Smoke Expands Inland
By Phillip Williams
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
The cold front that moved through Wednesday turned winds so that smoke from the Pocosin National Wildlife Refuge wildfire spread westward. A dense smoke advisory has been in effect for areas from New Bern to Kinston to Snow Hill to Greenville to Williamston to the Northern Outer Banks. To avoid the smoke, stay inside. Check on those with respiratory problems, heart problems, and the elderly and very young. Also, don’t forget your outdoor pets. Dense smoke is dangerous for them just as it is for us. Bring them inside.
Wildfire smoke can travel hundreds of miles. It is made of very tiny particles about 1/30th the width of a human hair. It is composed of a variety of gases and water vapor.
Leave your comments and questions about this wildfire smoke here.
COMMENTS
If the wind shifts and drives the wildfire back to where it came from, will it burn itself out when it comes back to the burned area?
Hi Phillip,
I couldn’t find your e-mail address, so I’m using this. Your storm graphics would be less intrusive during a golf match if they were displayed at the top of the screen.
Just food for thought :-)
Hi Erika. Thank you for your comment. I thought the same thing about the fire, but when I got a map of the actual shape of the fire area, I realized that the fire is not circular in shape, but very jagged. So, a wind from any direction will cause some hot edge of the fire to spread. I think the best chance to put the fire down is to continue the containment areas and spread those around the fire with time.
I appreciate your question since I had the same thought. The fire did spread the least on June 11th when the wind first shifted.
Phillip
Hi Mike. Thanks for your comment.
Our system for weather warnings includes a “bug” in the upper right corner of the TV screen and a system for crawls at the bottom. The crawls are two types. One is larger and includes maps and Live VIPIR 9 radar images and a logo. The other option of a crawl is words only. I prefer the words only crawl, especially during events like golf. If that isn’t what happened, then I’ll pass the word to those working on the weekends here at WNCT.
Thank you for your comment and rest assured that we strive to serve both the entertainment viewer and those potentially in harms way from severe weather.
Hi Phillip,
My family and I are planning to go to Ocracoke Thursday, June 19. I was just wondering if the smoke would be there Thursday-Saturday?
Hi Anita,
Thanks for your question about Ocracoke smoke. It is currently Tuesday evening. It looks like Ocracoke could get a little smoke Wednesday before winds turn around and keep it away. Thursday, June 19th through Saturday, June 21st should have winds that keep Ocracoke clear from the smoke. Enjoy your trip!!