MALAGA WEATHER UPDATE Tuesday 1st July 2014: Before I crack open todays feast of information please be aware that as yet the fire at Competa has not been declared officially extinguished and could flare again. I expect the good folk there will see more fire fighting activity today so above all, that information takes precedence.........But, before all that kicks off........Pinch punch first day of the month ya know!!!......Oh yes, today we race into July in style with our first day being a very sunny and extremely warm one!!!.....Their remains that risk of strong winds but they will die down and when those gusts go that sun is going to bake us nicely here in Malaga Province!!!.......We may also see some fluffy bits materialise along the coast today and even some darker blobs late afternoon up in those mountains but again cushions on your terrace can remain outside!!!.......Tomorrow though those cushions may just decide to take flying lessons!!!.......We will see that glorious sunshine continue but I am expecting those winds to wrack up a notch!!!........I noted Sunday on a post that somebody reported what was clearly Tornadic activity causing a sudden severe bout of very localised wind over 70 kph........welcome to Andalucia!!!......Yes, Tornadic activity is not just related to bad weather and quite often in hot windy conditions these Dust Devils as they are often referred to can be seen!!!.......All it takes is high winds being funnelled into a specific area to create a rotation that often causes minor damage......totally unpredictable but fascinating to watch and these things just love to gorge on cushions left out on terraces!!!.......Anyway, the rest of the week is looking OK but windy with that cloud popping up Wednesday/Thursday into Friday with the east of the country probably getting wet again and an ark of rain predicted to cover from the east right around the north of Malaga Province into Cadiz and the Straits!!!........This does not appear to pose our terrace cushions a threat but we are watching in case it shifts!!!........The coming weekend is currently looking great though!!!......So, can I just give you a reminder to maintain that excellent fire watch; we have had several over the last few days and the biggest yet that involved evacuations out at Competa and all with the usual great posting from those involved........just in case you hadnt noticed!!!......Well done you all and this group as a whole!!!.........So, what happens once the fire is fully out???........Well I can tell you the work does not stop there......At this time the process continues into establishing the cause and the analyses of the work conducted begins.....lets take the continuing work to find cause first......We say continuing because during the height of the fire 4 units from the AAMM, or AAMAA as they are often referred to, were deployed!!!.....They are the Environment Agents of the Junta de Andalucia, effectively a Police Force in their own right with huge powers including to detain and arrest and often armed. They are the people who take up the challenge of establishing cause and, subject to their findings, handing over to the Guardia Civil or Policia National if the cause is deemed a criminal act for further investigation. If cause is found to be local farmer negligence then the AAMM will proceed with charging the individual......As for the process of analysing the work conducted by the INFOCA brigades, machinery and aircraft, well thats gone all very high tech this year and all front line INFOCA operatives are fitted with individual transponders giving GPS data to within 1 meter of their position at any one time......This information, together with air movements and positioning of fire fighting appliances will be uploaded and applied to a new data base that filters the information and now gives the results in plan format. Their is a wealth of other data that needs to be applied as well such as the weather hence the reason a mobile weather station was mobilised recording actual wind speeds and directions on scene. The resulting analyses as the example on the attached graphic shows in the comments below gives a remarkable picture of the event from near start to finish and enables Emergency Planning Management to review and change strategies on future deployments. As time goes by the software being incorporated will effectively take control and will be used to tell management where and what they should be deploying but that is a few years away yet once the system builds a history!!!......So the work continues and we shall watch the press for news on the cause and watch for a full analyses which will be published, but dont hold your breath on that, it could be a year to three!!!.......One more slight issue if I may!!!....I need to put the record straight about my role within this group as the odd comment does appear to pop up thanking me for this group!!!.......Although I would like to take the credit for this great group, I must stress that this group and indeed its management is nothing to do with me. The glory and hard work and therefore appreciation and credit should go to the networks founder Jill Leonard whos inspiration, and often perspiration combined with expletives, keeps this group on its toes. Your appreciation should also go to Deborah Baine who assists Jill across the many groups that make up this growing network.......In case you havent noticed, this is not a money making organisation or indeed a charity and all the background hard work by Jill & Deborah is given in their own time across all the groups.......and theirs a few now!!!.......As for me, yes, I have had the privilege of meeting Jill twice (dont tell her husband!!!) and appearing with her on TV but my role is merely a minion like the rest of us who are free to post relevant and useful information. So, you are free to post your weather obs, predictions etc........I do not have the monopoly nor do I want it, but in order to support what I deem is a very worthy cause I use my abilities to forecast and, when appropriate, report!!!.....as for the report on the Competa Fire yesterday, in my experience little is done to relate the work that goes on during disaster and indeed the extremely important behind the scenes activity. We tend to only see the water bombers and front line persons fighting the fires etc.....A timeline analyses is good to conduct in any scenario and can be used, as in this case, to highlight just how lucky we are here in Spain. I honestly believe this countries disaster response is ahead of most other countries throughout the world so not only should our thanks and appreciation go to Jill & Debs, it should go to the good folk in the area of the fire who posted significant information and above all, to the very brave men and woman who took part in the operation of the Emergency Services across the field......Me, Im just happy to be in this group so you thank me again I kill you!!!......Have a great day, hopefully fire free, and tomorrow we talk on a subject that is thought to be weather related but often is not!!!......Intrigued???.......tune in mañana (subject to it being quiet with no threats)!!!......Jim Fraser for the Local Fire & Weather Watch Network :)
Posted on: Tue, 01 Jul 2014 05:13:19 +0000
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