Wildfire, Carbon
- When
- April 18, 9:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Carbon forecast zone
- Reported by
- Newspaper
- Coordinates
- 40.918, -75.709 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wildfire in Pennsylvania, April 18, 2008
About a half dozen brush fires occurred on Blue Mountain in Carbon and Lehigh Counties on the 18th. The fires started at the base of the mountain range in East Penn Township in Carbon County.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 2
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS PHI wrote it up.
About a half dozen brush fires occurred on Blue Mountain in Carbon and Lehigh Counties on the 18th. The fires started at the base of the mountain range in East Penn Township in Carbon County. Fires then broke out on the Lehigh County side in Heidelberg and Washington Townships. An airplane from the State Bureau of Forestry dumped water on the fires. In addition to the Blue Mountain fires, another wildfire occurred behind the Blue Ridge Country Club off of Dairy and Fireline Roads in Lower Towamensing Township in Carbon County. This location also had a wildfire occur on the 15th.| |April 18th was the warmest day of the month as the high temperature reached 84 degrees at the Lehigh Valley International Airport and 79 degrees in Mount Pocono (Monroe County). April 2008 was a drier than normal month, which led to an above average number of wildfires across Pennsylvania. The number of wildfires was running at twice the normal rate. Through the 18th, there were 200 wildfires that burned 520 acres of forest and brush throughout the state. This value did not include the largest ongoing wildfire on land owned by the Skytop Resort in Pike County. The dry weather led to an outdoor burning ban in North Whitehall Township. At the Lehigh Valley International Airport, the April monthly precipitation total was 2.89 inches, 0.60 inches drier than normal. In Mount Pocono (Monroe County), the April monthly precipitation total was 2.65 inches, 1.64 inches drier than normal. Over half of the precipitation for the month fell after April 25th at the Lehigh Valley International Airport. Because of the dry weather, Upper Mount Bethel Township issued an outdoor burning ban.
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 18, 3:00 AM EST, 6 hours earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Apr 18, 3:00 AM EST, 6 hours before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
400 AM EDT FRI APR 18 2008
.SYNOPSIS...
WEAK HIGH PRESSURE WILL CONTROL THE WEATHER TODAY BEFORE SETTLING
SOUTH OF THE ARE WHILE A BACK-DOOR COLD FRONT CROSSES THE AREA
LATE ON SATURDAY. MEANWHILE, AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE MOVING OUT
OF THE MID-MISSISSIPPI RIVER VALLEY AND THROUGH THE OHIO RIVER
VALLEY SHOULD MOVE JUST SOUTH OF THE AREA THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK.
WEAK HIGH PRESSURE WILL TRY TO BUILD IN FROM THE NORTHEAST THROUGH
THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK.
&&
.NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING/...
ANOTHER WARM SPRING DAY IN STORE TODAY. THE UPPER RIDGE PEAKS
ACROSS THE AREA TODAY, WHICH SHOULD KEEP SKIES MOSTLY CLEAR AND
ALLOW THE TEMPERATURES TO RISE QUITE A BIT. THICKNESSES WILL BE
THEIR GREATEST TODAY, WHICH SHOULD ALLOW TEMPERATURES TO WARM INTO
THE UPPER 70S TO LOW 80S ACROSS THE ENTIRE FORECAST AREA. THERE
WERE A COUPLE OF SEA-BREEZES YESTERDAY, AND WITH WARMER TEMPERATURES
TODAY, WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED TO SEE ONE DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON.
&&
.SHORT TERM /6 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/...
