EnvirocastTM TV for Monday October 27, 2003

Fires in Southern California

Background

  

Images
The images were taken by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites. They show fires in Southern California between October 23 and 26 2003.

The highlighted areas on the images indicate urban developments. 

This animation was created using the still frames available to your right.  It shows the fire evolution in Southern California between October 23 and October 26.

Note: The animation above shows how you can use the images to your right in your weathercast to show the fire evolution.  Save each of the still images to your right at the appropriate resolution for your system (either 720x486 or 640x480) and dissolve from one to another in sequence to achieve the above effect.

Environmental Impacts:

  • President Bush declares four Southern California counties federal disaster areas.

  • This is California’s deadliest outbreak of fires in more than a decade.

  • Over a dozen people have been killed and about 30,000 homes were endangered and more than 825 already have been destroyed by the fires driven by warm Santa Ana winds. All of the fatalities happened since Saturday.

  • The Santa Ana wind season usually stretches from September through February, with October usually the strongest.

  • The fires have consumed more that 330,000 acres, or 500 square miles- almost half the size of the state of Rhode Island – of dense, dry brush and trees.

  • More than 7,000 firefighters have been battling the spreading flames.

  • Wildfires driven by the hot Santa Ana winds flared into gigantic waves of flames that devoured entire neighborhoods, choking the sky over Southern California with smoke and ash.

  • From the Mexican border to the suburbs north of Los Angeles, large sections were under siege by six major fires and several smaller ones. The death toll was the state’s worst since the 1991 fire in the Oakland hills of Alameda County the killed 25 and destroyed more that 3,200 homes and apartments.

  • Airline travel was disrupted, major highways blocked and some schools were closed.

  • Santa Ana winds continue over southern California as a high pressure spreads over the West. These winds will diminish on Tuesday. A new frontal system will drop down from Canada into the Dakotas.

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    Zoomed out image from October 26:

    TV Ready Images - Full annotation:       NTSC 720x486     NTSC 640x480

    - highlighted urban areas:       NTSC 720x486     NTSC 640x480

    - No annotations:       NTSC 720x486     NTSC 640x480

    Image NTSC 720x486 031027_01_tva.jpg shows Southern California on October 23, 2003.Full annotations.  
    Image NTSC 720x486 031022_02_tva.jpg October 23, same as above without annotations. Urban areas are highlighted.
    Image NTSC 720x486 031022_03_tva.jpg October 23, same as above. No annotations.
    Image NTSC 720x486 031027_01_tva.jpg shows Southern California on October 25, 2003.Full annotations.  
    Image NTSC 720x486 031022_02_tva.jpg October 25, same as above without annotations. Urban areas are highlighted.
    Image NTSC 720x486 031022_03_tva.jpg October 25, same as above. No annotations.
    Image NTSC 720x486 031027_01_tva.jpg shows Southern California on October 26, 2003.Full annotations.  
    Image NTSC 720x486 031022_02_tva.jpg October 26, same as above without annotations. Urban areas are highlighted.
    Image NTSC 720x486 031022_03_tva.jpg October 26, same as above. No annotations.
     

     

    Image NTSC 640x480 031027_01_tva.jpg shows Southern California on October 23, 2003.Full annotations.  
    Image NTSC 640x480 031022_02_tva.jpg October 23, same as above without annotations. Urban areas are highlighted.
    Image NTSC 640x480 031022_03_tva.jpg October 23, same as above. No annotations.
    Image NTSC 640x480 031027_01_tva.jpg shows Southern California on October 25, 2003.Full annotations.  
    Image NTSC 640x480 031022_02_tva.jpg October 25, same as above without annotations. Urban areas are highlighted.
    Image NTSC 640x480 031022_03_tva.jpg October 25, same as above. No annotations.
    Image NTSC 640x480 031027_01_tva.jpg shows Southern California on October 26, 2003.Full annotations.  
    Image NTSC 640x480 031022_02_tva.jpg October 26, same as above without annotations. Urban areas are highlighted.
    Image NTSC 640x480 031022_03_tva.jpg October 26, same as above. No annotations.

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