Current CA Wildland Fires as of August 22, 2020

 After starting out slow, this year's fire season is quickly turning into one for the record books (again). Unfortunately, it's about to get worse as another dry lightning convective event coming up from the south as remnants of a tropical system filter through trigger more lighting and in turn more fires to go along with potential flash floods, including in recent or even current burn areas. Hold onto your balls/ovaries lads & ladies!

Picture of the Day - Noyes Rd

Today I visited the South County Regional Center in Arroyo Grande late this morning to meet with the organizers of the upcoming inaugural"Gems by the Sea" Gem & Jewelry Show at that venue September 7-8, 2019. This was my first time looking at the venue and I advised the organizers of things they need to do and offered my help. We are behind the curve on this but it will be what it will be. On the way home I wended my way through the backways of A.G. and existed Oak Park/Noyes Road. For the side streets I used Google Maps on my iPhone-8 and left it on even after getting on Oak Park just to see what was around me on the map. At one point I noticed I was between Noyes Rd identifiers and had to screencapture it. Photo by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved).

Map of the Day - Ridgecrest Quakes 7.16.19

Fern Canyon Fuelbreak

Last week Cal Fire, in cooperation with Paso Robles Fire Department and local residents living in canyon and hilltop homes on the West Side of Paso Robles, conducted a fuel treatment operation using mechanized equipment to create a new Fern Canyon Fuelbreak. The wildland fire worst-case scenario for this community would be for a wind-driven wildfire to enter the city limits with a head of steam by way of these canyons on the West Side. I have skin in the game because a fire roaring out of Fern Canyon could come to my house. Image courtesy Cal Fire (all rights reserved).

Quite The Electrical Show!

Yesterday's outbreak of thunderstorm activity across California and the rest of the Western U.S. looked like this from lightning tracker perspective. As you can see the Central Coast got a rare lightshow. Image courtesy of Blitzortung.org (all rights reserved).

Graphic of the Day - Winter Lightning Storm

This was Tweeted by the National Weather Service earlier today and more lightning in the region followed so there were even more lightning strikes in the region shown here than are represented.

Graphic of the Day - CA NWS Offices

Given the ongoing Atmospheric River event striking California it seems apropos to share with you this helpful map showing which regions of California are covered by which National Weather Service field offices.

Berlin Wall Remembrance

The Berlin Wall stood as a symbol of tyranny and oppression and the division between light and darkness, freedom and slavery, for 10,316 days. It has now been, as of today, 10,316 days since it was permanently breached en route to being dismantled. Image courtesy of  Milos Vojinovic‏ @infinite_milos on Twitter (all rights reserved).

Graphic of the Day - Nation of Nations

According to Colin Woodward, author of "American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures in North America," America is simultaneously getting more diverse and more polarized because we are "self-sorting", consciously choose to live in communities which reflect our political and cultural values. I have personally witnessed this in my own life as people I know lament where they are living due to its politics and culture, not due to jobs or crime or climate or any of the more traditional reasons. There seems to be less and less e pluribus unum going around these days. Read an excellent review of the book HERE which is also my source for the information here. *NOTE: click on the map for a closer inspection.

Image of the Day - Twelve Colonies of Kobol

Both today after school while driving home as well as tonight, I find myself thinking about the destruction of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol in the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. I feel it is a metaphor for something else as in God is using it to get me thinking about something that is anything but fictional and imaginary. I'm still pondering and discerning the meaning per the truism in Proverbs 25:2. Left-click on image for expanded view. Cartographic artwork by Werthead HERE. All rights reserved!

Suddenly Big Blue Boxes

Seismic activity in California has greatly increased over the past 24 hours as this Cal Tech interactive seismic map shows. It is worth noting that this increase does not relate to a single larger quake but rather from three centers of increased seismic activity with notable moderate mainshocks comprised of the M4.0 that I felt this morning in Paso Robles, CA, and another M4.0 associated with an ongoing earthquake swarm at Long Valley Caldera near Mammoth Lakes, CA, and finally a M5.0 event in the Geysers Geothermal Field in Northern California. It was located about 6 miles northwest of the center of the geothermal field. It occurred at a depth of just about a mile down so this might have generated short ground rupture if it happened along a fault that reaches the surface. This is the largest earthquake ever located here and relates to water injection for purposes of producing steam to generate electricity. 

Graphic of the Day - 2016 Presidential Election

Courtesy of Metrocosm.com (all rights reserved).

As we leave November, 2016, it occurs to me that I never did post here this rather fascinating graphic of the 2016 U.S. Presidential election nationwide results by county so here it is tonight. Note, the red counties (representing counties won by Donald Trump) are almost exclusively rural with some suburban, whereas blue counties (representing counties won by Hillary Clinton) are almost exclusively urban or suburban counties. It is also worth noting that the Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by over 2.3 million votes or 48.1% vs. 46.4% overall whereas Donald Trump won the Electoral College, 306-232, with 270 needed to win.

Graphic of the Day - Current Wildfires (10/03/16)

For some reason they have taken the Soberanes Fire off the map despite the fact it is not out nor is it 100% contained (actually 94% contained). It feels weird not seeing it on this map given it has been burning since July 22, 2016, and has been on every such edition of the map since that time over which it has consumed 132,092 acres.

Graphic of the Day - Current Wildfires (9/28/16)

Since the last time I posted this map some fires are no more and new ones have taken their place, most notably, the Loma Incident in Santa Clara Unit of Cal Fire, the Marshes Incident in Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit of Cal Fire, and the Sawmill Incident of Lake-Napa-Sonoma Unit of Cal Fire.

Graphic of the Day - Current Wildfires (9/07/16)

Since the California Summer 2016 seems to be winding down, the California Governor's Office of Emergency Management has no longer been daily updating this map for the past week or so as it had much of the previous few weeks. However, they appear to be doing it weekly and here is the latest version.

Graphic of the Day - Current Wildfires (8/30/16)

A very bad new one was added to the map today as the Gap Fire exploded west of Yreka, CA, producing pyrocumulus clouds visible from across the CA-OR border up in Medford and environs.

Graphic of the Day - Current Wildfires (8/29/16)

Just as some of the more major wildfires calm down, new ones break forth.

Graphic of the Day - Current Wildfires (8/26/16)

I didn't resume blogging until 8/27/16 but the day before was the last day Cal OES updated this map as they are closed for the weekend as it pertains to endeavors such as this apparently. I'll post the updated Monday version tomorrow.

Graphic of the Day - Current Wildfires (8/22/16)

No new large fires present on this latest California Summer 2016 Fire Siege map. However, since this was put together, a new fire has erupted at the north end of the state in Humboldt County which has already burned structures and escaped initial and extended attacks. More to come in the next edition.

Graphic of the Day - Best Chimney Fire Visual

This is the second Graphic of the Day I have posted for this day making them both co-Graphics-of-the-Day. This one is the most effective map depiction of the Chimney Fire I have seen yet as it shows the fire in the context of land-forms with vertical exaggeration.