TONIGHT SHOULD BE ANOTHER MOSTLY CLEAR NIGHT AND LIGHT WINDS
SHOULD ALLOW FOR PLENTY OF RADIATIONAL COOLING. BUT WITH RISING
DEWPOINTS, TEMPERATURES WILL NOT BE ABLE TO GET MUCH LOWER THAN
THE MID TO UPPER 40S IN MOST PLACES, POSSIBLY NOT OUT OF THE
LOWER 50S IN SOME URBANIZED AREAS. THE RIDGE ALOFT PUSHES EAST OF
THE AREA ON SATURDAY AND THE HIGH PRESSURE AT THE SURFACE PUSHES
SOUTH OF THE AREA AS A WEAK BACK-DOOR FRONT PUSHES DOWN FROM THE
NORTH ON SATURDAY. IT SHOULD NOT CROSS THE AREA UNTIL LATE
SATURDAY OR SATURDAY NIGHT, ALLOWING TEMPERATURES TO REMAIN ABOVE
NORMAL DURING THE DAY, BUT COOLER THAN ON FRIDAY. AS THE FRONT
MOVES INTO THE AREA, IT WILL NOT PRODUCE MUCH IN THE WAY OF
PRECIPITATION, ONLY A WIND DIRECTION AND TEMPERATURE CHANGE.
&&
.LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/...
THE MODELS ARE FINALLY TRYING TO CONVERGE ON THE SYSTEM AT THE
END OF THE WEEKEND AND BEGINNING OF NEXT WEEK. THE GFS IS COMING
IN LINE NOW WITH THE REST OF THE GUIDANCE. THE GFS/CANADIAN/UKMET
ARE THE FARTHEST NORTH WITH THE SYSTEM PASSING JUST TO OUR SOUTH
WHILE THE ECMWF/NAM ARE A LITTLE FARTHER SOUTH. THEY ALL BRING
SHOWERS TO THE AREA, AND KEEP THE TEMPERATURES COOLER THAN THE
LAST SEVERAL DAYS. WILL ONLY MAKE SOME MINOR CHANGES TO THE
FORECAST, BUT BASICALLY EXPECTING THE SAME AS PREVIOUS FORECAST.
BECAUSE THE SYSTEM IS FORECAST TO MOVE SLOWLY TO OUR SOUTH BEFORE
MOVING OUT, SHOWERS WILL BE POSSIBLE LATE SATURDAY NIGHT/SUNDAY
MORNING THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT/TUESDAY MORNING NEXT WEEK. HIGH
PRESSURE WILL THEN TRY TO BUILD INTO THE AREA FROM THE NORTHEAST
THROUGH THE MIDDLE PART OF NEXT WEEK. A COLD FRONT COULD IMPACT
THE AREA BY THE END OF THE WEEK, BRINGING A CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION
TO THE AREA. TEMPERATURES IN THE EXTENDED SHOULD BE EITHER RIGHT
AROUND NORMAL, OR A FEW DEGREES ABOVE.
&&
.AVIATION /08Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/...
FORECASTING JUST SOME HIGH CLOUDS WITH VFR VSBYS THROUGH 12Z
SATURDAY. EXPECT A LIGHT NORTHERLY COMPONENT TO THE WINDS EARLY,
THEN EXPECT A SEA BREEZE TO MOVE INLAND AND EVENTUALLY REACH ALL BUT
THE TWO NORTHWESTERN TAF SITES BY DUSK. WINDS SHOULD AGAIN GO LIGHT
AFTER THAT.
OUTLOOK...
DRY WEATHER IS EXPECTED THROUGH THE DAY ON SATURDAY, THEN A COLD
FRONT DROPPING DOWN FROM THE NORTH AND WEAK LOW PRESSURE APPROACHING
FROM THE WEST MAY BRING CLOUDS AND SHOWERS FOR SATURDAY NIGHT INTO
SUNDAY NIGHT. AN ONSHORE FLOW MAY BRING ADDITIONAL PRECIP FROM
MONDAY INTO EARLY TUESDAY.
&&
.MARINE...
SWELLS FROM LOW PRESSURE OFF THE COAST EARLY THIS MORNING RANGED
FROM 4 TO 5 FT NEAR SHORE TO AROUND 8 FT AT THE BUOYS. LATEST
WAVEWATCH GUIDANCE AND THE LATEST MODEL TRACKS OF THE LOW FAVOR
EXTENDING THE ADVISORY OUT INTO THE EVENING HOURS, AND WE HAVE DONE
THAT.
