Scoop Images: A Big Chill Comes To The Fireground

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/images/snow/3rdtemp.gif

The above image – from the NOAA Supercomputer - shows cold weather across the West and Midwest of the United States on September 3rd. The colours in the picture reflect temperatures at 2m above sea level, with the pink colour showing temperatures of under 9 degrees centigrade. At the altitude of the inland US , this could well indicate temperatures below freezing, temperatures which may assist fire-fighters in their battle to control wildfires currently raging across 13 states.

Scoop has plotted the progress of the big chill over the fire-ground over the period from the 31st of August to September 6th, plotting both temperatures and rainfall. (Warning! The NOAA supercomputer weather forecast is usually considered unreliable over periods longer than four or five days.)

AUGUST 30th

TEMPERATURES - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/images/snow/30thtemp.gif

AUGUST 31st

TEMPERATURES - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/images/snow/31sttemp.gif

SEPTEMBER 1

TEMPERATURES - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/images/snow/1sttemp.gif

SEPTEMBER 2

TEMPERATURES - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/images/snow/2ndtemp.gif

SEPTEMBER 3

RAIN - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/images/snow/3rdrain.gif

TEMPERATURES - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/images/snow/3rdtemp.gif

SEPTEMBER 4

RAIN - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/images/snow/4thrain.gif

TEMPERATURES - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/images/snow/4thtemp.gif

SEPTEMBER 5

RAIN - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/images/snow/rain5th.gif

TEMPERATURES - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/images/snow/5thtemp.gif

SEPTEMBER 6

RAIN - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/images/snow/6thrain.gif

TEMPERATURES - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/images/snow/6thtemp.gif