High Sierra Topix

The Marina Fire burning just north of Lee Vining is causing very smoky skies in the Mono Basin that at times is also blowing smoke west over the Sierra Crest into Yosemite areas like Tuolumne Meadows. I was working areas in Tuolumne Meadows June 25/26 and drove over the pass to see what skies looked like east. Note Old Marina is the name of the Mono Lake shore area with a parking lot and infrastructure along US395. No date yet on containment so it may well be a problem for those planning to visit that region during the coming 4th holiday weekend. Would advise checking jetstream wind forecasts to understand where the smoke might be blowing over the holiday. I was planning to be about Mammoth region but now am likely to instead go back up to Desolation at Tahoe.

http://wxshift.com/news/us-wildfires-one-map

Zoom in on the map, most of the Sierra (except Tahoe region) and a large part of Nevada is being impacted by the Marina and especially the Erskine Fire (45,388 acres ).

654 acres and now at 74% containment.

Each day is getting grimmer. Two new fires have started yesterday in American River basin areas west of Tahoe. Of course probably all fires now burning in the state have been human caused. Could really put an ugly dent in our 2016 backpacking season. Am starting to worry now about my two week long trips 2 and 4 weeks hence. Last decade August has often become difficult with disgusting smoky skies. And now July?

Smoke now covers most everything in the Sierra south of Tahoe. My notion of working Desolation areas this holiday weekend are obviously not going to happen so now onto Plan C going far north to Lassen where I spent some time last year end of May. Some very nice areas of mule ears ought to be blooming. Well hoping some cretin doesn't start something in the far north. The trouble is in this era, the state has twice the people of just three decades ago including large numbers living in rural mountain areas that were vacant decades past.

http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4825/
350 acres and 5% contained.

http://www.kcra.com/news/local-news/new ... e/40275134
650 acres and still 5% contained. Afternoon winds are expected to pick up. ugh.

The good news is thunderstorms down south in the Southern Sierra Kern areas yesterday have quenched some of the Erkskin Fire that is now at 70% containment with a July 6 end date. Latest smoke map shows very little unlike just a day ago.

More importantly to me, the Marina Fire about Lee Vining is at 89% containment, perimeter static with just some mop up ongoing and little smoke about area. Big thunderstorms possible today in the Southern Sierra will clean the air up even more as well as make landscapes clean and bright for the holidays. Wind forecasts show that region reasonably calm mornings with typical pick up of modest breezes in pm.

A upper level dry trough moving down the coast from the Gulf of Alaska will settle in over central California and pump afternoon thunderstorms up over the range making for an interesting atmosphere.

Tahoe is going to just be smoky for awhile with the 2 new fires expanding rapidly.

Thus I am back on Plan A for the holiday, Tuolumne Mdws, Mono, Mammoth.

Rain is good, but let's hope that the lightening in these thunderstorms do not ignite more fires Dave.

2151 acres and %12 contained.
http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4825/