Weather leads to high number of red-flag warnings

June 11, 2006

By MARY AMES

Frontiersman

MAT-SU - Low humidity, high temperatures and high winds combined to create a high number of red-flag warnings in Southcentral this year.

The National Weather Service issues red-flag warnings when conditions occur, or will occur, that can lead to large and dangerous fires.

A red-flag warning is an indicator fire officials use to determine what resources they should have ready.

It was the red-flag warning before May's Point MacKenzie fire that prompted officials to have air tankers, helicopters and fire crews ready to fight the flames, said John See, regional fire management officer with the state Division of Forestry.

And, as Wednesday's weather cooled in the Valley, the red-flag warning expired. The weather service issued a red-flag warning for north of the Alaska Range, and the tanker and other resources moved to the Fairbanks area, See said.

&#8220They'll stay there for the next day or two, based on weather and looking at conditions,” he said.

A fire between Nenana and Anderson closed the Parks Highway for a few hours Wednesday, sparking the need for air tankers based out of Fairbanks.

Although there isn't a red-flag warning for the Valley, wildfire danger remains high, said Matt Weaver, fire information officer.

&#8220It's been kind of an interesting season,” Weaver said. &#8220We've had some precipitation, but not a soaking rain.”

Forestry officials look at several things to determine the level of fire danger, and one is the duff-moisture code - how dry the materials are on the ground.

&#8220There hasn't been much real rain,” Weaver said. &#8220So the fuels just underneath the surface are real dry.”

Thursday's cloudy weather and cooler temperatures meant the humidity was up, but it's still a situation of concern, Weaver said.

Even before the weather warmed up, when officials were trying to make predictions about the coming fire season, they noted the lower-than-normal snow pack in Southcentral, he said. Then came the high temperatures and gusty winds in May.

&#8220We had 10 red-flag warnings in a 14-day period,” Weaver said. &#8220Nobody in Palmer forestry can recall seeing that number in such a short period. And some of the guys have been around a long time.”

Weaver advised Alaskans to use extreme caution with any kind of fire, to never light a fire in windy conditions and to be sure to check local open burning restrictions in advance.

The most recent update from the Division of Forestry shows 62 fires to date in the Anchorage and Mat-Su area, with 598.3 acres burned.

Contact Mary Ames at

352-2284 or mary.ames@

frontiersman.com