A COLD FRONT IS FORECAST TO DROP DOWN FROM THE NORTH LATE SATURDAY
OR SATURDAY NIGHT, WITH HIGH PRESSURE EXPECTED TO NOSE DOWN FROM THE
NORTH AND NORTHEAST FOR SUNDAY, MONDAY AND TUESDAY. DURING THAT
TIME, LOW PRESSURE MAY SKIRT ALONG THE EDGE OF THE HIGH AND HELP
SUSTAIN A MODERATE ONSHORE FLOW WITH WAVES ON OUR OCEAN WATERS
BUILDING BACK INTO THE SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY RANGE.
&&
.FIRE WEATHER...
AGAIN, WIND SPEEDS GENERALLY SHOULD BE 10 KT OR LESS TODAY, ALTHOUGH
THEY MAY BE A BIT STRONGER NEAR THE BAY AND COAST. THE LIGHT WINDS
KEEP US FROM ISSUING ANY RED FLAG WARNING, BUT RH VALUES GENERALLY
SHOULD BE BELOW 30 PERCENT AND FINE FUELS ARE DRY. WE WILL CONTINUE
TO MENTION THE DRY CONDITIONS IN THE HWO AND THE FWF.
&&
.CLIMATE...
AS EVEN WARMER AIR PUSHES INTO OUR AREA DURING THE NEXT DAY OR SO,
WE DECIDED TO LOOK BACK THROUGH THE RECORDS TO FIND SOME STATISTICS
REGARDING 80 DEGREES OR HIGHER.
FOR PHILADELPHIA...
THE LAST TIME 80 DEGREES OR HIGHER WAS REACHED WAS BACK ON OCTOBER
23, 2007 WHEN THE HIGH TEMPERATURE WAS 81 DEGREES.
THE LATEST IN THE SPRING THE TEMPERATURE REACHED 80 DEGREES OR
HIGHER WAS ON MAY 20, 1984 WHEN THE HIGH TEMPERATURE WAS 81 DEGREES.
THE EARLIEST 80 DEGREES OR HIGHER WAS ON MARCH 8, 2000 WHEN THE HIGH
TEMPERATURE WAS 80 DEGREES.
THE LATEST 80 DEGREES OR HIGHER WAS ON NOVEMBER 15, 1993 WHEN THE
HIGH TEMPERATURE WAS 81 DEGREES.
FOR ALLENTOWN...
THE LAST TIME 80 DEGREES OR HIGHER WAS REACHED WAS BACK ON OCTOBER
9, 2007 WHEN THE HIGH TEMPERATURE WAS 87 DEGREES.
THE LATEST IN THE SPRING THE TEMPERATURE REACHED 80 DEGREES OR
HIGHER WAS ON MAY 22, 1999 WHEN THE HIGH TEMPERATURE WAS 81 DEGREES.
THE EARLIEST 80 DEGREES OR HIGHER WAS ON MARCH 12, 1990 WHEN THE
HIGH TEMPERATURE WAS 81 DEGREES.
THE LATEST 80 DEGREES OR HIGHER WAS ON NOVEMBER 2, 1950 WHEN THE
HIGH TEMPERATURE WAS 80 DEGREES.
AND FOR ATLANTIC CITY...
THE LAST TIME 80 DEGREES OR HIGHER WAS REACHED WAS BACK ON OCTOBER
9, 2007 WHEN THE HIGH TEMPERATURE WAS 87 DEGREES.
THE LATEST IN THE SPRING THE TEMPERATURE REACHED 80 DEGREES OR
HIGHER WAS ON MAY 23, 1988 WHEN THE HIGH TEMPERATURE WAS 81 DEGREES.
THE EARLIEST 80 DEGREES OR HIGHER WAS ON MARCH 12, 1990 WHEN THE
HIGH TEMPERATURE WAS 85 DEGREES.
THE LATEST 80 DEGREES OR HIGHER WAS ON NOVEMBER 15, 1993 WHEN THE
HIGH TEMPERATURE WAS 80 DEGREES.
&&
.PHI WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
PA...NONE.
NJ...NONE.
DE...NONE.
MD...NONE.
MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS
EVENING FOR ANZ450>455.
