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2022 Alaska wildfires
Date(s)
January 21 – present
Statistics[1]
Total fires346
Total area1,320,326 acres (534,317 ha)
Impacts
Deaths0
Non-fatal injuries?[2]
Structures destroyed32

The 2022 Alaska wildfire season is an ongoing series of wildfires burning throughout the U.S. state of Alaska. As of 25 June 2022, a total of 346 fires have been recorded, totaling approximately 1,320,326 acres (534,317 ha) across the state. Peak fire season occurs May through July (ref?)[3] The 2022 season follows the 2021 Alaska wildfire seasons, which was abnormally quiet.

On January 21, 2022, the Colorado Fire in Monterey County became the first incident of 2022 in the state. The National Weather Service (NWS) reported "surreal fire behavior given the wet Oct and Dec".[4]

On February 16, 2022, the Airport Fire near Bishop Airport in Inyo County burned over 4,000 acres, briefly prompting evacuation orders in the eastern portion of the town of Big Pine and threatening the Owens Valley Radio Observatory. The Airport Fire is California's largest wildfire of 2022 as of May 20, 2022 and the only one over 1,000 acres. However, larger fires are not unusual in the Eastern Sierra even during the winter, owing to the region's year-round arid climate.

Early outlook

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Seasonal fire risk

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dry may across southwest alaska

cpc upgrades drought

any outlooks from nifc/aicc?

After a wet October and December in the beginning of the 2022 water year, California experienced the driest January–February period on record in the state, with similar conditions continuing in March.[5][6][7] This dry stretch follows a period of severe drought in the state that began in 2020, in part due to climate change in California,[8] and which contributed to severe wildfire seasons in both 2020 and 2021.

In its April monthly seasonal outlook, the National Interagency Fire Center forecast above normal significant fire potential for the Bay Area, Mid Coast-Mendocino, and Sacramento Valley/Foothill areas beginning in May, due to the lack of seasonal precipitation, early start to the growing season, and long-term drought.[9] It also noted that "A further expansion of above normal significant fire potential is forecast across most elevations during June and July." The Northern California Geographic Coordination Center (commonly called 'North Ops') forecast stated that "Confidence is moderate to high for an early start to the significant large fire season."[10]

In Northern California, the peak fire season in California begins in the early summer (June-July) and runs until late fall, varying year to year. In Southern California, the peak fire season begins in late spring (May-June) and runs until fall.[11] The precise timing varies according to annual and seasonal precipitation, as well as the occurrence of offshore wind events, such as the Santa Anas, Diablo winds, or sundowner winds.[12] However, fires are possible at any time of year in the state, particularly in drier Southern California.

Preparation

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In anticipation of the 2022 California wildfire season, the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) increased its planned wildfire mitigation plan spending for 2022 to $5.96 billion, from $4.8 billion in 2021 and $4.46 billion in 2020.[13] The mitigation plan includes the 'undergrounding' of at least 175 miles of power lines in high-fire risk areas, the installation of 98 additional wildfire detection/monitoring cameras and 100 additional weather stations, the expansion of safety settings that cut off power when objects (such as trees or branches) contact power lines, and the continued implementation of public safety power shutoffs (PSPS) as a last resort during extreme fire weather conditions.[14][15] These moves came after the company declared bankruptcy in 2019 over its liability for wildfire damage costs from the 2018 Camp Fire and 2017 Tubbs Fire, among others. PG&E pleaded guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter in the Camp Fire, shortly before the company exited bankruptcy in June of 2020. In January of 2022, Cal Fire determined that the Dixie Fire, the largest fire of the 2021 California wildfire season and largest non-complex fire in recorded California history, was caused by a tree contacting PG&E electrical distribution lines.

Firefighter shortages

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The lead-in to the 2022 Western United States fire season has also been marked by concerns about firefighting staffing. On March 15, 2022, Politico reported that United States Forest Service (USFS) officials had warned California employees that there had been "50 percent fewer applications submitted for GS3 through GS9 firefighting positions" compared to 2021, in part because of low pay, housing issues, and high cost of living.[16] The San Francisco Chronicle similarly reported that between 2019 and 2021, the number of U.S. Forest Service firefighters stationed in California dropped by more than 20%, or over 1,000 firefighters.[17] Testifying for the Senate Appropriations Committee on May 4, USFS Chief Randy Moore noted that in some areas, the USFS had only reached 50% of the staffing goal for wildland firefighters so far. Chief Moore cited competition in the labor market, including with private, county, and state organizations, such as Cal Fire, as a major reason for the hiring challenges.[18]

record dry fuels somewhere, maybe a june section?

earliest 1 million acres

List of wildfires

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The following is a list of fires that burned more than 1,000 acres (400 ha), produced significant structural damage or casualties, or were otherwise notable.

