2019 wildfire season: IMET deployments (July 22-26)

As wildfire season has ramped up in the western region of the lower 48 in the United States as well as in Alaska, there is an increase in deployments of National Weather Service Incident Meteorologists (METs) to wildfires over the last month. You may go and check on IMET deployments for yourself at the US National Weather Service IMET Facebook page, they also post educational materials such as this 55 minute video, Fire on the 5s on remote sensing and wildland fires. I have watched this video and learned a lot, I will probably watch it again soon.

By my unofficial count, IMETs have been deployed to at least nine different fires since July 10th: Alaska (3), Nevada (1), Arizona (2), Idaho (1), Oregon (1) and Washington (1). Sometimes more than one IMET will be deployed to a fire. Included in these figures are the following IMET deployments since July 22nd up to and including July 26th:

• July 22nd, NWS Flagstaff Arizona IMET deployed to Museum Fire near Flagstaff Arizona: 1,961 acres burned at 61percent containment.
• July 22nd, NWS Boise Idaho IMET deployed to Vader Fire near Stanley Idaho: 443 acres burned at 95 percent containment.
• July 26, NWS Medford OR IMET deployed to Milepost97 Fire near Canyonville Oregon: 11,668 acres burned at 10 percent containment.
• July 26, NWS Spokane WA IMET deployed to Left Hand Fire near Naches Washington: 2,500 acres at 8 percent containment.

Typically, IMETs serve a two-week deployment on a wildfire providing important weather forecasts for the area where the wildfire is burning, go read this NWS article about what IMETs do to learn more about what IMETs do. Remember IMETs save lives.