Wildfires: Watches and Warnings

5/1/2018 (Permalink)

National Weather Service photo of a wildfire

In our last blog post we discussed wildfires. We took a look at how you can help prevent wildfires and how you can protect your property against them.

Now let’s take a look at what you need to know when it comes to the National Weather Service’s (NWS) Watches and warnings for wildfires. Do you know the difference between a red flag warning and a fire weather watch? If not, it’s an important distinction.

Let us break it down for you:

• Fire Weather Watch: According to the NWS, a Fire Weather Watch is when you need to PREPARE, because weather conditions over the next 12 to 48 hours are expected to create a critical risk for wildfires.
• Red Flag Warning: According to the NWS, a Red Flag Warning is when you need to TAKE ACTION, because this is the alert that is sent out when fire conditions are ongoing or are expected to occur within the next 24 hours.
• Extreme Fire Behavior: This is the alert the NWS will put out when an already ongoing wildfire is likely to rage out of control. To send out this alert, one of the following conditions must be met:
• The fire is moving fast.
• There is prolific crowning, meaning the tree canopy is catching on fire, or spotting, which means embers from the main fire are blowing to new areas, starting new fires.
• Presence of fire whirls, which are like tornadoes of flame.
• A strong convection column, which is a column of gases, smoke and ash that is rising out of the wildfire.

Don’t forget, the Wisconsin DNR is another resource you can turn to in order to find out more about the risk of wildfires in your area and how you can work to keep yourself safe.

And if a wildfire leaves its mark on your property, SERVPRO of West Brown County is here to help you recover and rebuild from any flame, smoke or soot damage. Just give us a call at 920-434-8224.