scary hot weather up by the Canadian boundary today and a very hot wind blowing. Everybody has been behaving well so no more fires so far. We've had a few around here.

I'm hoping for another year without getting smoked out. Two years ago it was terrible, air quality wise.

Good luck.

 

[FlatSix911]

A few smaller fires in the Bay Area... PG&E utility has now placed the region on notice for rolling power outages.

 

[Gionnirocket]

Stay safe!

 

[Sierratim]

We'll, it's morning and we smell smoke, but no evacuation orders for us in the middle of the night. 4,000 have been evacuated from 1,500 homes but we're still here.

As of last evening the fire, the Jones Fire, had 0 containment. Winds died down as the sun set, but they'll pick up as the temps rise so we'll keep a close eye on it.

Our youngest son and his wife are safe at his brother's home further away from the evacuation area. Besides, they're more fun than we frumpy old folks are!

I was planning a local ride rhis AM but he route I'd planned was closed by this morning. Maybe I'll work around the house and watch the fire updates...

 

[Marci jo]

Such a strange year; covid, wildfires, riots.
What’s next?
Alien invaders?!

 

[J.R.]

We get regular flooding, hurricanes and snow. The worst single snow storm in the last 20 years was about 40 inches. The problem is when you get back to back storms and ice storms with snow have left us without power for 6 days in the cold. Fire! That scares me more, I guess because I have no experience. You seem to be taking it in stride.

Stay safe! God bless! Keep us updated.

 

[Gionnirocket]

We get regular flooding, hurricanes and snow. The worst single snow storm in the last 20 years was about 40 inches. The problem is when you get back to back storms and ice storms with snow have left us without power for 6 days in the cold. Fire! That scares me more, I guess because I have no experience. You seem to be taking it in stride.

Stay safe! God bless! Keep us updated.

I just finished converting my portable generator to a bi_fuel so it can run on natural gas as well for just such an occasion.
With storm Isaias I didn't lose power but the surrounding blocks did for 7 days.
2020... Keep the good times coming.

@Sierratim
Go for that ride and clear your head if you feel it's safe.

 

[Sierratim]

We get regular flooding, hurricanes and snow. The worst single snow storm in the last 20 years was about 40 inches. The problem is when you get back to back storms and ice storms with snow have left us without power for 6 days in the cold. Fire! That scares me more, I guess because I have no experience. You seem to be taking it in stride.

Stay safe! God bless! Keep us updated.

Wild fires are a part of life in California, like tornados and hurricanes in other parts of the country. At least up here in the Sierras we don't get the earthquakes that other parts of the state can get!

 

[Art Deco]

Wild fires are a part of life in California, like tornados and hurricanes in other parts of the country. At least up here in the Sierras we don't get the earthquakes that other parts of the state can get!

The new Ca. four seasons: fire, flood, quake, and mud. But at least we know that Climate Change was a Chinese hoax.

 

[Sierratim]

I just finished converting my portable generator to a bi_fuel so it can run on natural gas as well for just such an occasion.
With storm Isaias I didn't lose power but the surrounding blocks did for 7 days.
2020... Keep the good times coming.

@Sierratim
Go for that ride and clear your head if you feel it's safe.

Being a bit out in the country we too have a backup generator. It's hooked up to the house propane tank so lots of fuel! Very handy when the kids were young esp when snows break a power line, or lightening takes out a transformer, or 'they' just turn the power off for whatever...

I keep telling myself California is not a 3rd world country. Now where did I put that emergency radio?

 

[Art Deco]

Being a bit out in the country we too have a backup generator. It's hooked up to the house propane tank so lots of fuel! Very handy when the kids were young esp when snows break a power line, or lightening takes out a transformer, or 'they' just turn the power off for whatever...

I keep telling myself California is not a 3rd world country. Now where did I put that emergency radio?

I went with solar panels on the roof with switched inverters (on or off grid) and stuffed a good wood stove in my fireplace.We hadn't had an outage of longer than 2 hours in 20 years when I installed them, and felt a bit silly. We have had two three day outages since then, and it took me 2 days to figure out how to switch them to keep my freezer running. Intuitive design ... not. And I'm the guy who designed it.

 

[Browneye]

My youngest is in Morgan Hill - about 20 miles south of San Jose. This is from yesterday, and yeah, that red dot is the sun!!
We have a week of near-hundred degree temps in so-CAL. I had to hook up my aquarium chiller in the new koi-pond to keep the water temps under 80. Fishies no likey.
Thank goodness we have air conditioning - we went for some 6 or 8 years without, but it seems to be hotter for longer than before. The pool is phenom.

Be well up there SierraTim!

 

[Art Deco]

My youngest is in Morgan Hill - about 20 miles south of San Jose. This is from yesterday, and yeah, that red dot is the sun!!
We have a week of near-hundred degree temps in so-CAL. I had to hook up my aquarium chiller in the new koi-pond to keep the water temps under 80. Fishies no likey.
Thank goodness we have air conditioning - we went for some 6 or 8 years without, but it seems to be hotter for longer than before. The pool is phenom.

Be well up there SierraTim!

Wow. That looks like a science fiction movie set.

 

[Taylor57]

Just finished a 12 mile ride thru the streets and sidewalks of Palm Springs and finished by jumping into my 92 degree pool. It was almost refreshing. Peanut got a bath today!

 

[Sierratim]

I took @Gionnirocket up on his suggestion and went for a ride in the somewhat smokey air. The 32-mile ride felt wonderful.

The sky should be bright blue, but it's hazy everywhere and smells like smoke.

Nothing like @Browneye pic in Morgan Hill. The Jones Fire is just over the ridge ~5miles from our home here. Our power is still on but on this side of town, generators were running at many of the homes. Power has been shut off as a precautionary measure.

The local airfield hosts a State Forestry Dept (CALFIRE) wildfire crew all season. Their planes and helicopters have been flying since dawn yesterday and today. Some are spotters helping to direct ground crews against the fire. Others, like this plane, drop fire retardant to slow the fire along its projected path, like cutting a firebreak with dozers. Some helicopters are equipped with large water buckets. They get water from farm ponds and lakes then drop it on hot spots. Some fly directly over our home on their way to and from the nearby lake.

Today's winds are quite mild compared to yesterday's. The evacuation perimeter has not been expanded. Crews have been able to establish a fire line in the path of the fire that they hope will stop its advance by nightfall.

Life in California...

 

[Sierratim]

The Jones Fire is now 5% contained with twilight coming on and aircraft about to be grounded until dawn. Three homes in the evacuation area burned today. No injuries. It's very calm out now so the fire will most likely stay where it is until morning. Fingers crossed, emergency radio on...

 

[Mr. Coffee]

Having been evacuated thrice in the last five fire seasons, you all have my sympathies.

100F and 9% here with winds gusting to 20mph. All it is going to take is a spark and everything will explode.