Name Borough Acres Start date Containment date Notes Ref
Kwethluk Bethel 10,303 April 16, 2022 April 18, 2022 Unknown cause YTD
Contact Creek Lake and Peninsula 10,322 May 30, 2022 June 16, 2022 Caused by lightning YTD
East Fork Kusilvak 166,857 June 2, 2022 June 22, 2022 Caused by lightning YTD
Hog Butte Yukon-Koyukuk 70,152 June 5, 2022 Caused by lightning YTD
Hook Creek Bethel 4,246 June 5, 2022 Caused by lightning YTD
Tatlawiksuk Yukon-Koyukuk 130,193 June 5, 2022 June 16, 2022 Caused by lightning YTD
Aghaluk Mountain Bethel 117,209 June 6, 2022 Caused by lightning YTD
Fish Creek Yukon-Koyukuk 1,054 June 7, 2022 Caused by lightning YTD
Gagaryah River Bethel 34,847 June 7, 2022 Caused by lightning YTD
Fourth of July Creek Yukon-Koyukuk 51,146 June 8, 2022 Caused by lightning YTD
Iowithla River Dillingham 36,559 June 8, 2022 Caused by lightning YTD
Koktuli River Dillingham? 89,259 June 8, 2022 Caused by lightning; 4 structures destroyed YTD
Pike Creek Dillingham 49,766 June 8, 2022 Caused by lightning; 4 structures destroyed YTD
Apoon Pass Kusilvak 84,138 June 9, 2022 Unknown cause YTD
Door Mountain Bethel 32,404 June 9, 2022 Caused by lightning YTD
Fork Creek 2,244 June 9, 2022 Caused by lightning YTD
Door Creek Bethel 4,574 June 13, 2022 Caused by lightning YTD
Boatman Yukon-Koyukuk 1,334 June 16, 2022 Caused by lightning YTD
Central Creek Airstrip Southeast Fairbanks 2,995 June 17, 2022 Caused by lightning YTD
Bitzshitini Yukon-Koyukuk 2,066 June 19, 2022 Caused by lightning YTD
Chitanana Yukon-Koyukuk 6,832 June 19, 2022 Caused by lightning YTD
Curky Yukon-Koyukuk 2,524 June 20, 2022 Caused by lightning YTD
Clear Yukon-Koyukuk 1,931 June 21, 2022 Caused by lightning YTD

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "2022 Fire Season". Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  2. ^ Bertucelli, Daniel. "SBCFireInfo on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  3. ^ "Fire Season Climatology | NWCG". www.nwcg.gov. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  4. ^ "'Surreal' January wildfire shuts California highway". BBC News. January 22, 2022. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
  5. ^ Sabalow, Ryan (March 22, 2022). "'Historic dry conditions': California warns of water cuts due to drought's third year". The Sacramento Bee.
  6. ^ Becker, Rachel (February 16, 2022). "No end in sight: California drought on course to break another record". CalMatters. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  7. ^ Dress, Bradley (March 18, 2022). "California announces reduced supply to water agencies amid third year of drought". TheHill. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  8. ^ Newburger, Emma (February 14, 2022). "Western drought fueled by climate change is the worst in 1,200 years, scientists say". CNBC. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
  9. ^ Predictive Services, National Interagency Fire Center (April 1, 2022). "National Significant Wildland Fire Potential Outlook" (PDF).
  10. ^ "Northern Operations Monthly/Seasonal Outlooks" (PDF). March 1, 2022.
  11. ^ "Fire Season Climatology | NWCG". www.nwcg.gov. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  12. ^ "Fire Season Climatology | NWCG". www.nwcg.gov. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  13. ^ Kasler, Dale (February 25, 2022). "After California's massive Dixie Fire, PG&E to ramp up spending on wildfire safety in 2022". The Sacramento Bee.
  14. ^ "Wildfire Mitigation Plan". www.pge.com. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  15. ^ "PG&E Drives Greater Wildfire Safety While Keeping Customer Bill Impacts Essentially Flat Over Previous Proposal". PG&E News Releases. February 25, 2022.
  16. ^ Bustillo, Ximena. "'Pretty brutal': Hiring woes plague Biden effort to contain wildfires". POLITICO. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  17. ^ Alexander, Kurtis (March 18, 2022). "California fire season is coming. And firefighter ranks have plunged 20%". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  18. ^ "Forest Service Chief says in some areas only 50% of firefighter positions are filled". Wildfire Today. May 5, 2022. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
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Category:2022 in Alaska Category:2022 meteorology Category:2022 wildfires Category:2022 wildfire seasons Category:Wildfires in Alaska Category:Lists of wildfires

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