2019 wildfire season: IMET deployments (Sept 9th)

The deployment of NWS Incident Meteorologists (IMETs) have seen an uptick the last couple of weeks. When deployed to a wildfire, for up to two weeks, IMETs used good science to provide forecasts for the area burned by the wildfire and environs. As required, they will launch weather balloons (see the August 1st post by the NWS IMETs) on their Facebook page to watch a nice video of a balloon launch). Theu bring all the weather equipment they need to provide the latest forecasts. They do this to so that wildland firefighters and their support teams will be as safe as possible as they fight wildfires. IMETs are a national resources. While many but not all IMET deployments are in the western U.S. or in Alaska, if called upon they will come to your state to work a wildfire, IMETs have your back. For example, IMETs have been deployed to east coast states in recent years. Finally if you look at the information below the size of the wildfire varies from less than 500 acres to more than 160,000 acres.

Here are the IMET deployments since September 2 from the US National Weather Service IMET Facebook Page.

• September 3rd: US National Weather Service Pendleton Oregon IMET deployed to #402 Cow Fire, near Unity OR, 9,668 acres at 73 percent containment.
• September 3rd: US National Weather Service Anchorage Alaska IMET deployed to McKinley Fire near Willow, Alaska, 3,288 acres at 95 percent containment.
• September 4th: US National Weather Service Seattle Washington IMET deployed to Swan Lake Fire near Sterling, Alaska, 163,686 acres at  37 percent containment.
• September 6th: US National Weather Service San Francisco Bay Area/Monterey California IMET deployed to Red Bank Fire near Red Bluff California, 8,838 acres at 50 percent containment.
• September 6th: US National Weather Service Sacramento California IMET deployed to Walker Fire near Taylorsville California, 43,931 acres at 7 percent containment.
• September 6th: US National Weather Service Medford Oregon IMET deployed to Gopher Fire near Medford Oregon in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest.
• September 7th: US National Weather Service Hanford California IMET deployed to the South Fire near Plantina California, 2,425 acres.
• September 7th: US National Weather Service Tucson Arizona IMET deployed to Neck Fire near Cedar City Utah, 18,990 acres at 30 percent containment.
• September 8th: US National Weather Service San Francisco Bay/Monterey California IMET deployed to Lime Fire near Yreka California, 1,100 acres.
• September 9th: US National Weather Service Salt Lake City IMET enroute to Meadow Creek Fire near Filmore Utah.
• September 9th: US National Weather Service San Diego IMET enroute to Taboose Fire near Big Pine California, 10,500 acres at 10 percent containment.

IMETs save lives. For all my IMET friends, stay safe and thank-you for providing good science.