Wispy smoke and heavier columns have been appearing around the north zone of the Carlton Complex as the day heated up and the wind picked up. There has been more activity by scooper planes and helicopters around the island of green in the center of the fire, especially near the Leecher Mountain lookout, as they try and keep the hot spots cooled off.
 |
| A Scooper Plane |
More activity has been reported in Division S which is the Gold Creek area, near Foggy Dew Campground. Crews are putting in hose lines around the campground to protect it. And more smoke is reported at the north end of the zone, east of Pearrygin Lake, which helicopters continue to cool with water. Fire managers are continuing to try and find ways to go direct on this northern area of the fire.
 |
A column building about 4 pm the 29th
over the Leecher Mountain area |
Current weather for the fire includes a build up of cumulus clouds which bring the potential for thunder storms. There is also a Haines index of 5, out of a possible total of 6. This is important information for firefighters.
The Haines Index is a numerical value that indicates the potential for large wildfires to experience extreme fire behavior. The HI combines both the instability and dryness of the air by examining the lapse rate between two pressure levels in the atmosphere and the dryness of one of the pressure levels. The higher the Haines, the greater the chance for increased fire behavior.
What was the Haines Index number during the peak Carlton Complex day, 7/17?
ReplyDelete