US Hawks Hang Gliding Association

Magdalena, NM is about 13 miles from Gray Hill. Below is the Climate Summery.
(If the entire year is not displayed, try holding down the Ctrl key while tapping the minus key (-).

We were watching the forecast for Gray Hill for Tue-Wed-Thu. but Tue.'s forecast for west didn't hold. Next Wed, Thurs, Fri looked good but now there is a fire in the San Mateo Mountains and the wind is carrying smoke to Magdalena, NM.
https://nmfireinfo.com/2016/06/03/cibola-nf-national-grasslands-the-north-fire-at-6946-acres/
Firing operations continued on the east side of Forest Road 138 yesterday. Crews are introducing a low-intensity backing fire into North Canyon and other interior canyons. This will mitigate high severity effects but still allow for the creation of canopy openings to promote aspen regeneration. Crews used hand ignitions to clear ground fuels in pine stringers along the southeast perimeter. The southern boundary of the fire is now in patrol/monitor status.

Reintroducing fire to the San Mateo Mountains will improve ecosystem health and vigor, improve wildlife habitat, protect cultural resources, reduce hazardous fuels, and return fire to a fire dependent ecosystem. Fire behavior and effects are continuously being assessed to ensure incident objectives are being met. There are 129 personnel assigned to this incident.

The weather forecast for Friday through the weekend calls for a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Communities surrounding Magdalena, NM continue to experience drifting smoke and haze in the afternoon and evenings. The New Mexico Department of Health provides a visibility test to determine smoke impacts in your area at: https://nmtracking.org/fire. The New Mexico Air Quality Bureau has placed a smoke monitor at the Magdalena Ranger District Administrative Site, located off County Road 107, in Magdalena, NM. The smoke monitoring website is: http://app.airsis.com/USFS/fleet.aspx

A temporary Area Closure Order has been issued for the vicinity of the North Fire. All National Forest System lands, roads, and trails within the closure area are closed to public use.

For more information, please contact the Magdalena Ranger District at 575-854-2281, or visit the New Mexico Fire Information website at http://www.nmfireinfo.com , Twitter:@Cibola_NF, http://www.facebook.com/cibolanf, and http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/

Bill Cummings wrote:We were watching the forecast for Gray Hill for Tue-Wed-Thu. but Tue.'s forecast for west didn't hold. Next Wed, Thurs, Fri looked good but now there is a fire in the San Mateo Mountains and the wind is carrying smoke to Magdalena, NM.
https://nmfireinfo.com/2016/06/03/cibola-nf-national-grasslands-the-north-fire-at-6946-acres/
Firing operations continued on the east side of Forest Road 138 yesterday. Crews are introducing a low-intensity backing fire into North Canyon and other interior canyons. This will mitigate high severity effects but still allow for the creation of canopy openings to promote aspen regeneration. Crews used hand ignitions to clear ground fuels in pine stringers along the southeast perimeter. The southern boundary of the fire is now in patrol/monitor status.

Reintroducing fire to the San Mateo Mountains will improve ecosystem health and vigor, improve wildlife habitat, protect cultural resources, reduce hazardous fuels, and return fire to a fire dependent ecosystem. Fire behavior and effects are continuously being assessed to ensure incident objectives are being met. There are 129 personnel assigned to this incident.

The weather forecast for Friday through the weekend calls for a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Communities surrounding Magdalena, NM continue to experience drifting smoke and haze in the afternoon and evenings. The New Mexico Department of Health provides a visibility test to determine smoke impacts in your area at: https://nmtracking.org/fire. The New Mexico Air Quality Bureau has placed a smoke monitor at the Magdalena Ranger District Administrative Site, located off County Road 107, in Magdalena, NM. The smoke monitoring website is: http://app.airsis.com/USFS/fleet.aspx

A temporary Area Closure Order has been issued for the vicinity of the North Fire. All National Forest System lands, roads, and trails within the closure area are closed to public use.

For more information, please contact the Magdalena Ranger District at 575-854-2281, or visit the New Mexico Fire Information website at http://www.nmfireinfo.com , Twitter:@Cibola_NF, http://www.facebook.com/cibolanf, and http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/

The late afternoon and night time smoke drifting toward Magdalena, NM has put the fire out in the hearts of Mike E., and myself for flying at Gray Hill.
The plan had first been Tue,Wed, Thu, then Wed, Thu, Fri, but the smoke from the forest fire in the San Mateo Mountain, SW by 25 miles from Magdalena, forced us to cancel the trip.
I left a message with Max M., DC, and Mike R that the trip is on hold.

https://nmfireinfo.com/2016/06/15/cibola-nf-national-grasslands-the-north-fire-increases-to-23915-acres/
The May 21 lightening caused fire, 25 miles SW of Magdalena, NM, is still going and covers more area.
The report on June 03, 2016 had the fire consuming an estimated 6,946 Acres with 129 personnel assigned.
Total estimated acreage consumed to this day (June 15) is 23,915 with 140 personnel assigned.
With more personnel more back fires should be possible.
With higher temperatures and high pressure in the forecast together with the night time settling of smoke followed with the inversion
capping the smoke near the ground, residents of Magdalena should take care of themselves accordingly.

Firing operations continued on the east side of Forest Road 138 yesterday. Crews are introducing a low-intensity backing fire into
North Canyon and other interior canyons. This will mitigate high severity effects but still allow for the creation of canopy openings to
promote aspen regeneration. Crews used hand ignitions to clear ground fuels in pine stringers along the southeast perimeter.
The southern boundary of the fire is now in patrol/monitor status.

