California Apocalypse

[Cudedog]

My first thoughts are for Martha this morning, in hopes that she is safe from the two storms headed her way. My best wishes to you, Martha. Please let us know how you are doing. Thank you.

On to fire news:

Smoke is back in my area this morning, although we had no thunderstorm activity here in my immediate area overnight (that I was aware of), as had been predicted. A bit of good news, there.

Velda, any thunderstorm activity in your area?

Still checking to find out if there were any lightning strikes overnight in the Bay Area.

I was up about 2:00 a.m. this morning to let Joe out into the yard; the smell of smoke when I opened the door was at gagging level.

Current fire stats:

18 major fires actively burning, acres burned: 1,277,202
Number of fire personnel fighting these major fires: 12,716

In addition to these 18 major fires burning, there are also several hundred minor fires, not listed here, actively burning in California.

Major fires listed by name - acreage burned - number of personnel fighting each fire:

Jones Fire 705 149
Loyalton Fire 47029 213
W-5 Cold Springs 52,000 140
Moc, Tuolumne County 2,800 750
Dolan, Big Sur 19,287 579
Tehama/Glenn Lightning Complex 49,050 708
Mendocino August Complex 160,005 357
SCU Lightning Complex 347,196 1,336
CZU August Lightning 78,000 1,511
North Complex, Plumas National Forest 41,880 903
LNU Lightning Complex 341,243 1,704
BTU Lightning Complex Butte County 3,527 385
River, Monterey County 48,424 1,131
Ranch 2, San Gabriel Canyon 1,800 143
Lake, Angeles National Forest 31,089 1,471
Trimmer, Sierra NF 568 134
Apple, Riverside County 33,234 114
Red Salmon Complex 19,365 988

[Irmi]

Anne, thanks for all the updates on the fires in CA. It's hard to fathom what you and Velda are living through. Please stay safe.

[MandysMom]

And as of this morning 5 confirmed deaths in the fires, all in the LNU lightning compiles fire

We had a brief glimpse of blue sky as thunderstorm approached last night, but back to heavy smoke today.
Velda

[MandysMom]

Anne, yes we had thunder last night around midnight, but I fell aslee. Reports on my phone overnight indicate we had nearby lightning as well.
Velda

[monik7]

There was some good news this morning on the TV news regarding Big Basin State Park in the Santa Cruz mountains. Contrary to earlier reports about it being “wiped away,“ a reporter walked trails and filmed through the park yesterday and said a majority of the huge 2,000-year-old redwoods survived. This should not be surprising since the redwoods are known to have thick outer layers that have survived past fires for thousands of years. Over the years I’ve been to Big Basin State Park starting as a child and like other stands of redwoods throughout the West, many had burned areas that even hollowed out their massive trunks at ground level - many that you could even walk into. Yet they survive and thrive.

It is sad that historic buildings at the park headquarters and some campgrounds were destroyed. But the trees are what we go to see at Big Basin and a majority of them are apparently intact. That’s some good news. It will definitely take some time for the area of the fire to regrow the undergrowth, to make repairs, etc, but Big Basin State Park will still be there for us to marvel at and enjoy.
Sandi

[Cudedog]

There was some good news this morning on the TV news regarding Big Basin State Park in the Santa Cruz mountains. Contrary to earlier reports about it being “wiped away,“ a reporter walked trails and filmed through the park yesterday and said a majority of the huge 2,000-year-old redwoods survived. This should not be surprising since the redwoods are known to have thick outer layers that have survived past fires for thousands of years. Over the years I’ve been to Big Basin State Park starting as a child and like other stands of redwoods throughout the West, many had burned areas that even hollowed out their massive trunks at ground level - many that you could even walk into. Yet they survive and thrive.

It is sad that historic buildings at the park headquarters and some campgrounds were destroyed. But the trees are what we go to see at Big Basin and a majority of them are apparently intact. That’s some good news. It will definitely take some time for the area of the fire to regrow the undergrowth, to make repairs, etc, but Big Basin State Park will still be there for us to marvel at and enjoy.
Sandi

Excellent news, Sandi! I had not heard this.

Thanks for posting. I have never visited any of the giant redwoods, but still hope to do so one day.

Anne

[MandysMom]

I read the same reports as Sandi, yesterday. Much better news than anticipated. Right now, the parks superintendent said, it's too dangerous to go into the park, due to trees across roads and hot spots, but they have assessed part of the buildings finding extensive damage. The reporter and cameraman who hiked in, did so at heir own big risk, as they reported hearing booms as distant trees fell, while they were there. It will take time, but the park,will come back.

