NPS Highlights Fire Danger Predictions and Weather Stations in July 2013 Newsletter

Each day during fire season, 3 weather stations are used to determine fire danger ratings for national parks in the S.F. and Bay Area Network Fire Program. These weather stations transmit data to computers which is then available to fire managers through the internet. Wind, temperature, relative humidity, slope and fuel moisture are used to predict the probability of ignition and potential energy that would be released by a fire on the following day. These factors are combined into a single measure which provides a fire danger rating of Low, Moderate, High, Very High or Extreme. The fire danger rating is used to adjust fire staffing levels and determine whether there will be any fire restrictions on park activities. The Remote Automated Weather Stations -- RAWS -- used to determine fire danger at Point Reyes National Seashore, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and Pinnacles National Park are far enough apart, that on some days the fire danger rating will be different for all 3 locations:

• Mount Barnabe RAWS - located in Samuel P. Taylor State Park in Marin County at 810 feet elevation -- (** fire danger rating for all national park sites in Marin County)
• Pulgas RAWS - located in the San Francisco Penninsula Watershed in San Mateo County at 644 feet elevation -- (** fire danger rating for all national park sites in San Francisco and San Mateo Counties)
• Pinnacles RAWS located on the east side of Pinnacles National Park at 1300 feet elevation -- (** fire danger rating for Pinnacles National Park)