&&
SYNOPSIS...ROBERTSON
NEAR TERM...ROBERTSON
SHORT TERM...ROBERTSON
LONG TERM...ROBERTSON
AVIATION...DELISI
MARINE...DELISI
FIRE WEATHER...DELISI
CLIMATE...GORSE/MEOLAHazardous weather outlook, Apr 18, 4:54 AM EST, 4 hours 6 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ 554 AM EDT FRI APR 18 2008 DEZ001>004-MDZ008-012-015-019-020-NJZ001-007>010-012>027-PAZ054-055- 060>062-067>071-191000- NEW CASTLE-KENT DE-INLAND SUSSEX-DELAWARE BEACHES-CECIL-KENT MD- QUEEN ANNES-TALBOT-CAROLINE-SUSSEX-WARREN-MORRIS-HUNTERDON-SOMERSET- MIDDLESEX-WESTERN MONMOUTH-EASTERN MONMOUTH-MERCER-SALEM-GLOUCESTER- CAMDEN-NORTHWESTERN BURLINGTON-OCEAN-CUMBERLAND-ATLANTIC-CAPE MAY- ATLANTIC COASTAL CAPE MAY-COASTAL ATLANTIC-COASTAL OCEAN- SOUTHEASTERN BURLINGTON-CARBON-MONROE-BERKS-LEHIGH-NORTHAMPTON- CHESTER-MONTGOMERY-BUCKS-DELAWARE-PHILADELPHIA- 554 AM EDT FRI APR 18 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL DELAWARE...NORTHERN DELAWARE...SOUTHERN DELAWARE...EASTERN MARYLAND...NORTHEAST MARYLAND...CENTRAL NEW JERSEY...NORTHERN NEW JERSEY...SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY...EAST CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA...NORTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA AND SOUTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT RELATIVE HUMIDITIES WILL BE LOW AGAIN TODAY, DROPPING INTO THE LOW TO MID 20S AND FUEL MOISTURES WILL BE QUITE LOW AS WELL. HOWEVER, WIND SPEEDS SHOULD GENERALLY BE LESS THAN 10 MPH, THEREFORE RED FLAG WARNINGS ARE NOT ANTICIPATED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. ANZ450>455-191000- COASTAL WATERS FROM SANDY HOOK TO MANASQUAN INLET NJ OUT 20 NM- COASTAL WATERS FROM MANASQUAN INLET TO LITTLE EGG INLET NJ OUT 20 NM- COASTAL WATERS FROM LITTLE EGG INLET TO GREAT EGG INLET NJ OUT 20 NM- COASTAL WATERS FROM GREAT EGG INLET TO CAPE MAY NJ OUT 20 NM- COASTAL WATERS FROM CAPE MAY NJ TO CAPE HENLOPEN DE OUT 20 NM- COASTAL WATERS FROM CAPE HENLOPEN TO FENWICK ISLAND DE OUT 20 NM- 554 AM EDT FRI APR 18 2008 ...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR ATLANTIC COASTAL WATERS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. ANZ430-431-191000- DELAWARE BAY WATERS NORTH OF EAST POINT NJ TO SLAUGHTER BEACH DE- DELAWARE BAY WATERS SOUTH OF EAST POINT NJ TO SLAUGHTER BEACH DE- 554 AM EDT FRI APR 18 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR DELAWARE BAY WATERS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
2 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
Wildfire, Lehigh
- When
- April 18, 9:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Lehigh forecast zone
- Reported by
- Newspaper
- Coordinates
- 40.613, -75.592 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Wildfire
- A fire burning in wildland vegetation, with its acreage and damage where known.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Tornadoes and Hail in Mississippi, April 18, 2008
- Flooding in Iowa, April 18 to 19, 2008
- Flooding in Iowa, April 18 to 21, 2008
- Wildfire in Oklahoma, April 18, 2008
- Wildfire in California, April 18, 2008
- Flooding in Missouri, April 18 to 22, 2008
- Damaging Winds in Texas, April 18, 2008
- Heavy Snow in Washington, April 18 to 19, 2008
- Marine Thunderstorm Wind in Gulf of Mexico, April 18, 2008
- Hail in Mississippi, April 18, 2008
- Flood in Maine, April 18, 2008
- Flash Flood in Mississippi, April 18, 2008
More
Every storm in Pennsylvania in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Pennsylvania, April 2008
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 93847, 93848.