April Wildfires Rage In U.S. There's Even A FIre Threat Here In Vermont

Screen grab of a report from WPTZ of a brush fire that
got out of control in Shelburne Wednesday. Much
of the state has a high fire danger today. Elsewhere
in the U.S. much, much worse wildfires have been raging

It's been a terrible wildfire year already in the U.S. and it continued to get worse on Wednesday. 

Fires raged in Georgia, Florida and other states. It's a continuation of a fiery spring in the United States. 

So far this year, through April 17, the nation has seen 20,915 wildfires, the most in recent history and far above the average of 13,597 through that date, the National Interagency Fire Center reported. 

As of April 17, 1,748,490 acres have burned, far above the average of  875,957 through mid-April.  With drought raging in much of the nation, the fires will only get worse as we head into the summer. 

The last few days have made things even worse.

In drought-stricken southern Georgia, at least 50 homes were destroyed by wildfires.  Hundreds of people have been evacuated. Much of Georgia is under mandatory burn bans for the first time in the state's history. The fires are mostly in southern Georgia and northern Florida, where an intense drought is worsening. 

In northern Floria, firefighters battled more than 130 wildfires that burned 39 square miles, NBC News reported. 

Further north, a smoky haze engulfed Atlanta.

In Colorado, a fast moving fire southeast of Colorado Springs prompted evacuation. 

Today, fire alerts run from New Mexico and northwest Texas all the way to eastern North Dakota and western Minnesota.

VERMONT FIRES

Here in Vermont, things are not nearly as dire as they are in Florida, Georgia, Colorado and other places beset with big wildfires.

But April and early May represent peak wildfires season here in the Green Mountain State. Mostly because said Green Mountain State is not that green yet. Last year's dead brush and leaves, exposed to the sun through leafless trees, dry out in a flash. Even a day or two after rain or snow. 

We've already a few dry episodes with fires this spring. This year through yesterday, 28 Vermont fires have burned 143.6 acres, according to data from the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation. 

 Just yesterday in Shelburne, WPTZ reports that somebody called the town's fire department for a burn permit after already setting the field alight. The fire department turned down the request. 

Meanwhile the fire got out of control as winds gusted to as high as 25 to 30 mph. Firefighters from three departments got the fire contained after it burned about a half acre. No word from the report as to whether the property owner was cited. 

Officials are warning of potential fires today, especially in lower valleys. The National Weather Service office in South Burlington has issued a special weather statement warning of fire danger in the Champlain and lower Connecticut River valleys and the valleys of southwest Vermont. 

Very dry air and gusty winds could really spread fires today. Now is not the time to burn your brush pile, or flick a cigarette out your truck window. 

Dry weather will continue through the weekend, which keeps the fire danger going. But winds starting tomorrow will be lighter than the 25 to 30 mph gusts we'll see today. 

GREAT WEATHER!

A daffodil enjoying some early morning sunshine
today in St. Albans, Vermont. We have great
spring weather coming for the next few days
but there is a high fire danger, especially today.

Aside from the fire danger, we have just launched into a spell of great spring weather. Skies should have at least a fair amount of sun daily through Sunday or Monday. April showers bring May flowers, but so does April sunshine. 

Cool weather, especially today and tomorrow will be invigorating for those of you who want to go out and get yard work done. 

Highs today and tomorrow should mostly be in the low and mid 50s

We will have freezes tonight and tomorrow night as readings  fall to between 25 and 30 degrees both nights. This won't be cold enough to endanger spring plants like the sharper, colder spell we had Monday and Tuesday morning. 

At least around my area in northwest Vermont, most of my spring plants survived Tuesday morning's frigid temperatures. They'll do fine this time, too. 

But if you are hardening off more tender plants on your deck or whatever, bring them in tonight, tomorrow night and maybe the night after that, too. 

The weekend will turn a little warmer, with highs near 60, which is about normal for this time of year. It looks like skies will be partly to mostly sunny, so we have a fantastic weekend coming up, fingers crossed. 

The Vermont Maple Festival is this weekend in St. Albans, so it'll be a perfect weekend for that, too! 

Vermont "Pollen Storm" As Alex Becomes Tropical Storm AFTER Doing Its Damage

A breezy late Saturday afternoon yesterday in St. Albans, 
Vermont. That slight haze you see is almost surely
a "pollen storm" of sorts that bothered allergy sufferers.

No question Saturday was a beautiful day, aside from scattered showers and thunderstorms north of Route 2 and east of the Champlain Valley. 

It was bright, largely sunny and breezy. What's not to love?

Allergy sufferers would like a word. 

The wind and dry air had the pollen swirling in the breezes. You could actually see a slight greyish or yellowish haze in the air, especially as northwest winds picked up in the afternoon.  Saturday was a BIG pollen day in Vermont. 

I'm not usually a big allergy sufferer, but I was coughing and sneezing, and my nose was basically Niagara Falls. Especially when I ventured outside into my gardens in the late afternoon.

Interestingly, nipping at a couple beers while in the garden seemed to alleviate the allergy symptoms. A disclaimer here, though:.Do NOT take medical advice from me. Harpoon UFO White is NOT a cure for allergies, despite my good experiences with it last evening.  See your doctor if allergies are bothering you. 

Locust tree over the weekend fully in bloom, St. Albans,
Vermont. These trees probably contributed to what I'm
calling a "pollen storm" in Vermont Saturday.

Today is less breezy, so things outside might be a little better. But it's still dry, so pollen can easily float in the air. It's that time of year. I think a lot of it is coming from pine trees. I also have flowering locust trees around my house, and they reached peak bloom Friday.  Yesterday, the pollen and flower petals were blowing off those trees like crazy.

Rain expected later Tuesday will at least tamp down the "pollen storm" in Vermont a little bit. 

The slight pollen haze that was noticeable yesterday prompted an interesting discussion on Twitter about summer haze. The always extremely helpful folks at the National Weather Service in South Burlington explained the more traditional bluish haze we often see during the summer. 

As NWS Burlington explains, that common blue haze we often see in the summer is to a large extent made up of tree isoprene. It's a natural chemical compound trees release to manage heat stress.  The Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains are in the hot, humid Southeast and that isoprene release down there is probably how those mountain ranges got their names. 

The National Weather Service agreed that any hazy noticeable in Vermont Saturday was likely pollen or dust, since it wasn't particularly hot out. 

TROPICAL STORM ALEX

Wannabe tropical storm Alex finally turned into official Tropical Storm Alex, ironically after doing most of its damage.

As the storm drenched South Florida with up to 13 inches of rain on Saturday, it didn't have a well defined center. It was just a big blob of torrential thunderstorms. 

Satellite view of Tropical Storm Alex northeast
of Florida this morning. 

Overnight, these storms largely left Florida and hit the warm Gulf Stream in the Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Florida.  

The Gulf Stream is even warmer than normal right now, and the thunderstorms took advantage of that heat to organize into roughly a circular wind field. That was enough to make it an official tropical storm. Alex is here.

Not for long, though. It had max winds of 50 mph this morning, and might gain a bit more steam today. 

Then it will begin to weaken, once again falling victim to strong upper level winds.  A tropical storm warning is up for Bermuda for Monday, but I think that island will weather this weak tropical storm fairly well.

Flooding was extensive in South Florida from what was then just a potential tropical storm. But a foot of rain can put a lot of streets and highways under water in a short period of time. Dozens of cars stalled in the water in downtown Miami, and in surrounding communities. 

Floor warnings have since been lifted in Florida.