Red Flag Warning and Fire Weather Information

Of the contributing factors such as fuels, topography, and regula- tions to be taken into account before conducting a prescribed burn or taking action on a wildfire one factor is completely beyond our control. Weather is the most constantly changing and hardest to predict variable in a fire environment. When weather forecasts and weather condition information is not given the consideration it deserves, consequences may include increased loss of property and, in extreme cases, a threat to human life. Daily weather forecasts on TV, radio, or in the newspaper are good sources of fire-related information. Fire-specific weather informa- tion can be found on the Internet. the conditions indicate a good chance Hastings, Neb. Several helpful Web sites are listed of extreme fire behavior, a Red Flag 402-462-4287 below. weather warning is issued. Red Flag www.crh.noaa.gov/gid/?n=firewx warnings need to be taken just as Topeka, Kan. Kansas Web Sites seriously as any other severe weather (785) 234-259 warning, and no burning should be www.crh.noaa.gov/top/?n=fire Current Watches, Warnings, conducted on a Red Flag day. Wichita, Kan. and Advisories for Kansas: (316) 942-8483 www.nws.noaa.gov/alerts/ks.html National Weather Service (NWS) www.crh.noaa.gov/ict/?n=firewx This site will post Red Flag fire Offices, Phone Numbers, and weather warnings and watches. Fire Weather Pages These offices provide more Beginning in October of 2006 the Dodge City, Kan. detailed and localized information National Weather Service in coopera- (620) 225-6514 on current fire weather conditions tion with several state and federal www.crh.noaa.gov/ddc/?n=firewx for a given area. fire management agencies began Goodland, Kan. issuing Red Flag warnings. When (785) 899-7119 www.crh.noaa.gov/gld/?n=/ firewx/index.php

Kansas Forest Service Rangeland Fire Danger Index Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve National Fire Weather Page www.crh.noaa.gov/product.php?site= raws.wrh.noaa.gov/cgi- fire.boi.noaa.gov/ TOP&product=RFD&issuedby=TOP bin/roman/meso_base. cgi?stn=TGSK1&time=GMT This National Weather Service The system of fire danger rating Missouri Dept. of Conservation, Web site provides information on that will continue to be available Clinton, Mo. national conditions and warnings. as one more source of fire weather raws.wrh.noaa.gov/cgi- information. bin/roman/meso_base. Storm Prediction Center Fire cgi?stn=CITM7&time=GMT Weather Forecast MesoWest www.spc.noaa.gov/products/fire_wx/ www.met.utah.edu/cgi-bin/droman/ RAWS stations are Internet index.html mesomap.cgi?state=KS&rawsflag=1 linked weather data gathering stations. There are four in Kansas This National Weather Service This site has links to several and one just into Missouri. Use the Web site provides information on weather observation sites to get one closest to your location to find locations the National Weather current weather observation infor- detailed current weather observa- Service expects to experience mation such as temperature and tions, graphs, fuel moisture, and extreme fire weather over a given relative humidity. 24-hour trend. time period.

RAWS (Remote Automated National Web Sites For more information contact Weather Station) Sites the Kansas Forest Service at (785) Cimarron National Grassland U.S. Drought Monitor 532-3300. raws.wrh.noaa.gov/cgi- www.drought.unl.edu/dm/monitor.html bin/roman/meso_base. Links to Web sites were cgi?stn=CGLK1&time=GMT Palmer Drought Index current at press time, for an Quivira National Wildlife Refuge www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/ updated list, see our Web site at raws.wrh.noaa.gov/cgi- analysis_monitoring/regional_moni- www.kansasforests.org bin/roman/meso_base. toring/palmer.gif cgi?stn=QNRK1&time=GMT Manhattan Airport These two sites provide http://raws.wrh.noaa.gov/ long-term, cumulative drought cgi-bin/roman/meso_base. information that can be useful in cgi?stn=KMHK determining the dryness of fuels in a wildland fire.

Jason Hartman This publication is made Kansas Forest Service available in cooperation 2610 Clafflin Road with the USDA Forest Manhattan, KS 66502 Service. (785) 532-3300 www.kansasforests.org

Brand names appearing in this publication are for product identification purposes only. No endorsement is intended, nor is criticism implied of similar products not mentioned. Publications from Kansas State University are available on the World Wide Web at: www.oznet.ksu.edu Contents of this publication may be freely reproduced for educational purposes. All other rights reserved. In each case, credit Jason Hartman, Red Flag Warning and Fire Weather Information, Kansas State University, May 2007. Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service MF-2775 May 2007 K-State Research and Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension Work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, as amended. Kansas State University, County Extension Councils, Extension Districts, and United States Department of Agriculture Cooperating, Fred A. Cholick, Director.