Forest Fires in the United States

14 August 2002


Wildland Fire Update
The National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) based in Boise (Idaho) provides key information on current wildland fire situations, related information and background materials. The following information is updated daily and can be accessed directly:

The National Interagency Coordination Center (NICC)  provides daily situation reports. These reports include:

Archived NICC Incident Management Reports (recent daily reports and archived daily reports 1994-1997) are provided by the Center for International Disaster Information (CIDI)

The National Wildfire Information Interagency provides detailed information on each individual state with active fires.

Fire Weather & Fire Danger Information
The Wildland Fire Assessment System (WFAS) is a contribution of "The Fire Behavior Research Work Unit", Missoula (Montana USA). The broad area component of the Wildland Fire Assessment System (WFAS) generates maps of selected fire weather and fire danger components.

Fire Danger (Potential) is a normalized adjective rating class across different fuel models and station locations. It is based on information provided by local station managers about the primary fuel model, fire danger index selected to reflect staffing level, and climatological class breakpoints. Low danger (Class 1) is green and extreme potential (Class 5) is red.

click here to enlarge (25 - 35 KB)

click here to enlarge (25 - 35 KB)

Latest fire danger map for the United States (observation time) and forecasted fire danger map for the subsquent day
(Source: WAFS)

Dead fuel moisture responds solely to ambient environmental conditions and is critical in determining fire potential. Dead fuel moistures are classed by timelag.

click here to enlarge (25 - 35 KB)

click here to enlarge (25 - 35 KB)

click here to enlarge (25 - 35 KB)

10-HR Fuel Moisture

100-HR Fuel Moisture

1000-HR Fuel Moisture

Latest fuel moisture maps for conterminous US
(Source: WAFS)

The Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) is a soil/duff drought index. Factors in the index are maximum daily temperature, daily precipitation, antecedent precipitation, and annual precipitation. The index ranges from 0 (no drought) to 800 (extreme drought) (details).

click here to enlarge (25 - 35 KB)

Latest Keetch-Byram drought index map for conterminous US
(Source: WAFS)

 

Operational Significant Event Imagery (OSEI)
The following significant event was identified by Satellite Analysis Branch meteorologists and reviewed by the OSEI support team of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA):

click here to enlarge (25 - 35 KB)

Fires burning in the US - Satellite imagery showing fires in  Oregon. 
Heat signatures (red) and smoke plumes (light blue haze) are visible from  fires burning in the US.
(Source: OSEI/NOAA)

For more information on the recent fire situation in the US see: Recent Media Highlights on Fire, Policies, and Politics.

Long-range weather forecasts
National Weather Service
Long-range, 30-day weather forecasts are predicting above-normal temperatures for the southern tier of states from southern California to Florida and throughout the Midwest (see 30 and 90-day forecast maps).

click here to enlarge (72 KB)

30 and 90-day temperature and precipitation forecast maps (August 2002 and August to October 2002)
(Source: National Weather Service)

 
For further information see: Wildfire Season Forecast of the Florida Division of Forestry
For further information you may also see to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

For background information on the Southern Area see the Edited Version of the Southern Area Intelligence Briefing Paper for 22 April 2001.


Top
Back