This tool supplements our public-facing fire danger map by providing a more detailed view of recent and forecasted fire danger conditions.

These ratings are based on the Energy Release Component -- a measure of potential fire intensity based on accumulated dryness within forest fuels -- as calculated for local weather stations across the state's Fire Danger Rating Areas. This rating matrix is based on Fuel Model Z, which includes 1-hour, 10-hour, 100-hour, and 1000-hour dead fuel classes.

During the active growing season, these outputs are further refined by incorporating seasonal greening using modeled herbaceous live fuel moisture values generated in FEMS. Daily ratings may be adjusted downward during periods of active "green" conditions, as live fuels become less receptive to ignition and sustained fire spread.

As with any modeled product applied across a broad landscape, localized conditions can vary and may not always be fully represented in the output. Final daily forecasts may also be manually adjusted to better reflect observed and expected conditions within individual FDRAs.

Hover over the legend below for an interpretation of each Adjective Rating category: