Brief News
Fire weather worsens – Heat wave spreads across southern US
An early season heat wave is building across the southern tier of the United States, creating “unstable conditions” for wildfires and forcing some residents to conserve power usage.
High temperatures will soar into the 90s and triple digits, which will pose a threat to those who are outdoors for extended periods of time.
The cities of Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Roswell in New Mexico all have the potential to tie or break record highs this weekend and early next week, making weather conditions at the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak wildfire even more dire.
The largest fire in New Mexico state history (the Whitewater Baldy fire in 2012) burned 297,845 acres. The Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak fire has currently burned more than 288,000 acres and could surpass the number one fire in the next couple of days, as it is only 36% contained.
N.J. military base – Warns of ground-shaking explosions
Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst has warned neighboring communities of a particularly active stretch of training this month that could include heavy weapons and munitions explosions likely to be heard and felt in towns miles away.
The base, New Jersey’s largest military facility, is in the middle of a two week stretch that started Thursday with 10 days expected to be “high noise.” The monthly training calendar shared by the base to warn neighboring towns shows all but three days this month with “moderate” or “high” noise from training.
The high noise days could include mortar and Howitzer fire along with cratering explosions, base officials said. Weapons training at the base can often be heard, and felt, for miles in Burlington, Camden, Ocean, Monmouth and Mercer counties. The base provides the alerts to residents in an attempt to lessen calls to local police departments.
Residents in Gibbsboro in Camden County called police Sunday morning to report ground shaking and noise that officials have attributed to the base. Low clouds, like those hovering over the state Sunday, can cause the noise to travel farther.
Jersey Shore beaches closed past Memorial Day
Beach erosion following last weekend’s fierce coastal storm has created additional headaches in several towns with Memorial Day weekend only two weeks away. The Ortley Beach section of Toms River, North Wildwood and Stone Harbor are among the places where tides and strong winds took their toll, wiping away massive amounts of sand, and producing “cliffs” near the diminished dunes, officials in those towns said. There was also beach erosion in Brigantine, according to Real Brigantine, a local news website.
Ortley Beach experienced erosion primarily between 4th Street and 8th Street and will need to spend approximately $200,000 to replenish lost sand, Mayor Maurice “Mo” Hill said in a phone interview.
When Memorial Day weekend rolls around, about 75% of the beach will be accessible, with the rest closed off because there won’t be walkovers due to the cliffs, which are currently about 5 to 6 feet high, the mayor said.
The township council expects to award a contract at its meeting on May 25 meeting with construction beginning shortly thereafter. Work to replace the sand will take about 2 to 3 weeks.
Near the southern tip of the state, North Wildwood lost about one-third of the roughly $4 million in sand it had piled up to refurbish its beaches, Mayor Patrick Rosenello said. While some sand that settled in the ocean close to the shore will eventually push back onto the beach, much of it might be gone for good.
