TUESDAY OFS Fire Situation

“Take a minute to make a plan rather than making a plan each minute.” – Oklahoma Forestry Service

The Oklahoma Forestry Service’s report for today states the dire facts and predictions for the fifth day of firestorm danger in Oklahoma.

Today: Red Flag Warning in effect today until 8:00 PM for most of Oklahoma. Critical to Extreme fire weather will develop early in the burning period with poor overnight moisture recovery in many areas of the state ahead of increasing southwest to west winds coupled with very dry fuels as relative humidity again falls below the critical threshold. A dry cold front will migrate into the state in the early morning hours, ushering in a shift to northwest winds topping the High Wind Warning threshold and potentially explosive fire growth with extreme rates of fire spread. The highest concerns today are two-fold: 1) Existing fires will be challenged by critical fire weather, with many of those fires in high-density population areas, and 2) Northwestern/Western Oklahoma where there is a high probability of significant wildfire occurrence.

Outlook: On the heels of dangerous fire conditions today, dry conditions prevail through the week with elevated to near-critical fire weather fully anticipated. The next opportunity for any rainfall develops late in the weekend and is confined, at this time, to eastern Oklahoma. Extended range outlooks do not offer much optimism for relief pointing to above normal temperature and below normal rainfall in the 6-10 Day Outlook. 

Statewide Discussion: Heavy resource commitment yesterday was dedicated to improving containment on existing fires, battling flare-ups from some of those fires, and responding to new wildfire incidents. Today, those fires will be challenged by yet another round of extreme fire weather over critically dry fuels in much of Oklahoma. There is a high significant fire occurrence (>5,000 acres) probability in western Oklahoma, with those probabilities extending into the central regions of the state. Another Wildfire Outbreak is possible, and given the approaching dry, cold front, a Megafire (burning <100,000 acres) cannot be ruled out. Near-critical fire weather and increasingly resistant to control fire behavior will remain in place through Friday statewide.

MAKE YOUR PLAN

Here are a few tips from a volunteer firefighter and local fire victims to consider:

• NO WOOD MULCH around the house!
• OPEN GATES and leave them open. Ornamental gates are cool, but overhead frames, while cool, tpially are too short for bigger brush rigs to fit. 
• SHUT DOORS and GARAGE DOORS. If embers blow in, they could light the structure. (Leaving your house unlocked is fine.)
• SPRINKLING yards and roofs might help a little bit, but when they drench yards, trucks get stuck. 
• FIREWOOD. As we emerge from winter,  folks still have firewood. A small stack near your house is fine that you refill through winter, but no big stacks against the house or garage.

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