The people who write headlines for the AP need to get out more, maybe watch some news, read a newspaper, something.

All over I have been seeing this headline: “Huge wildfire portends bad Calif. fire season”.

Were they living in a cave for the Lockheed and La Brea fires?

InciWeb indicates there have been 24 wildfires of 5,000 acres or more on Federal land in the last 90 days. Fifteen of the them are still classified as “active”. It has been a bad fire season for months, even if you ignore what has been happening in British Columbia, and it sure isn’t apt to get better when the Santa Ana winds start kicking in.

Position: 17.5 N 57.6 W [10 PM 0300 UTC].
Movement: West-Northwest [300°] near 8 mph [13 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 60 mph [95 kph].
Wind Gusts: 70 mph [110 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 120 miles [195 km].
Minimum central pressure: 1004 mb.

It is 365 miles [585 km] East of the Leeward Islands.

A Tropical Storm Watch has been issued for the islands of St. Maarten, Antigua, Barbuda, St. Kitts, Nevis, Anguilla, St. Martin and St. Barthelemy.

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.]

The BBC reports on the ceremony as Poland remembers World War start

A day of commemorations is taking place in Poland to mark the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II.

Leaders from 20 countries laid candles during a ceremony near Gdansk, on Westerplatte peninsula.
…

The ceremony marked the exact time on 1 September 1939 when the German battleship Schleswig-Holstein opened fire at point-blank range on the fort.

At the same time, the German Wehrmacht invaded Poland from east, west and south. The attacks triggered Britain and France’s declaration of war against Germany two days later.

The justification for the attack on Gdansk was The Gleiwitz incident, “a staged attack by Nazi forces posing as Poles on 31 August 1939, against the German radio station Sender Gleiwitz in Gleiwitz, Upper Silesia, Germany (since 1945: Gliwice, Poland) on the eve of World War II in Europe.”

Because they have such “warm relations” with Russia, the Polish President reminded everyone of the Soviet-Nazi pact, and the resulting occupation of parts of Poland by the Soviet Union.

The fire in the Angeles National Forest has now burned over 127,500 acres and at least 53 structures. It is 22% contained.

The Station Fire started off Angeles Crest Highway (SR 2) about one mile above Angeles Crest Fire Station around 3:30pm [PDT]Wednesday August 26, 2009.

Two Los Angeles County firefighters have died in a motor vehicle accident. In addition there have been 3 civilians burned, and one firefighter treated for heat exhaustion.

Currently there are 44 hand crews, 399 engines, 43 water tenders, 48 dozers, 8 air tankers, 13 helicopters, and 3,655 total personnel assigned to the fire.

Among the aircraft is at least one DC-10, capable of 12,000 gallon drops. Update: Two water scoop aircraft have staged in the area, and will be available after the standard crew rest period.

The facilities on Mount Wilson are safe for the moment, and a series of successful backfires have protected the houses on the southern border of the fire. There is a hope for cooler temperatures and higher humidity to slow the growth of the fire, the largest in Los Angeles County since at least 1897.

Links: InciWeb, LA Times, KTLA, and Pasadena Star-News

Maps: LA Times fire map and the Enplan Wildfire Viewer

[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.]

Position: 23.2 N 111.3 W [10 PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: North-Northwest [345°] near 13 mph [20 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 115 mph [230 kph].
Wind Gusts: 140 mph [225 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 140 miles [225 km].
Hurricane Wind Radius: 45 miles [75 km].
Minimum central pressure: 960 mb ↑.

It is 90 miles [145 km] West-Northwest of Cabo San Lucas Mexico.

a Hurricane Warning is in effect for the southern portion of the Baja California peninsula from Punta Abreojos southward on the West Coast and from Mulege southward on the East Coast including Cabo San Lucas.

This a small, intense storm in the Pacific, that might produce some rain for Southern California, but will be a major problem for the people of Baja. It is currently undergoing an eyewall replacement and should regain some strength after the new eyewall is established.

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.]