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

On the morning 2 June 2002, an abandoned campfire grew into a wildfire in the Double Trouble State Park, near the Jake's Branch of the Toms River and the town of Beachwood, NJ. The fire burned 1,300 acres, forced the closure of the Garden State Parkway, damaged or destroyed 36 homes and outbuildings, directly threatened over 200 homes, forced the evacuation of 500 homes, and caused an estimated $400,000 in property damage.

Previous studies reveal that, although there were dead fuels on the ground at the time of the fire due to a late spring frost, the meteorological conditions at the time of the fire were conducive to rapid fire growth and erratic fire behavior. Both observations and mesoscale model simulations indicate that very dry atmospheric conditions developed and surface wind speeds increased suddenly over southern NJ during the late morning and early afternoon of 2 June. This presentation will detail the observational evidence for these atmospheric conditions and present mesoscale model simulations that document the evolution of the planetary boundary layer and lower-tropospheric structures associated with the arrival of very dry, high-momentum air at the ground coincident with the sudden and dramatic growth of the wildfire.