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MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... November 15, 2016 November 15, 2016 November 15, 2016 November 15, 2016 Come on baby DON'T light that fire http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20161115/fire-danger.png When you combine the Doors with Beavis, you know things are getting serious. A powerful-but-dry trough approaching from the west will drag a cold front across Oklahoma Thursday but before then Mother Nature is going to kick up the wind machine. And with the lack of moisture in the air (and the soils), lots of dormant/ dead vegetation available for fuel thanks to a rainy spring and early summer, and strong winds, fire danger will be on the increase for tomorrow and Thursday. Here's the overall picture courtesy of NWS-Tulsa showing the culprit. http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20161115/nws-tulsa-wx-picture.gif And here are some graphics outlining the fire danger itself from our NWS partners. http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20161115/nws-norman-fire-wed.png http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20161115/nws-norman-fire-thur.png http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20161115/nws-ama-fire-wed.png And fire concerns will be elevated even after the front's passage. The winds will still be gusting to over 30mph, just from the opposite direction. And while cooler, the humidity will still be a tad low in parts of the state. We are expecting very little rain with this front, and for the next week at least. http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20161115/nws-norman-fire-planner.png http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20161115/7day-rain-forecast.gif So obviously one of the big problems is the lack of green vegetation. That's shown very clearly by the relative greenness map from the Mesonet's OK-FIRE program. And this is a week old, and I guarantee you it hasn't gotten better since then. http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20161115/relative-greenness.gif And we also have an intensifying drought (trust me, wait until Thursday) across the NW and the E. Now we're getting to the time of the year when drought doesn't matter as much as during the warm season since the plants are going to be fuel-licious naturally due to the natural life cycle of the plants. To keep it simple...plants die and go dormant during late fall and winter. However, this year we've been so mild and the plants have been hanging in there, so I do think drought is still playing a role. http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20161115/20161108_OK_trd.png But there's a simple fix for this particular weather hazard. You can tell when it's really windy and dry, so during those periods, don't do any outdoor burning, don't throw your lit cigarette butts out of the window into the right of way, don't weld or do anything outdoors that will cause sparks (romantic sparks are okay). So keep in tune with your local fire departments AND favorite weather source(s). Don't be a Beavis, and especially don't be a cigarette (Butt)head. Gary McManus State Climatologist Oklahoma Mesonet Oklahoma Climatological Survey (405) 325-2253 gmcmanus@mesonet.org ================================================== The OCS/Mesonet Ticker https://ticker.mesonet.org/ To subscribe or unsubscribe from the Ticker or for questions about the Ticker or its content Phone or Email the Ticker Manager at OCS Phone: 405-325-2253 Email: ticker@mesonet.org --------------------------------------------------- -C- Copyright 2024 Oklahoma Climatological Survey ===================================================