Posted: Fri, 9 Sep 2011 10:30 AM - 12,923 Readers
By: Claudia Grisales
Firefighting efforts in Central Texas could gain more ground today, with lower speed winds on tap for the region, according to the National Weather Service.
Today, we could see light north winds of 5 to 10 miles per hour, said Robert Baha, meteorologist for the service. That’s below wind gusts the region saw yesterday of more than 10 miles per hour.Â
However, with prolonged dryness in the area following a record-setting hot summer and no sign of rain in the near future, the region will continue to see elevated fire conditions through next week, Baha said.
“It’s just so dry at the current time and rain chances don’t look so good,” he said.
We should see temperatures today reach 94, the service said.Â
Smoke from area fires could continue to linger in the air because of an overnight inversion, a condition in which the surface temperature is cooler than the atmosphere above it, trapping smoke particles
Firefighting crews have made progress against fires in Steiner Ranch, Leander and Spicewood near Hamilton Pool Road. The largest Bastrop fire was 30 percent contained, but a new estimate said 1,386 homes have been destroyed.
Central Texas is no longer under a Red Flag advisory, which warns of a higher fire threat. But officials are asking residents to take extra precautions in the dry conditions, such as not using open flames outdoors and taking other steps to avoid sparks.
Officials warned Austin residents with respiratory problems to avoid “prolonged or heavy exertion” outdoors Friday.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Thursday said ozone levels will be unhealthy for sensitive groups, issuing an orange level alert, the lowest warning level. And that warning could be issued again today.
“The elderly, active children and adults as well as people with respiratory diseases, such as asthma, should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors,” according to the Clean Air Force, a nonprofit that coordinates air quality planning and conducts educational activities in Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, Travis and Williamson counties.
The expected high ozone levels are unrelated to the fires that have been charring Central Texas since Sunday. Ozone levels peak on warm days with stagnant winds.
We’re in for more bad news as early as this weekend, however. As a stubborn high pressure system rebuilds over the area, we’ll see temperatures begin to rise toward the 100-degree mark again. On Saturday, the high is slated to reach 97 to 98 degrees, Baha said. By Sunday, we could see a high of 99 to 100.
By next Wednesday, we could see more 100-degree days, Baha said. Already, the region has a record year for hitting the century mark, with about 80 days of triple-digit weather.
It’s possible by the middle of next week we could see a shift in wind pattern, Baha said. A front could be moving into the area to lower temperatures again and boost humidity, Baha said.
