Fire Weather

Fire Weather Internet Resources

Fire terminology

Dimple Dell. Sandy. Summer 2001

Red Butte. Salt Lake City

Springville. June 30, 2002

Spruce & subalpine fir crowning

Spot fire 0.8 km from main fire (crowning)

http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/reports/billionz.html#LIST

Trend in # Fires and Total Yearly Acreage

Top Ten Fire Years: 1960-2002

Selected Major Historical Fires

Peshtigo, Wisconsin Fire

Fires: 1981-2000
http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/rsgis_fire/

Fire Triangle

Topography

Fire shape & intensity pattern depend on slope angle, orientation, wind direction and speed

The fire environment

Fuels, continued

Fuel moisture content

Dead fuels

Time lag concept, 10-hr fuels

Diurnal changes in relative humidity

Weather

Automatic fire weather stations

In-the-field weather support

Indicators of stable air

Indicators of unstable air

Summit fire (OR), plume-dominated.  Lightning and downbursts developed in convective column

Beneficial fires - to meet resource management objectives:

Prescribed fire

Firing patterns

Backfiring in light grass at Kingman, AZ, June 1994

Prescribed burning, AZ, Nov 1995.  Was burned also in 1989 and 1992.  Quantity and duration of smoke was greatly reduced on 2nd and 3rd burns.

Backfiring in heavy fuels near McCall, Idaho, Aug 1994

Prescribed fires in western OR

Smoke management

Plumes from  E Oregon and central Idaho fires, 29 July 1989

Satellite photo of smoke transport

Smoke creates hazardous flying conditions near fire camp

Summary

Drought in the West

Fuel/Vegetation

Evolution of Greenness: 2002

Slide 45

Slide 46

Hayman Fire

Slide 48

Slide 49

Aftermath

Slide 51

Rodeo-Chediski

Slide 53

"QLCA3"

Slide 55

Biscuit Fire

Slide 57

Aug. 16: http://www.fs.fed.us/eng/rsac/fire_maps.html

Weather

Seattle Times  Thursday, December 12, 2002

Drought and Fire Outlook

Summer ’03?