NORTHWEST
East Oregonian
A2
Tuesday, May 18, 2021
USDA, Interior Department gear up for ‘dangerous’ wildfire year
By SIERRA DAWN
MCCLAIN
Capital Press
WASHINGTON — The
U.S. Department of Agricul-
ture and Department of the
Interior are gearing up for
what’s expected to be one of
the most intense fire years in
recent history.
“May is wildfire aware-
ness month, but these days,
it seems as if the fire season
is the entire year,” Deb
Haaland, Secretary of the
Interior, told reporters in a
press call on May 13.
The National Interagency
Fire Center in Boise, Idaho,
predicts 2021 will be another
above-average year for wild-
fire potential in the West.
Agriculture Secretary
Tom Vilsack told reporters
he’s “troubled” the signals
suggest the U.S. is “headed
into yet another very danger-
ous fire year.”
Jeff Rupert, director of
the Interior’s Office of Wild-
land Fire, agreed 2021’s fire
outlook is bad. Nationwide,
550,000 acres are currently
burning, and the Southwest
already has five large, active
fires in mid-May.
More than 90% of the
West is experiencing some
level of drought, according to
agency data. Rupert said he
expects the worst fires across
California, where drought is
acute, but he also anticipates
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection/Contributed Photo, File
The National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, predicts 2021 will be another above-average year for wildfire potential
in the West.
wildfires will hit the Pacific
Northwest in June, July and
August.
“The drought now is
worse than this time last year,
and the fire potential across
the West is worse,” he said.
In 2020, more than 10.3
million acres burned across
the U.S., a record year and
more than 50% higher than
the 10-year average.
Haaland and Vilsack told
reporters what their agencies
are doing to gear up for the
season.
The Department of the
Interior’s land manage-
ment agencies and USDA
are combining resources for
a record-sized firefighting
team for this time of year,
Forecast for Pendleton Area
TODAY
WEDNESDAY
| Go to AccuWeather.com
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
including 15,000 firefighters,
more than 500 helicopters, 91
single-engine airtankers, up
to 34 airtankers, 360 pieces
of heavy equipment and more
than 1,600 engines.
These resources will
supplement state and local
forces.
Vilsack said USDA and
Department of Interior staff
have been identifying regions
where they think the highest
fire risks are and pre-posi-
tioning people and supplies
at those locations.
2021 will probably be
better than 2020 in at least
one way, said USDA staff.
Firefighters who wanted
to get vaccinated were able
to do so this year, which
could relieve some pressure
surrounding COVID-19
protocols.
Firefighting last year was
a nightmare, agency lead-
ers said, because of social
distancing and safety require-
ments related to COVID-19.
“It was incredibly stress-
ful,” said Patty Grantham,
acting director of fire and
aviation management at
USDA’s Forest Service.
Haaland said her agency
will seek to reduce wildfire
risk by confronting climate
change, promoting strategic
fuels management, invest-
ing in new science and tech-
nology, hiring personnel,
empowering communities
to help reduce fire risk, and
building stronger partner-
ships with Native American
tribes.
Vilsack said he’s hopeful
President Biden’s American
Jobs Plan will pass Congress.
It would invest billions of
dollars in forest restoration,
fuels management and
post-wildfire restoration.
But the Jobs Plan, also
known as Biden’s infrastruc-
ture package, is controversial
and lacks bipartisan support
because it would increase
corporate taxes.
Regardless of what
happens with the infrastruc-
ture plan, Vilsack said the
Forest Service will request
more money from Congress
to fight wildfires.
Supermoon total lunar eclipse will
be visible over the Northwest in May
By JAMIE HALE
The Oregonian/OregonLive
Cooler; breezy this
morning
A shower in the
afternoon
Variable clouds,
showers around
Cloudy with showers
around; cool
Cloudy, a shower
possible; cool
PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
64° 40°
61° 37°
65° 42°
67° 44°
63° 42°
HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
68° 40°
67° 38°
72° 45°
74° 47°
71° 47°
OREGON FORECAST
ALMANAC
Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.
PENDLETON
through 3 p.m. yest.
HIGH
LOW
TEMP.
Seattle
Olympia
54/40
58/35
64/35
Longview
Kennewick Walla Walla
63/42
Lewiston
59/42
70/43
Astoria
56/42
Pullman
Yakima 67/38
58/36
67/45
Portland
Hermiston
62/44
The Dalles 68/40
Salem
Corvallis
61/39
Yesterday
Normals
Records
La Grande
60/37
PRECIPITATION
John Day
Eugene
Bend
65/40
59/34
62/37
Ontario
75/49
Caldwell
Burns
84°
66°
73°
47°
95° (2008) 34° (1943)
24 hours ending 3 p.m.
Month to date
Normal month to date
Year to date
Last year to date
Normal year to date
Albany
61/40
0.00"
0.18"
0.62"
1.46"
0.90"
4.61"
WINDS (in mph)
74/46
66/37
Trace
0.26"
0.66"
3.82"
6.20"
5.77"
through 3 p.m. yest.
