Spot Weather Forecast

Spot weather forecasts should be requested or submitted online for those fires that have potential for extreme fire behavior, exceed initial attack, or are located in areas where Red Flag Warnings have been issued.

Basic elements needed for a spot weather forecast include:

• Location by street address/zip code/city name, latitude/longitude, or US National Grid, or drag to a location using the spot weather forecast request webpage.
• Type of incident (wildfire, prescribed burn, hazardous materials, search and rescue).
• Project/incident name.
• Requesting agency/official, email address, and phone number.
• Elevation (at top and bottom of incident).
• Drainage name, size, aspect, fuel type, and sheltering (full, partial, unsheltered).
• Forecast delivery time (i.e., as soon as possible or a later time), time forecast should start, and time zone.
• Any remarks that can help meteorologists forecast the site, pertinent feedback information (i.e., humidity values were lower than predicted), or special requests (i.e., very interested in potential wind shifts).

Activity

Calibrate your handheld fire weather meter and review belt weather kit use. Refer to the NWCG Standards for Fire Weather Stations, PMS 426-3, for information.