FireBuster--A Web Application for High-Resolution Fire Weather Modeling.

Wind and weather in mountainous areas are complex because of the underlying terrain. Typically, regional computer models are needed with sufficiently high resolution to resolve such complex conditions. However, this high-resolution weather information usually becomes available only when the critical time in fighting a severe fire event is long past, thus the advantage of using high-resolution weather models for fire management seems limited. To address this problem, we have developed an experimental system called FireBuster that is designed to streamline and automate many intermediate processes. We are routinely producing forecasts at 5-km resolution over California and Nevada. A meteorologist can then select any part in the domain to request a special 1-km resolution 72-hour forecast. The resulting fire weather variables can be retrieved in a reasonable time through a web interface as each 6-hour increment is completed. Observed fire perimeters and nearsurface weather from the MesoWest observational network are also available for display and for future validation. In addition, 72-hour weather forecast time series anywhere in the domain can be retrieved simply by clicking on a map. This feature provides firefighters with detailed weather forecasts, including winds, at their location, improving their potential to save lives and property during wildfires. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]