Scientists Create New WFAS Product

Submitted by fl_admin on Mon, 07/14/2014 - 14:43

Physical Scientist Paul Sopko and Meteorologist Larry Bradshaw, Missoula, recently developed a new product for the Wildland Fire Assessment System (WFAS). Their new daily map, called Dry Lightning on Dryness Levels, went live June 10. The map shows where dry lightning strikes, accompanied by less than 0.10 inches of rain, occurred on the previous day. The strikes overlay the fuel dryness-level information, created by the National Weather Service office in Missoula for Predictive Services’ 7-day Significant Fire Outlook product. Paul and Larry’s map is part of the Dry Lightning ensemble that includes another daily map, Dry Lightning on Estimated Rain, which has been available for a few years. This new map should help managers identify not only where lightning occurred in conjunction Sage-Grouse Science Strategy June 23, 2014 US Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station Research & Development NRCS photo RMRS Scientists Create New WFAS Product with little or no rain, but also the potential fuel susceptibility to ignition for those sites. Please see the dry lightning ensemble page and the new map for more information.