Reintroducing fire to the San Mateo Mountains will improve ecosystem health and vigor, improve wildlife habitat, protect cultural
resources, reduce hazardous fuels, and return fire to a fire dependent ecosystem. Fire behavior and effects are continuously
being assessed to ensure incident objectives are being met.

I suspect that this is Ranger Speak for:
Hot damn! We can't do anything with this sucker! Post a glowing -- strike that --- post favorable report like the first one that went:
"Fire behavior and effects are continuously being assessed to ensure incident objectives are being met."
(MAKES YOU WONDER HOW FAVORABLE OF A REPORT WOULD BE POSTED IF IT WAS YOUR CAMPFIRE THAT DID IT. -- HUH?)

What is "a low-intensity backing fire" cold fire like cold fusion??

Just my thoughts on that.

-Rod

BuggyPilot wrote:What is "a low-intensity backing fire" cold fire like cold fusion??

Just my thoughts on that.

-Rod

Rod,
I'm not quite sure but so far it sounds like they got out ahead of the fire to do a controlled burn to consume all the fuel ahead of the main fire.
But that one got away from them and they had to jump back a little further, try again, but that one got away from them, so the next time they said,"Okay! Enough fooling around let's jump way back and start a really really big back fire."
And then -- guess what?

Cibola NF & National Grasslands’ – Final North Fire Update Acreage Remains at 42,102 Acres
https://nmfireinfo.com/2016/07/02/cibol ... 102-acres/
July 2, 2016 by cwolfe408 0 Comments
Magdalena, NM; July 2, 2016 – The North Fire on the Magdalena Ranger District remains at 42,102 acres; at 85% containment. The lightning-caused fire started on May 21st and is located in the San Mateo Mountains, 25 miles southwest of Magdalena, NM. The North Fire continues to be actively managed for multiple resource benefits.
Culvert refurbishment will continue to clear debris from the CCC culvert system along FR 549 and Monica Saddle. Rehabilitation will continue in fire affected areas. FR 138 continued to be patrolled and monitored to prevent further growth. The fire continues to burn in ponderosa pine, piñon–juniper, mixed-conifer, and grass. The North Fire is enhancing wildlife habitat while protecting cultural resources, reducing hazardous fuels and returning fire to the ecosystem. Fire behavior and effects are being assessed to ensure they meet the incident objectives. Point protection is being provided to maintain private and infrastructure values. There are currently 60 personnel assigned to the incident.
The Resources Advisor (READ) for the North Fire Gabe Partido stated, “Rehabilitation work is nearly complete, and all the personnel on the fire have done a huge amount of high quality work in a short amount of time. Work includes fixing fences, pulling fences, assessing trails, building barriers to reduce areas where motorized access is not authorized, inventorying cultural sites, rehabilitation of constructed fire line, Helispots, camps, and rehabilitation of main roads impacted by the fire. Everyone involved on the North Fire, including district personnel, have done a great job.”
The monsoonal flow of wetting precipitation will remain through the 4th of July weekend. Smoke from the North Fire is minimal from US Highway 60 west of Magdalena, NM, due to precipitation received on the fire line. When driving on Forest Roads during approaching storms, please drive carefully, reduce speed, drive with your lights on, and ’turn around don’t drown’ at water crossings. Also, when hiking trails, stay away from ridge tops and seek lower elevations until thunderstorms pass.
A temporary Area Closure Order remain in effect for the vicinity of the North Fire. All National Forest System lands, roads, and trails within the closure area are closed to public use. Stage I fire restrictions have been implemented on the Magdalena Ranger District, Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands.
This will be the final update for the North Fire. Weekly updates will be posted by visiting the New Mexico Fire Information website at http://www.nmfireinfo.com , Twitter:@Cibola_NF, http://www.facebook.com/cibolanf, and http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/. For more information, please contact the Magdalena Ranger District at 575-854-2281.

Forestry Road 549 is the road into Gray Hill about 12 miles WSW of the town of Magdalena, NM.
Where along 549 road work is being done is not known by me (Bill) at this time.
July 5th Fire Update – Cibola National Forest
July 5, 2016 by atperea 0 Comments
North Fire – Road repair work will begin this week on Forest Roads 549, 330, and 138. The roads were used heavily throughout the suppression and rehabilitation efforts and, in some areas, damaged by the fire effects.

The VLA reporting station 10 miles west of Gray Hill shows today's history as a good day for hang gliding.

Below if the graph doesn't display correctly try holding down Ctrl key (bottom left of keyboard) then minus (-) key.
https://www.wunderground.com/personal-weather-station/dashboard?ID=KNMSOCOR9#history

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Below check on the forest fire status for New Mexico.
https://nmfireinfo.com/

Pilots and Drivers,
As you may recall, last October, while camping near Gray Hill, some of us darn near froze a posterior portion of our anatomy off.
Around that time I decided that September might be a good time to go camping and flying at Gray Hill.
I called Mike Ellsworth today and he said that he will keep an eye on the weather forecast as the weekend draws closer.
I got a call from Robin Hastings and told him about our tentative plans for Gray Hill on the weekend of Friday 9-23-2016.
Taro might consider a warmer camping trip than last October's. (I think it froze that night.)
So I'll give a call to Max again so that he can spread the word in Northern New Mexico.
I'll put up some links here so that it will be easy to check on the forecast and history in the area near Gray Hill.
Scroll up this page and previous page to remind yourselves of the driving directions.
https://www.wunderground.com/personal-weather-station/dashboard?ID=KNMSOCOR9#history
https://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=pws:KNMNEWME10