Evacuation orders issued for North Dakota city in response to wildfire
By
Adriana Navarro, AccuWeather staff writer
Updated Apr 4, 2021 10:24 AM EDT
Smoke from the fire near Medora, North Dakota. (Facebook/U.S. Forest Service-Dakota Prairie Grasslands)
(Facebook/U.S. Forest Service-Dakota Prairie Grasslands)
Evacuations were ordered for Medora, North Dakota, on Thursday evening as a wildfire southwest of the city grew, smoke from the blaze impacting travel on I-94. Both the east and westbound lanes of the interstate were temporarily closed.
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum declared a statewide fire emergency across the state on Thursday in response to the fire, enabling the North Dakota National Guard to assist in containing the wildfire.
While smoke from the fire impacted travel on I-94, closing the east and westbound lanes, the GOES-East satellite even picked up the smoke, and the National Weather Service's infrared channel picked up the hot temperatures from the blaze.
"North Dakota must be prepared to respond to wildland fires during periods of ongoing dry conditions and drought patterns," Burgum said in a notice to Maj. Gen. Alan Dohrmann, adjutant general of the state's national guard. "At this time, North Dakota has an elevated spring and summer fire potential; a significant number of fires have occurred to date. To prepare to support local and tribal firefighting efforts, assist federal fire partners and respond to fire emergencies across the State, we must have firefighting resources available on short notice. The North Dakota National Guard has the resources we may need to support those firefighting efforts."
Much of the western portion of the state, including Billings County where Medora is located, is experiencing an extreme drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Smoke from the fire near Medora, North Dakota (Facebook/U.S. Forest Service-Dakota Prairie Grasslands)
(Facebook/U.S. Forest Service-Dakota Prairie Grasslands)
These drought conditions over the past several months coupled with a deficit of snow cover and moisture over the winter had intensified dry conditions across the state and contributed to an early start to the traditional fire season, Burgun stated in his fire emergency.
North Dakota, as well as a majority of South Dakota, Montana and areas of Nebraska had been experiencing red flag warnings as temperatures swelled and prime fire conditions mounted.
Similar to Saturday, warming temperatures and dry conditions are expected to continue on Sunday for the Northern Plains.
"Dry conditions will be in place on Sunday," AccuWeather Meteorologist Danielle Knittle said. "Sunshine will be mixed with patchy clouds, and it will be very warm for the start of April."
Temperatures are expected to reach the upper 70s on Sunday, according to Knittle. The average highs for this time of year are typically in the lower 50s.
Dry air and breezy weather in the region on Friday and Saturday resulted in additional fire risks, which further hindered firefighting efforts. The winds Sunday may gust to around 20 mph, though mostly during the afternoon hours.
As of April 1, the North Dakota Forest Service has received reports of more than 140 wildfires that have burned over 30,000 acres in total, according to the local news source Valley News Live. For comparison, the 518 wildfires reported to the Forest Service during 2020 burned 9,205 acres.
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News / Weather News
Evacuation orders issued for North Dakota city in response to wildfire
By Adriana Navarro, AccuWeather staff writer
Updated Apr 4, 2021 10:24 AM EDT
Smoke from the fire near Medora, North Dakota. (Facebook/U.S. Forest Service-Dakota Prairie Grasslands)
Evacuations were ordered for Medora, North Dakota, on Thursday evening as a wildfire southwest of the city grew, smoke from the blaze impacting travel on I-94. Both the east and westbound lanes of the interstate were temporarily closed.
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum declared a statewide fire emergency across the state on Thursday in response to the fire, enabling the North Dakota National Guard to assist in containing the wildfire.
While smoke from the fire impacted travel on I-94, closing the east and westbound lanes, the GOES-East satellite even picked up the smoke, and the National Weather Service's infrared channel picked up the hot temperatures from the blaze.
"North Dakota must be prepared to respond to wildland fires during periods of ongoing dry conditions and drought patterns," Burgum said in a notice to Maj. Gen. Alan Dohrmann, adjutant general of the state's national guard. "At this time, North Dakota has an elevated spring and summer fire potential; a significant number of fires have occurred to date. To prepare to support local and tribal firefighting efforts, assist federal fire partners and respond to fire emergencies across the State, we must have firefighting resources available on short notice. The North Dakota National Guard has the resources we may need to support those firefighting efforts."
Much of the western portion of the state, including Billings County where Medora is located, is experiencing an extreme drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Smoke from the fire near Medora, North Dakota (Facebook/U.S. Forest Service-Dakota Prairie Grasslands)
These drought conditions over the past several months coupled with a deficit of snow cover and moisture over the winter had intensified dry conditions across the state and contributed to an early start to the traditional fire season, Burgun stated in his fire emergency.
North Dakota, as well as a majority of South Dakota, Montana and areas of Nebraska had been experiencing red flag warnings as temperatures swelled and prime fire conditions mounted.
Similar to Saturday, warming temperatures and dry conditions are expected to continue on Sunday for the Northern Plains.
Related:
"Dry conditions will be in place on Sunday," AccuWeather Meteorologist Danielle Knittle said. "Sunshine will be mixed with patchy clouds, and it will be very warm for the start of April."
Temperatures are expected to reach the upper 70s on Sunday, according to Knittle. The average highs for this time of year are typically in the lower 50s.
Dry air and breezy weather in the region on Friday and Saturday resulted in additional fire risks, which further hindered firefighting efforts. The winds Sunday may gust to around 20 mph, though mostly during the afternoon hours.
As of April 1, the North Dakota Forest Service has received reports of more than 140 wildfires that have burned over 30,000 acres in total, according to the local news source Valley News Live. For comparison, the 518 wildfires reported to the Forest Service during 2020 burned 9,205 acres.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier, Spectrum, FuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo