The Local Puppy Trainer noted today that It’s tropical weather information, not fear mongering.

Yesterday we had a couple of areas of interest in the Atlantic. As of 4PM CDT Tropical Storms Ana and Bill are heading West.

Ana looks like the weaker, and is encountering wind shear and dry air, but it’s path could put it in the Gulf which is a good deal more hospitable for development. You don’t know anything for certain this far out, but it is a good deal easier and cheaper [oh, no, stores would never jack up prices in an emergency 😈 ] to fill any gaps now, rather than waiting until the last minute.

People in hurricane areas should start watching the weather and checking supplies. Thanks to a solid El Niño condition things have been quiet, but the last time we waited this long in the season for a named storm was in 1992, and the storm was hurricane Andrew.

Update: KEYT reports – “In a press release from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Narcotics Unit and the U.S. Forest Service: Investigators revealed that the La Brea Fire was started by a cooking fire in a marijuana drug trafficking operation.”

The fire in the San Rafael Wilderness area has now burned about 84,150 acres and is 25% contained. The major emphasis has been on backfires and bulldozing to create fire lines to stop the fire from spreading outside the National Forest. The jump in the containment from 10 to 25% shows the success of the plan.

Ray Ford, the Santa Barbara Independent‘s back-country and wildfire reporter, has a couple of great pictures, and a quick tutorial on creating them in Pano Provides Perspective.

There have been 2 minor injuries fighting the fire which has already cost $6.3 million.

Currently there are 108 engines, 59 crews, 25 dozers, 5 air tankers, 14 helicopters, 14 water tenders and 1,980 total personnel assigned to the fire.

Links: The KEYT La Brea Fire article, the Santa Barbara Independent La Brea Fire page, InciWeb La Brea page with a map, KSBY has videos and the Enplan Wildfire Viewer, which used satellite sensors to spot fires.

[For more information go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Fires” for all of the posts related to wildfires on this site.]

The fire in the Santa Cruz Mountains has now burned over 6,800 acres and is 30% contained. So far only 2 outbuildings have been damaged by the fire. More than 250 residences are threatened and there mandatory evacuations for Bonny Doon and Swanton effecting more than 2,200 people.

The primary fuels are redwood and pine trees. The area is mountainous with few roads for access.

Currently there are 234 engines, 17 crews, 22 dozers, 17 water tenders, 6 helicopters, 6 air tankers, and 1,548 personnel assigned to the fire. To date cost $2.6 million.

Links: Cal Fire Lockheed Fire page, the Enplan Wildfire Viewer, the Santa Cruz Sentinel local news page, and their map of the Lockheed Fire.

[For more information go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Fires” for all of the posts related to wildfires on this site.]

Update: I’ve seen a number of queries wondering why this is called the “Lockheed Fire”. Lockheed Martin Space Systems has a facility just North of the fire and the command post is set up there. They could have set up at the University of California Santa Cruz campus, but no one wanted to call it the Banana Slug Fire. [Yes, the sports teams are called Banana Slugs. What part of California don’t you understand? It was founded in the 1960s.]

Position: 11.3 N 36.6 W [10 PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: West [270°] near 16 mph [26 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 40 mph [65 kph].
Wind Gusts: 50 mph [80 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 70 miles [110 km].
Minimum central pressure: 1004 mb.

It is 905 miles [1460 km] West-Southwest of the Cape Verde Islands. This was Tropical Depression Three this morning.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]

Position: 14.4 N 51.5 W [10 PM 0300 UTC].
Movement: West [270°] near 17 mph [28 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 40 mph [65 kph].
Wind Gusts: 50 mph [80 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 70 miles [110 km].
Minimum central pressure: 1004 mb.

It is 710 miles [1140 km] East-Southeast of the Leeward Islands. A tropical storm watch has been issued for US and British Virgin Islands and for the Dutch Leeward Islands of St. Maarten, Saba, and St. Eustatius.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]

Position: 14.6 N 45.8 W [11:30 PM CDT 0430 UTC].
Movement: West [270°] near 15 mph [24 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 35 mph [55 kph].
Wind Gusts: 45 mph [70 kph].
Minimum central pressure: 1005 mb ↓.

It is 1075 miles [1735 km] East of the Leeward Islands. It has regenerated.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]