Mesoscale model simulation of the meteorological conditions during the 2 June 2002 Double Trouble State Park wildfire

Abstract

On the morning of 2 June 2002, an abandoned campfire grew into a wildfire in the Double Trouble State Park in east-central New Jersey, USA. The wildfire burned 526 ha (1300 acres) and forced the closure of the Garden State Parkway for several hours due to dense smoke. In addition to the presence of dead and dry fuels due to a late spring frost prior to the wildfire, the meteorological conditions at the time of the wildfire were conducive to erratic fire behaviour and rapid fire growth. Observations indicate the occurrence of a substantial drop in relative humidity at the surface accompanied by an increase in wind speed in the vicinity of the wildfire during the late morning and early afternoon of 2 June. The surface drying and increase in wind speed are hypothesised to result from the downward transport of dry, high-momentum air from the middle troposphere occurring in conjunction with a deepening mixed layer. This hypothesis is addressed using a high-resolution mesoscale model simulation to document the structure and evolution of the planetary boundary layer and lower-tropospheric features associated with the arrival of dry, high-momentum air at the surface coincident with the sudden and dramatic growth of the wildfire.