Week 14-15: Fire Meteorology
Lecture PDF
Key concepts/questions
- What are mixing heights and under what conditions should mixing heights rise and be suitable for well dispersed smoke?
- What are some key critical fire weather patterns?
- How do microclimate factors contribute to the fire weather environment?
- What factors determine the movement and/or changes in intensity of cyclones?
New Terms
- air masses
- mixing height
- thermal belt
- Haines Index
- Foehn winds
- Dry lightning
Reading:
- Fire Weather Handbook (see sections on stability pp 66-72; and general winds pp91-112)
- Synthesis of Knowledge of Extreme Fire Behavior: (Chapter 3, Critical Fire Weather patterns)
COMET Modules:
Links:
- Blue Sky smoke dispersion runs
- Fire weather forecasts
- Wildland Fire air quality tools
- Role of Incident Meteorologist (IMET) during fire situations (KTVB)