Page 28 - ARUBA TODAY

A28 SCIENCE
Monday 4 deceMber 2017

La Nina contributes to wildfire threat in mid-South, Plains

By KEN MILLER farmer ... we just accept it,”
Associated Press Barby said, “We just pray
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — for a break, ‘Mother Nature
Conditions are ripe for win- give us a break,’ that’s all
ter wildfires from the mid- we can do.”
South through the Great The potential of a large
Plains thanks to a com- wildfire outbreak is scary,
bination of weather fac- said Mark Goeller, state
tors, including the climate fire management chief
phenomenon known as La of Oklahoma Forestry Ser-
Nina, that have left a lot of vices. “We’ve been really
dry growth. watching closely for the
In addition to the La Nina, past two months,” Goeller
an occasional cooling said. “We are just in a pre-
of the equatorial Pacific paredness mode. I’ve been
Ocean that affects global in contact with other states
weather and leaves the on the availability of crews”
nation’s midsection drier and with the U.S. Forest Ser-
than normal in winter, a In this March 6, 2017 file photo, firefighters from across Kansas and Oklahoma battle a wildfire vice about the availability
wet spring led to heavy near Protection, Kan. of aircraft.
growth of vegetation that Associated Press But fires begin in multiple
a mild summer didn’t kill off. March, he said, adding originate in western Ar- fires that began March 6 states, he said, those re-
A dry November increased that precipitation won’t kansas and eastern Okla- in northwestern Oklaho- sources will be difficult to
drought conditions in states help dormant vegetation homa and moving west- ma because of downed obtain for every state in-
including Oklahoma, Kan- at this point. ward,” potentially as far as power lines and eventu- volved.
sas, Arkansas and Texas, “Even if we get rain and New Mexico, according to ally burned for more than a “It will start to be tough, be-
said Oklahoma’s state cli- snow right now, it won’t turn Todd Lindley, science and week, charring more than cause other states as they
matologist, Gary McManus. anything green,” McManus operations officer at the 1,200 square miles (3,100 start to experience fire oc-
McManus compared the said, noting that drought in National Weather Service sq. kilometers) in Oklahoma currences, then bringing
potential scenario to that the region is spreading and Forecast Office in Norman, and southwestern Kansas. people from (other states)
in March, when wildfires intensifying. Oklahoma. Stanley Barby, who owns will be harder and harder,”
in northwestern Oklaho- The latest U.S. Drought In western Arkansas, fires Bar B Ranch near Beaver Goeller said.
ma, southwestern Kansas Monitor map, released in the Ouachita and the in the Oklahoma Panhan- Also, some states have re-
and the Texas Panhandle Thursday, shows extreme Ozark national forests be- dle, said the fires burned ported drones flying above
scorched a total of more drought conditions in more gan last week and burned 33,000 acres (13,355 hect- wildfires as aircraft at-
than 2,000 square miles than a dozen counties a total of about 4 1/2 ares) of his 50,000-acre tempt to drop water on the
(5180 sq. kilometers) left in western Arkansas and square miles (11 1/2 sq. kilo- (20235-hectare) ranch. He flames or are searching for
six people dead and killed southeastern Oklahoma, meters), according to Tra- said the ranch is still recov- or monitoring fires.
thousands of head of live- where none existed a cy Farley, a spokeswoman ering from the loss of pas- In Arkansas last week, a
stock. week earlier. Much of the for the two forests. tures, fences, barns, three drone above a fire in north-
“What we see is this La remainder of the western “It’s dramatically dry earlier houses and some cattle, ern Arkansas forced an air-
Nina pattern, a cooling of half of Arkansas is in severe in the season,” which typi- and that there is no way to craft that was monitoring
the waters off the coast of drought, as is southeastern cally would not begin ex- prepare for such an event the flames to divert.
South America, and what Oklahoma, northeastern periencing such weather — just hope it doesn’t hap- Firefighting agencies will
this means is above nor- Texas, in addition to north- until January, Lindley said. pen again. reroute or ground aircraft
mal temperatures and be- ern Louisiana and parts of He said it’s very similar to “Mother Nature controls if a drone is seen because
low normal precipitation,” southern Missouri. the weather pattern last it, you just take it one day a collision with the device
most likely from December “We are kind of seeing the year that created the con- at a time, that’s just a part could cause the aircraft to
through February or early epicenter of this drought ditions for the large wild- of being a rancher and a crash.q