HIGH
LOW
TEMP.
Pendleton 58/33
63/41
24 hours ending 3 p.m.
Month to date
Normal month to date
Year to date
Last year to date
Normal year to date
HERMISTON
Enterprise
64/40
66/43
80°
57°
71°
47°
97° (2008) 33° (1917)
PRECIPITATION
Moses
Lake
58/38
Aberdeen
60/36
62/40
Tacoma
Yesterday
Normals
Records
Spokane
Wenatchee
59/44
Today
Wed.
Boardman WSW 10-20
Pendleton
W 10-20
Medford
71/42
W 4-8
W 6-12
SUN AND MOON
Klamath Falls
65/33
Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2021
Sunrise today
Sunset tonight
Moonrise today
Moonset today
5:21 a.m.
8:23 p.m.
10:55 a.m.
1:44 a.m.
First
Full
Last
New
May 19
May 26
June 2
June 10
PORTLAND — A lunar
eclipse this month will be a
little more special than usual,
occurring as the moon makes
one of its closest approaches
to the Earth all year.
The supermoon total lunar
eclipse will take place in the
early morning hours of May
26, and most of the event will
be visible from the Pacific
Northwest, according to
astronomers.
A total lunar eclipse takes
place when the Earth lines up
directly between the sun and
the moon, with the Earth’s
shadow completely cover-
ing the moon. During a lunar
eclipse the moon turns a vivid
shade of red — an effect of
refracted sunlight — before
darkening completely.
This year’s total lunar
eclipse will officially begin at
1:47 a.m. May 26 as viewed
from Pendleton, according to
Time and Date, with the total
eclipse beginning around
4:18 a.m. Totality is expected
to last about 14 minutes
before the shadow begins to
Kathy Aney/East Oregonian, File
The supermoon sets behind some southwest Pendleton
homes in April 2020.
gradually fade.
Those watching the event
may notice the moon appear
to be slightly larger than
normal. In fact, this will be
the closest a full moon will get
to the Earth all year, coming
within 222,023 miles of our
planet. A full moon that close
is often called a “supermoon,”
as it looks a little bigger and
brighter than normal.
Stargazers hoping to watch
the supermoon total lunar
eclipse this month will need
to first check the forecast to
make sure it will be visible
at all, as cloudy skies would
block it from view. If visible,
you’ll want to find a place with
a good, unobstructed view of
the sky and look for the moon
over the south to southwest
horizon.
There’s no need to use
binoculars or a telescope to
see the eclipse, but it could be
a fun way to watch the moon
up close as the Earth’s shadow
falls across it.
The eclipse will be visible
across most of the Western
U.S., though viewing will be
the best for Hawaii, the South
Pacific and Australia, accord-
ing to NASA.
NATIONAL EXTREMES
Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states)
High 102° in Laredo, Texas Low 25° in Sunset Crater, Ariz.
‘Oli’ names took top spots for
boys and girls in 2020
NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY
Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day.
-10s
-0s
0s
showers t-storms
10s
rain
20s
flurries
30s
snow
40s
ice
50s
60s
cold front
E AST O REGONIAN
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90s
100s
warm front stationary front
110s
high
low
PORTLAND — Few people will look back
fondly on the year 2020, with the possible
exception of one group — new parents.
How can you not remember with joy when
your little baby went from being an inside
person to an outside person, even if the ongo-
ing COVID-19 pandemic meant your outside
person spent most of its time indoors?
But the real question — did these pandemic
babies get pandemic baby names? Did Orego-
nians decide to call their bundles of joy
“Corona” or “Mask”?
Well, not in droves, it appears.
Last week, the Social Security Adminis-
tration released its list of top baby names in
the country and in each state. So, how did the
names stack up to previous years?
It was a big year for little buddies who go
by “Oli.”
Olivia took the No. 1 spot for the girl cate-
gory, with 207 new humans receiving that
name in Oregon. Oliver took No. 1 for boys,
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with 234 new little Olivers.
Both names in the top spot shouldn’t come
as a surprise. Oregonians have been pumping
out little Olis for some time.
Oliver was No. 1 in 2019, 2018, 2017 and
2016, while Olivia was No. 1 in 2019 and 2016
and No. 2 in 2018, 2017 and 2015, switching off
with juggernaut Emma.
For girls, coming in behind Olivia were
Amelia (160 babies), Charlotte (149), Emma
(148, in a major upset) and Evelyn (133).
For boys, after Oliver were Liam (189
babies), Henry (187), Noah (186) and William
(167).
(Nationally, Elijah made the top five for
boys, and Ava and Sophia for girls, but none of
those three placed that high in Oregon.) Other-
wise, the list didn’t contain too many surprises,
except maybe the seeds of a Beatles revival —
117 babies were named Eleanor in 2020, 70
were named John, 60 were named Lucy and 40
each were named George, Harrison and Jude.
No Pauls or Ringos made the top 100, but
keep an eye out for 2021.
— The Oregonian
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