rfc gis workshopwilmington, ohio (ohrfc)july 17 – 19, 2007 wildfire boundaries acquisition, usage,...

RFC GIS Workshop Wilmington, Ohio (OHRFC)July 17 – 19, 2007

Wildfire BoundariesAcquisition, Usage, and Web Display

Daniel KozlowskiHAS MeteorologistCalifornia Nevada River Forecast Center


Acquisition

• USGS Anonymous FTP Server ( ftp.geomac.gov )

• Data Available for the Period 2000 to Current Year

• ALL Regions of the United States Are Available

Wildfires Are Not Just An Issue In the West!

• Directory Structure…

/outgoing/yyyy_fire_data/StateName/FireName

Wildfire Boundaries

For Example…

2007 California Angora


Wildfire Boundaries

Example 1: Angora Fire (South Lake Tahoe – June 2007)

• 3,100 Acres Burned

• 242 Residences and 67 Commercial Structures Destroyed


Wildfire Boundaries

Example 2: Big Turnaround Fire (SE GA / NE FL– Apr to Jul 2007)

• Approximately 390,000 Acres Burned

• At Least 18 Homes Destroyed and Parts of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge


Timeline of Wildfire to Debris Flow

• Grand Prix Fire – Began October 21, 2003

• Old Fire – Began October 25, 2003

• Fires Merged on October 26, 2003

• Affected Lytle Creek, Cable Canyon, and Waterman Canyon Areas

Wildfire Boundaries


Wildfire Boundaries


• 100 Percent Containment on November 8, 2003

• Approximately 150,000 Acres Burned

• Over 1100 Homes and 10 Commercial Buildings Destroyed

• Four Fatalities and Forty Injuries Due to Fire



• Nearly 10” of Rainfall Over the Burn Areas on Christmas Day

• Gage Data: Lytle Creek – 8.58” and Devore Water Co – 5.79”

• 33 of 34 Basins In Foothills of San Bernardino Mountains Filled With Debris

• Hardest Hit Basins: Lytle Creek, Cable Canyon, and Waterman Canyon

Wildfire Boundaries


Lytle Creek

Courtesy of Google Earth

Wildfire Boundaries

• Rainfall Rates Up To 1.00” / Hour

• Flash Flooding and Debris Flows Observed As Trees, Rocks, and Mud Flowed Across Several Roads and Highways


Cable Canyon


Wildfire Boundaries

• Rainfall Rates .20” to .70” / Hour

• Flash Flood and Debris Flow Resulted in a Mudslide

• Moved Thru a KOA Campground

• 2 People, 1 Bear, and 1 Horse Killed

• 32 Travel Trailers, Multiple Vehicles, and Roads Destroyed


Waterman Canyon


Wildfire Boundaries

• Rainfall Rates .20” to .70” / Hour

• Resulted in Mud, Water, and Rock Slides in the Canyon

• Moved Through Saint Sofia Camp Killing 14 People

• Debris Flow Destroyed 2 Bridges and Finally Spanned Out Just North of the city of San Bernardino


Wildfire Boundaries

Aftermath…


Wildfire Boundaries

Use of GIS Data on Internet Graphics

• Precipitation Gage Graphics


Wildfire Boundaries


• Precipitation Grid Graphics (QPE and QPF)


Wildfire Boundaries


• Flash Flood Guidance Adjustments

– In coordination with USGS, initial FFG of 0.25” to 0.50” per hour over 2003 burn areas

Oct 2003 Cedar Fire - San Diego County

> Second Largest Fire in California History

> Nearly 725,000 Acres Burned

> Over 3500 Homes Destroyed

> 15 People Killed


Wildfire Boundaries

Use of GIS Data on AWIPS

• D2D Background Map


Wildfire Boundaries

Questions???

Thank You!!!

rfc gis workshopwilmington, ohio (ohrfc)july 17 – 19, 2007 wildfire boundaries acquisition, usage,...

Documents

rfc gis workshopwilmington

ohio ohrfcjuly

wildfire boundaries

californiaangora slide

highways slide

people debris flow

city of san bernardino

debris flows