Critical winds dominate the fire environment and easily override local wind influences. Examples include frontal winds, Foehn winds, thunderstorm winds, whirlwinds, surfacing or low-level jets (reverse wind profiles), and glacier winds.

Terrain slope can be a primary influence on wildland fire behavior (Weise 1993; Murphy 1963). This effect can be observed on any fire burning in mountainous terrain; however, few data exist that explore this phenomenon in a quantitative manner.

Feb 16, 2017 · For example, a rocky slope can act as a great natural fire break due to a lack of fuel and wide gap of open space. Drainages can act as fire breaks, as well if fuels are moist or there is little vegetation. Beyond the shape of the land, it is also important to consider elevation, slope, and aspect.

Ten simulations were performed with the HIGRAD/FIRETEC wildfire behaviour model in order to explore its utility in studying wildfire behaviour in inhomogeneous topography. The goal of these simulations is to explore the potential extent of the coupling …

Jan 7, 2025 · Fire runs uphill much faster than downhill, so slope always trumps wind direction. Start your fire at the top of a slope even when the wind direction suggests you would create a heading fire. Also, a fire burning uphill can become more intense than a fire on flat ground under the same weather conditions. Use extra precautions and monitoring of ...

How would topography influence fire behavior?* “Let me count the ways” – W. Shakespeare 1. Influences incoming solar radiation (slope, aspect, elevation), strong effect on fuel moisture 2. Affects local wind patterns 3. Orographic lifting of air masses (leading to lightning, convective storms) 4. Slope affects fuel pre-heating, thus rate and

Wind velocity and slope are incorporated into models of wildland fire behavior. We know of no studies in which their combined effects on fife spread rate and flame length have

The effect of an increase in slope on ROS depends both on the absolute slope as well as on the midflame wind speed. See Section 8.2 for more information on midflame and "effective" wind speeds. Example 1 - An area of shrubs is burning at a ROS of …

Topography’s influence on fire behavior is more predictable than the other components in the fire behavior triangle - fuel and weather. Slope, aspect, elevation, and topographic features (e.g., canyons) can all influence a fire’s rate of spread and other wildland fire behavior. Slope Slope is the amount or degree of incline of a hillside.

Changes in slope also affect how wind influences a fire. For slopes above 20%, each additional 20% increase in slope translates to an additional 1 mph increase in the “upslope” component of the wind.