Using Watch Duty: Wildfire Maps to monitor Red Flag Warnings

in

1/9/25

Kyle Langan

What is a “Red Flag Warning?”

National Weather Services Red Flag Warnings indicate warm temperatures, very low humidities, and stronger winds, that can combine to produce an increased risk of fire danger. [1]

California

The historic 2022-2023 winter brought a growth in fuel load.

In late 2022, early 2023, California saw one of the deepest snowpacks in state history. [3]  Then it grew the total amount of combustible material, also known as fuel load. [4] The precipitation acted as ammunition for “intense growth” during the spring and first part of the 2023 summer, resulting in more fuel for fires later. [5]

Other Wildfire Zones

The interior Northwest and the northern Rockies can face a high risk of wildfires; these areas need strategic preparation. Finally, Alaska sees volatile wildfire activity, with 3 million acres burned in 2022.” [6]

References

[1] WATCH DUTY. www.watchduty.org

[2] Castleman, et al. Los Angeles Times. (2025, January 9). Thousands of homes destroyed or damaged in Palisades Firestorm, Lafd Estimates. Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-01-09/even-after-a-two-day-nightmare-l-a-girds-for-more-days-of-fire-weather

[3-4,6-7] Lada, B. (2023, April 12). AccuWeather’s 2023 US wildfire forecast. Retrieved from https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-forecasts/accuweathers-2023-us-wildfire-forecast/1510132

[5] Term of the week: Fuel load. interfire.org. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.interfire.org/termoftheweek.aspterm=1156#:~:text=Fuel%20load%20is%20quantified%20in,materials%20into%20the%20fire%20area).