Fires, Blowtorch Weather Conditions, Severe Storms Make West A Strange, Dangerous Place.

Satellite photo from Friday evening show big
thunderstorms in the central Plains (the white blobs)
and dust storms blowing from New Mexico all the 
way north into western Nebraska

What I can only describe as blowtorch weather swept the Plains and and Southwest Friday contributing, as expected, to wild and rangeland fires, dust storms, and record heat amid incredibly arid conditions.

Just east and north of the hot zone, hail, strong winds, a few tornadoes and flooding were an issue. I feel like I should follow up on what came of those awful forecasts I wrote about yesterday, so here goes: 

Dust storms, smoke, heat and strong winds made for a trying day from New Mexico to Colorado and Nebraska all afternoon. 

A good example of this is the afternoon weather in Las Vegas, New Mexico.   At one point Friday, the wind in Las Vegas was gusting to 72 mph and the humidity was just 8%.  Wildfires forced evacuations nearby.  

Fires forced evacuations elsewhere in New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska. 

At least thirty homes burned this week in wildfires near Flagstaff, Arizona. A new fire broke out in Colorado Springs amid single digit humidity levels and winds gusting over 60 mph. Firefighters somehow managed to contain that blaze.

Residents of some small southwestern Nebraska towns also beat a hasty retreat from wildfires there.

Fire danger remains high today in the Southwest, but things should temporarily get better for the next few days. However, there are signs more fire trouble looms toward the end of next week.

This has been a bad fire year already, and with summer coming and drought continuing in the West, it will only get worse. 

According to The Weather Channel:

"Wildfire activity in the U.S. is well above average so far this year, according to the NIFC. More than 20,000 fires have scorched about 1,300 square miles of land since January 1. That compares to a 10-year average of 13,390 fires and about 980 square miles burned."

The heat in the Plains and parts of Colorado Friday was impressive, too. 

Temperatures into the low 90s on Friday reached as far north as Yankton, South Dakota.  It was still in the low 70s there at dawn today. 

Denver reached 89 degrees on Friday, its hottest April day in 30 years. 

Meanwhile, beleaguered North Dakota continues to have kitchen sink weather, meaning pretty much everything, and all of it bad. Heavy rains have triggered flooding in eastern parts of the state. Severe thunderstorms and perhaps even a couple of tornadoes are possible today in southeastern North Dakota. Western North Dakota is having a blizzard. 

Central parts of that state are having heavy rains and flooding, changing to snow and blow snow over the weekend. On the bright side, North Dakota is one of the few western states not under threat from wildfires at the moment. 

At least five tornadoes in Kansas and one in South Dakota were reported. There were also several reports of baseball-sized hail in the Plains as well.   

VERMONT CONDITIONS

As wet as it has been, we actually have a bit of a fire danger here in Vermont today. This time of year, before things green up, the intense April sun can dry old grass, leaves and undergrowth out quickly, even if the ground beneath all this remains squishy.

Some of the driest air masses of the year often come through New England in April and May. Even though the bouts of dry air don't usually last long, the low humidity can contribute to conditions friendly to brush fires.

Though winds will be rather light today, the dry air and sunshine make this NOT the day to burn your brush pile or be careless with cigarette butts and such. 

At least we're getting a break from the wet, dreary weather this weekend.  It's not all that warm, but it's not North Dakota either.  After a mild Monday, it's back to the rain, cool air and gloominess for a good part of the upcoming week.