2020 wildfire Season: IMET deployments (July 4 to July 19th)

Wildfires have been ramping up in the western portion of the United States and this means that NWS Incident Meteorologists (IMET) continue to be deployed on assignments that can last up to two weeks. Information on IMET deployments is obtained from the US National Weather Service IMET Facebook Page. Unless otherwise specified, all fire size information comes from Inciweb. IMETs save lives, thanks to all the IMETs whether you are currently in the field, awaiting deployment or returned from deployment.

Deployments that may have ended:

On July 5 an IMET from the US NWS Western Region Headquarters was deployed to the Polles Fire in the Tonto National Forest near Payson, Arizona. As I write this the fire has burned 628 acres and is reported to be at 92 percent containment (last update on July 15th)

On July 6 an IMET from the US NWS San Francisco Bay Area/Monterey California Weather Forecast Office was deployed to the Crews Fire (CAL Fire incident) near Gilroy, California. CAL Fire reports that the fire burned 5,513 acres and was extinguished on July 13th.

Two IMETs were deployed on July 7th. A US NWS IMET from the Tucson, Arizona Weather Forecast Office was deployed to the Bighorn Fire in the Coronado National Forest near Tucson, Arizona, 119,741 acres have burned. Here is a July 2nd story from KOLD featuring an IMET reporting on heavy monsoon like rains. While this report is now dated, it illustrates the importance of the work of IMETs. A second IMET, this one from the US NWS Weather Forecast Office in Reno Nevada was deployed to the Numbers Fire. The Numbers Fire is reported to be 100 percent contained, having burned 18,380 acres (last updated on July 13th).

Deployments in the last week:

No deployments that I know of from July 8 through July 13th.

An IMET from the US NWS Weather Forecast Office in Hanford, California was deployed to the Mineral Fire on July 14. The Mineral Fire is a CAL Fire incident, having burned 28,221 acres near Coalinga, California.

On July 15th, two IMETS were deployed. The first IMET was from the US NWS Weather Forecast Office in Flagstaff, Arizona, deployed to the Turkey Farm Road Fire near St. George, Utah. The fire is burning on Utah State Lands, as of July 16th the fire had mapped at 11,993 acres according to a July 18th report from Utah Fire Info. The fire was caused by fireworks, human caused. 

The second IMET deployed on July 15th came from the US NWS at Albuquerque New Mexico, deployed to the Blue River 2 fire near San Carlos, Arizona. The fire which has burned 28,51 acres, is burning on lands of the San Carlos Apache Nation.

On July 16th, a US NWS IMET from the Flagstaff Arizona Weather Forecast Office was deployed to the Big Summit Fire near Panaca, Nevada. 8,461 acres have burned to date.

On July 19th an IMET from the US NWS Weather Forecast Office in Reno, Nevada was deployed to the Hog Fire (a CAL Fire Incident) that has burned 5,800 acres near Susanville, California.