Conditions Related to Large Wildland Fires in the United States

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Geographic Area: Alaska Eastern Great Basin Northern Rockies Northwest Northern California Southern California Rocky Mountains Southern Southwest Region map
Group of Fires by Date: First ten fires Second ten fires Third ten fires Fourth ten fires Fifth ten fires
Fire:

Variable: Geopotential Height Precipitation Soil Moisture SST 2m Temperature Vapor Pressure Deficit Wind
Time Averaging Window: 6 month period before 3 month period before 1 month period before 1 week period before the day of 1 week period after 1 month period after

Tools:

• Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (MTBS)
• Geographic Area Coordination Centers (GACC)
• ECMWF Reanalysis Version 5 (ERA5)

Methods:

Wildland fires are from MTBS during 1984-2021. The largest wildland fires based on area burned are considered in each GACC region. 25 fires are considered for Eastern and Southern regions and 50 fires are considered for all other regions.

Conditions related to wildland fires are based on the ERA5. These conditions include soil moisture, vapor pressure deficit, precipitation, 2-m temperature, 2-m wind, 500 hPa geopotential height, and sea surface temperatures.

Conditions related to wildland fires are based on temporal averages prior to and after ignition. Temporal averages considered include six months before ignition, three months before ignition, one month before ignition, one week before ignition, the day of ignition, one week after ignition, one month after ignition.

Anomalies (departures from average) are based on 1984-2021 averages.

A list with dates of the fires referenced on this page is available.