19 June 2016-Present: Beaver Creek Fire, Jackson County, Colorado
The Beaver Creek Fire started in northwestern Jackson County in Northern Colorado on 19 June 2016 (Figure 1) and presently is still an active fire. The cause of the fire is still unknown. As of 7 July 2016 the fire has burned approximately 13,642 acres and 5% of the fire perimeter is contained (inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4797). For National Weather Service (NWS) forecasters to monitor fires such as the Beaver Creek Fire not only during the daytime but during the night-time, Near-Constant Contrast (NCC) imagery can be utilized.
Figure 1: An NCC image on 19 June 2016 @ 0911Z, highlighting the location of Jackson County in Northern Colorado. This day was when the fire first initiated. In the right-hand corner of the image, is the corresponding moon phase, showing the fire first started near the full moon stage of the lunar cycle.
In the link below, an animation of the fire spread can be seen in Jackson County with intermittent white circles highlighting the location of the fire. The utility of NCC imagery is evident as NWS forecasters have the ability to monitor erratic fire spread during the night-time hours (e.g., Figure 2), bringing additional satellite imagery that is beneficial for NWS fire weather operations.
Further NCC images of the Beaver Creek Fire will be collected as the present Beaver Creek fire spread evolves.
Figure 2: The magnitude of fire spread denoted by the white circle from a NCC image taken on 28 June 2016 @ 0943Z.