Thursday, March 28, 2024

Extreme Heat Affects Fire Danger, Fruit, and Personal Health

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Record high temperatures have been recorded across the state and the country as the valley faces an unprecedented heat wave with multiple days of triple-digit temperatures.  Far before the normal summer heat surge, extreme temperatures are weathered daily. This heat wave is unique not only in its extreme temperatures but for the duration of the heat wave.
 
“Well what I'm surprised at is the strain and the amount of time that the heat wave has occurred,” said Chelan County Fire District #3 Fire Chief Kelly O’Brien.
 
This extreme heat increases fire danger, is a risk to personal health, and affects orchardists' crops. O’ Brien said that the fire season will be in swing much earlier than normal because of the heatwave. Currently, outdoor burning and fireworks are not allowed until conditions improve. 
 
Firewise, the biggest risk to Leavenworth is burning embers, O’Brien said.  For example, if there was a fire on Tumwater mountain that dropped burning embers on Leavenworth it could start many spot fires and burn down multiple homes. 
 
With the record heat, fuels are drying out extremely quickly, O’Brien said. Oftentimes, the valley gets dry cold fronts and these cold fronts increase fire risk. A cold front is a low pressure system that moves through the area. When the pressure difference caused by the cold front starts to recede it causes wind to change directions and intensify, increasing fire risk. 
 
O’Brien asks recreational users to be careful when they are enjoying the outdoors and urges homeowners to prepare their homes for the risk of wildfires. He recommends that people limit travel on unmaintained public roads like Mountain Home, stay out of brush areas when driving a car or motorcycle, and be diligent when on public lands.
 
To prepare a home to defend against wildfire, remove brush and shrub from a 100ft diameter around the home and limit the vegetation around the house to that which doesn’t burn. 
 
In the case that a wildfire does occur, the fire district has mutual aid agreements with all the fire districts within Chelan and Douglas county and working agreements with the United States Forest Service, Department of Natural Resources and the Bureau of Land Management. If more support is needed to fight the fire, state mobilization is used to bring in resources from outside of the area. 
 
Besides the risk of wildfire, personal health is at risk with extreme temperatures causing heat related illness, respiratory problems and even death. O’Brien recommends that individuals stay out of the heat, drink plenty of water, do physical labor in the morning hours and find a place to cool off. 
 
“Whether that be running through a sprinkler, for example, like a lot of kids like to do, or going to a friend's house, or to a pool, or just using one of the public facilities that's open,” he said.
 
Extreme temperatures have also affected roadways, causing tar to “bleed” through the asphalt on recently chip-sealed roads in Chelan County.  The oils underneath the rock are heating up, causing it to bleed through the surface.  Road crews are on top of the tar problem, putting sand down in problem areas and putting up traffic safety signs.
 
If tar is found on a vehicle, pre-soak the area with cold water. Then wash the vehicle with a soft brush. Natural Orange Cleaner degreaser works well at removing tar without damaging paint if a simple brush doesn’t work well enough. 
 
Besides bleeding tar, hot cars are risky for pets and humans. Don’t leave children or pets in the car and don’t walk dogs on the asphalt in the heat of the day. Make sure that pets have access to an air-conditioned room and plenty of water. 
 
Many new daily records have been set in various cities across the state. Daily temperature data has existed at most sites for 140 years, making these new high temperatures all the more unprecedented. The extreme heat strains power systems and power outages are possible. 
 
Humans aren’t the only ones who languish in the heat and need to drink plenty of water. 
This extreme drought can dry out crops and damage harvests. For those craving sweet Washington cherries, the future of this season's harvest is to be determined. 
 
“Much of the impact is yet to be seen, as we are still in the middle of the heat wave.  So far, the effect on the fruit has been minimal according to the growers and packers I've talked with today,” said Vice President of Marketing for Northwest Cherry Growers & Washington State Fruit Commission James W. Michael in an email.
 
Techniques like placing sprinklers below canopies that lower temperature for all but the outermost fruit and orchard netting help to protect cherries. How a crop will be affected depends on orchard location, cherry maturity, and a particular cherry’s location within a tree. 
 
At this point, a strong cherry crop is still expected and the demand for Washington cherries is high as well.  Northwest Cherry Growers are selling over 500,000 boxes of cherries a day.  Because of the extreme heat, many workers are harvesting cherries at night under floodlights. 
 
Nocturnal cherry picking may seem unusual, but after the disruptions of the past 15 months most people are ready to expect the unexpected.  As society emerges from the pandemic and can engage in group activities, the extreme heat stifles this newfound freedom. Hopefully, this heat wave will eventually recede in Chelan county and become a distant memory. 
 

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