Enter your location to get a real-time fire danger assessment combining current weather conditions, vegetation dryness, and 7-day forecasts β powered by Open-Meteo atmospheric data and USGS/NOAA fire weather models.
How we combine weather, vegetation, and climate data to project fire danger
Temperature, humidity, and wind speed are the core drivers of fire behavior. High temperatures dry out fuel. Low humidity makes vegetation combustible. Wind drives flame spread and carries embers miles ahead of fire fronts.
Live and dead fuel moisture determines how readily vegetation will ignite and burn. We estimate this from cumulative precipitation deficits, recent temperature patterns, and drought indicators. Dry fuel = explosive fire growth.
7-day weather forecasts let us project whether conditions will improve or deteriorate. A rainy forecast lowers near-term risk. A dry, hot, windy forecast means danger escalates. We model both current and projected risk.
We combine all factors β temperature, humidity, wind, precipitation history, soil dryness, and forecast trends β into a single fire danger index modeled on the NOAA/NWS Fire Weather Operating Plan methodology.
10 sources Β· Click to expand Β· Open-Meteo, NOAA, USGS, NASA FIRMS, Copernicus & more
This tool integrates live weather data and established fire science from the following sources
Real-time weather observations and 7-day forecasts including temperature, humidity, wind speed/direction, and precipitation. Open-Meteo aggregates data from national meteorological services worldwide (NOAA GFS, ECMWF, DWD, MeteoFrance, etc.) and provides free, no-API-key access.
Historical daily precipitation data used to compute cumulative rainfall deficits and estimate vegetation dryness. Past 90-day precipitation accumulation is compared against climatological normals to detect drought stress on fuel loads.
National Weather Service Fire Weather Program. The NWS issues Red Flag Warnings and Fire Weather Watches based on thresholds for temperature, humidity, wind, and fuel moisture. Our risk index is modeled on the NWS Fire Weather Operating Plan criteria (Haines Index, wind thresholds, RH minima).
NASA's Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS) provides near-real-time active fire detection from MODIS and VIIRS satellite sensors. This is the global standard for wildfire detection and monitoring, distributing hotspots within 3 hours of satellite overpass.
European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) and the Global Wildfire Information System (GWIS) provide harmonized fire danger rating across Europe and globally, based on the Canadian Fire Weather Index (FWI) system. Our dryness model draws on FWI methodology.
The Canadian Forest Fire Weather Index (FWI) is the international standard for fire danger rating. It uses temperature, relative humidity, wind, and precipitation to compute six standard fuel moisture codes and fire behavior indices. Our composite risk model adapts FWI logic.
U.S. Geological Survey and the National Fire Danger Rating System (NFDRS). Defines 20 standard fuel models categorizing vegetation types (grass, brush, timber, slash) and their combustion properties. Our fuel dryness estimates are calibrated against NFDRS fuel moisture benchmarks.
Weekly drought classification (D0βD4) incorporating precipitation deficits, soil moisture, streamflow, and vegetation stress. Long-term drought is a strong predictor of severe fire seasons. We reference drought severity to contextualize fuel dryness estimates.
Fire danger modeling grounded in decades of research:
β’ Van Wagner (1987) β Development and structure of the Canadian FWI System (Canadian Forestry Service)
β’ Bradshaw et al. (1984) β NFDRS fuel model definitions (USFS Gen. Tech. Report)
β’ Flannigan et al. (2009) β Impacts of climate change on fire activity (J. Forest Research)
β’ Jain et al. (2020) β A global review of extreme wildfire events (Fire Ecology)
Geocoding service converting user-entered location names to latitude/longitude coordinates. OpenStreetMap's Nominatim provides free, open geocoding for the global city database and user-typed locations. All location lookups are handled client-side.
6 tips Β· Click to expand Β· Defensible space, evacuation, insurance & more
Actions everyone in fire-prone areas should consider
Clear flammable vegetation within 30β100 ft of structures. Remove dead leaves, dry grass, and low tree branches. Use fire-resistant landscaping.
Keep emergency supplies ready: water, food, medications, important documents, flashlight, N95 masks, and a battery-powered radio. Include a change of clothes.
Know at least two ways out of your area. Keep your gas tank at least half full during fire season. Pre-load evacuation apps on your phone.
Standard policies may not cover wildfire damage. Document your belongings. Consider replacement-cost coverage. Check your policy limits annually.
Register for local emergency notification systems (Nixle, CodeRED, or your county's system). Enable Wireless Emergency Alerts on your phone.
Install ember-resistant vents, use fire-rated roofing, box in eaves, and replace wood siding near the ground. Small investments dramatically reduce ignition risk.