Latest news with #MountUnderwoodFire
CBC
4 days ago
- Health
- CBC
Island Health issues air quality warnings due to wildfire smoke
The Mount Underwood fire near Port Alberni continues to grow, and many on Vancouver Island are feeling the impact. Island Health has issued an air quality warning, as smoke travels across the mid-island, sparking health concerns.
San Francisco Chronicle
5 days ago
- Climate
- San Francisco Chronicle
An atmospheric river is approaching. Here's when rain could hit the drought-plagued West
Two separate weather patterns are forecast to bring substantial rainfall to parts of the West the next few days, alleviating drought and drenching wildfires from Seattle to Phoenix. An early-season atmospheric river could drop nearly a month's worth of precipitation across drought-plagued Washington state, Oregon and British Columbia from Thursday night through Saturday. The same storm will bring showers to Western Oregon on Friday and thunderstorms to far Northern California on Saturday and Sunday. A revitalized North American Monsoon will raise the chance of thunderstorms and wetting rain across Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado from Thursday through Saturday. Phoenix could pick up its first measurable rainfall in more than six weeks. Here's what to know about how the forthcoming rainfall could mitigate drought and fires: Unseasonable Pacific Northwest atmospheric river An unseasonably strong low-pressure system is expected to move toward British Columbia on Thursday. This storm will usher a moisture-rich atmospheric river toward Seattle on Friday, setting the stage for significant mountain precipitation, weather more typical of November than August. Weather models predict precipitable water — the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere — will approach record levels over Washington state and Oregon not just for August, but any time of year. A month's worth of rain is forecast to fall in one day in Western Oregon and Washington state. Mountain ranges in these states are forecast to receive 2 to 6 inches of precipitation by Saturday afternoon. Some Washington cities, such as Olympia, Bellingham and Quillayute, could set daily rainfall records, with amounts ranging from 1 to 3 inches. Totals in Seattle and Portland, Ore. will be on the lighter side, but each city could still pick up an inch of rain by Saturday afternoon. Light snowfall is forecast atop Mount Rainier, Washington's tallest mountain. Wildfire activity ramped up in drought-plagued areas and the rain should help firefighters with containment efforts. Around an inch of rain is forecast to douse the Bear Gulch Fire west of Seattle, which has sent plumes of smoke drifting across the region in recent days. Similarly, the Mount Underwood Fire on Vancouver Island that began Aug. 11 and exploded to more than 5,000 acres in two days is expected to receive significant rainfall. Active monsoon returns to Arizona Much of the Desert Southwest gets a significant portion of its annual rainfall from summer thunderstorms, but this year's monsoon has been subdued, particularly in Arizona. After a quiet few weeks, monsoon thunderstorms should become more active across Arizona and New Mexico through the weekend. Phoenix has received less than 20% of normal monsoon rainfall and fewer lightning strikes than any summer since at least 1990. That should change Thursday, when a mesoscale convective vortex lifts across Arizona on Thursday and could bring measurable rain to Phoenix. By Friday, a strong surge of moisture from the Gulf of California is expected to trigger a thunderstorm outbreak across Arizona and New Mexico, lasting through Saturday, according to the University of Arizona meteorology department. The precipitation could help moisten vegetation and dampen wildfires across Arizona. Critically dry fuels in July and early August contributed to fast-growing blazes, including the Dragon Bravo Fire, which continues to spread after destroying a historic lodge in Grand Canyon in early July. What about California? The monsoon high is expected to be too far east for rain in Southern California, but the remnants of the atmospheric river may hold together just enough for showers in far Northern California this weekend. Mountainous areas north of Redding have the best chance of picking up a quarter- to half-inch of rain from passing showers Saturday and Sunday. Rainfall totals may be locally heavier beneath thunderstorms, especially around Mount Shasta. While the Bay Area isn't in line for heavy rain like the Pacific Northwest, the storm will still impact weather around San Francisco. Moisture and some high-level clouds associated with the system are anticipated to drift all the way over the Bay Area throughout the weekend. However, there won't be enough vertical motion in the atmosphere to condense the water vapor to liquid raindrops. Ahead of the system, the pressure gradient along the California coast will tighten and whip up moderate northwesterly winds. These winds may be accompanied by enough dry air to mix out the coastal fog by Thursday evening for a mainly clear night over San Francisco Bay. Friday may even begin mostly sunny in San Francisco. Despite the sunshine, northwest gusts up to 35 mph are expected in the city. Even stronger gusts are possible in Point Reyes and through the San Bruno Gap. As winds ease Friday night, marine layer clouds are expected to redevelop and blanket San Francisco Peninsula by Saturday morning. The thick marine layer will extend far inland over the weekend, keeping temperatures on the cool side of normal.
CBC
5 days ago
- Climate
- CBC
'Explosive' wildfire near Port Alberni, B.C., doubles in size
The Mount Underwood fire reached 2,156 hectares on Thursday, and is located more than 10 kilometres south of Port Alberni, B.C., a small city home to about 19,000 people.
CBC
5 days ago
- Climate
- CBC
'Explosive' wildfire growth near Port Alberni, B.C., unusual for Vancouver Island: wildfire service
A Vancouver Island wildfire continues to grow out of control Wednesday. The Mount Underwood fire is now 16.18 square kilometres (1,618 hectares), located more than 10 kilometres south of Port Alberni, B.C., a small city home to about 19,000 people. More than 500 properties in the Bamfield and Anacla areas are still without power due to the fire, according to B.C. Hydro's outage list. Those properties haven't had power since around 6 p.m. PT Monday. The Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District (ACRD) has said the power is expected to be out for longer than 72 hours. Evacuation orders have been issued by the ACRD and Cowichan Valley Regional District for a mix of commercial, industrial and recreational properties. WATCH | Vancouver Island wildfire grows rapidly: Mount Underwood wildfire near Port Alberni rages out of control 14 hours ago Julia Caranci, fire information officer with the B.C. Wildfire Service, said this "extreme" fire behaviour is unusual for Vancouver Island. "We are in the midst of a severe drought," she said at a news conference Tuesday. She noted strong winds had pushed the fire "aggressively" uphill. The fire rapidly expanded Tuesday, ballooning from about 6.3 square kilometres Monday night to almost 14.5 square kilometres Tuesday night. "In the seven years I've worked for the Coastal Fire Centre, I don't think I've seen a fire like this on Vancouver Island," Caranci said. She said the "unprecedented" dry conditions, combined with the strong winds, hot weather and steep, rugged terrain, came together to contribute to the fire's growth. "When the temperature is rising and the relative humidity falls, and we have strong winds pushing on a new incident, we can see that explosive type of growth. Again, we don't normally see that on fires on Vancouver Island." Wildfire officers do not expect the upcoming rain to have a strong impact on the current fire behaviour, Caranci said. "We are responding, and we are doing everything we can," she said. B.C. Wildfire Service crews, including five helicopters and five skimmers, are responding to the fire. The service said there is no threat to Bamfield or Port Alberni at this time, but has asked non-residents to stay away from Bamfield, an unincorporated community with about 300 year-round residents, to avoid putting more pressure on the community.
