Tuesday, September 3,
2013 – 9:00 a.m.
Rain soaked the southern tier of Yellowstone
Park Monday midday. Slow-moving
blanket-shaped clouds left about 1/3 inch of rain across the Alum fire,
northwest of Fishing Bridge. That fire
had shown more heat Sunday than in the past week. Now its growth has been slowed for another
week or so by Monday’s rain. Many
overlooks and picnic areas reopen during the day Tuesday along Grand Loop Road
between Fishing Bridge and the Mud Volcano area. Only one two-mile “no stopping” section remains
between Nez Perce Ford and LeHardy Rapids.
Less precipitation fell in the northern
reaches of the park, where the Druid fire soaked up only 1/10 inch. Still, Tuesday morning saw dense fog about
sunrise in low areas, as the ground gives up some of its extravagant
moisture. The Druid is more likely to
show smoke in coming days than are the other five lightning fires that have
been smoldering in the park.
Rain measurements got confounded for a few
hours Monday morning. A bison rubbed and tipped the rain can of the “RAWS”
remote access weather station in Hayden Valley.
Firefighters depend on RAWS measurements when they predict fire
spread. A National Weather Service
meteorologist assigned to the Druid Complex recalibrated the instrument. As some rain remains in the forecast, fire
behavior analysts saw both sides Monday: “We may be out of the woods, and we
may not,” regarding extensive further spread of the Alum fire. Either way, the Alum fire is refreshing the
lodgepole pine forest landscape.
Tuesday should be partly cloudy in the
morning, with a stray thunderstorm in the afternoon. Humidity will stay high at 35% or more,
depending on how much sunshine appears.
Wednesday begins a drier trend once more. 126 remaining fire personnel are supporting
hand rehabilitation of the indirect fireline that they improved in developed
areas near the Grand Loop Road. Fire
staffing goes up and down based on potential fire activity.
Additional
information can be found on the web at:
Twitter @YellowstoneNPS
Facebook at YellowstoneNPS
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