[JudyJB]

Nice to have some good news. Now I need to check on Napa, which I am worried about.

[Cudedog]

Anne, thanks for all the updates on the fires in CA. It's hard to fathom what you and Velda are living through. Please stay safe.

Thanks, Irmi.

The smoke here at my house is not so bad today, but still smoky. Last night I was outside with Joe getting ready to toss his Kong (Joe is a dog that needs his exercise in order to remain calm) when I noticed that I could actually see tiny particles of fine ash slowly drifting down, kind of like a very fine mist. That really got my attention!

I immediately came back inside.

Joe was not too happy with me, but I gave him his dinner, and he forgot about his Kong - at least for a while. Also (as Velda mentioned) it is much cooler today than it has been over the past week, which is a great relief. 90's sure feel cool after 112.

Velda, thanks for the reminder about the fine particulate matter that is generated by fires. I had asthma as a child, and was surprised a few days ago that I could feel what seemed to be an asthma issue coming on (haven't had an asthma issue in years).

Since your reminder, I have kept my HEPA filter going, and have been fine. Sorry to hear that you landed in the hospital due to smoke particulate matter!! Be careful.

I also found the website of the California Air Resources Board (Velda, I'm sure you know about this one):
https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/news/multimedia-release-carb-offers-guidance-protecting-yourself-exposure-smoke-wildfires

Lots of good info here about protecting ones self from wildfire smoke; also a nice graph, "Air Quality Guide for Particle Pollution", which shows the different levels of pollution, when one should be concerned, and what one can do about it.


Anne

[Cudedog]

Nice to have some good news. Now I need to check on Napa, which I am worried about.

Hi Judy. Hope your kids in Napa are safe, and not getting too much of this awful smoke. Speaking of smoke, one of my favorite YouTube channels - Red Poppy Ranch (just in case someone's imagination runs away , the channel is about a man who single-handedly built a home for his family off-grid in the wilds of rural south-east Idaho). The video posted on the channel yesterday was a story about him jumping out of bed in the morning in some terror, and rushing to find out where all the smoke suddenly surrounding his house was coming from (his home is also in a potentially fire-prone area). He was very relieved to find out that the smoke was coming from. . . California!!

Judy, here are two websites that I find useful for tracking fires:

This one has a tool (on the left) where one can measure distances in miles - for example, from the edge of a fire to a city.
Very useful:
https://maps.nwcg.gov/sa/#/%3F/%3F/39.593/-121.2548/7

If you click to enlarge an area you might be interested in, this second one has all kinds of interesting data, like wildfire locations, smoke predictions, etc. (this one also seems to have a measurement tool, but I have not been able to get it to work).
https://disasterresponse.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=2ff1677111ae4018ac705fcce7c3312f

Hope these are helpful for you.

Anne

[JudyJB]

Kids are fine, just a lot of smoke, but luckily wind is still blowing from the south, which means it is blowing toward the fire, not away from it. Also, there are some substantial hills between them and the fire, although son said they had some small fires in Yountville yesterday. Yountville is about 8-10 miles north, up the valley. (It is the home of The French Laundry, one of the most expensive and highly rated restaurants in the world. It also has a large veterans complex, but all is still safe.) The hills between my son and the fire are where it burned three years ago.

Son says the smoke they are getting are from other fires south of them, not the one closest to them, the LNU fire. Hopefully, the wind will keep blowing the way it is.

I do see a brand-new fire between St. Helena and Calistoga, up the Napa Valley. There is a state park near there and The Culinary Institute of America education facility.

[BarbaraRose]

Can any of you recommend where I can get info on driving conditions thru central and northern CA? We are planning to take the I-5 up to Oregon but I am concerned about the proximity to the fires and heavy smoke along that area. Still have a week and a half before we plan on leaving (or later if necessary).

[MandysMom]

Barbara, at this point, it's really hard to say what it wil be like in a week and a half. I haven't heard of fire being near I-5. It's been along 80 in Vacaville/Fairfield area. And south out of Tracy, off to west of I-5, closer to Livermore. But lots changes in a week.
Sorry cant be more help.
Velda

[OregonLuvr]

Barbie this is one of the best maps I have found.

https://oss.weathershare.org/?clat=43.1 ... 0ZfguhKicw

[Pooker]

Barbie,

I read about a free APP for your phone called Weather on Wheels. It allows you to check the weather at your destination and along the way. You enter your starting point, start time and destination and it will tell you weather all along the way. Hope it works - I haven't tried it yet.

Evie