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Thursday, May 16, 2024

This is how wind fuels fire danger (Part 2)

Credit: KHSL
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This is how wind fuels fire danger (Part 2)
This is how wind fuels fire danger (Part 2)

Winds contribute to fires in several ways.

They dry out vegetation, feed fires with oxygen making them burn more intense, certain terrain features can emphasize stronger winds and gusty winds can carry embers a far distance leading to spot fires and jumping firebreaks.

Up today as several wildfires still smolder in our area... meteorologist bryan ramsey joins us live -- how can the current weather forecasted..

Contribute to fire spread?

We are under red flag conditions which includes strong winds.

Winds can contribute to large fires in many different ways.

First off, winds in general dry out fuels.

The stronger the fuels, the drier the fuels will be.

Winds wick moisture away from vegetation and help it to evaporate.

With the fuels being dry and already approachinf record dry levels right now, it is easy for the fuels to burn.

Fire needs oxygen to burn and winds provide nd excess supply of exygen to a fire.

This leads to more intense fire that can spread faster and burn more thouroughly through the we are under red flag conditions which includes strong winds.

Winds can contribute to large fires in many different ways.

First off, winds in general dry out fuels.

The stronger the fuels, the drier the fuels will be.

Winds wick moisture away from vegetation and help it to evaporate.

With the fuels being dry and already approachinf record dry levels right now, it is easy for the fuels to burn.

Fire needs oxygen to burn and winds provide nd excess supply of exygen to a fire.

This leads to more intense fire that can spread faster and burn more thouroughly through the area.

It could lead to taller flames and cause the entire tree crown to burn.

Some embers have been seen which includes strong winds.

Winds can contribute to large fires in many different ways.

First off, winds in general dry out fuels.

The stronger the fuels, the drier the fuels will be.

Winds wick moisture away from vegetation and help it to evaporate.

With the fuels being dry and already approachinf record dry levels right now, it is easy for the fuels to burn.

Fire needs oxygen to burn and winds provide nd excess supply of exygen to a fire.

This leads to more intense fire that can spread faster and burn more thouroughly through the area.

It could lead to taller flames and cause the entire tree crown to burn.

This could also make fire easier to spread among tree canopies and not just spread along the ground.

Strong wind gusts canum tp& ok bryan so how fast can those embers move?

Some embers have been seen to travel 70-80 mph before.

So if the wind is gusting 40-60 mph, you can expect the ember to move that fast.

Especially if it gets carried much higher off the ground in stronger upper- level winds.

This matters because you could have a fire near in the mountains, and before you know it have another fire 20 miles down the road in a relatively short time, even if fire fighters are olding the line.

If embers cause spot fires in an area, this can cause a huge strain on firefighting resources.

Today

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