Fire Weather Forecasts

Two of the basic rules that all firefighters follow are "Keep informed on fire weather conditions and forecasts" and "Base all actions on current and expected fire behavior." The weather plays a very important role in how a fire will behave on a given day. Even a slight increase in wind speed can significantly increase the flame length and rate of spread of a fire. A drop in relative humidity can make it easier for a forest fuel to ignite and cause it to burn hotter and faster. At 7:30 am and 3:00 pm each day the National Weather Service puts out a "Fire Weather Forecast". Find your county listed below and click on it to get a look at the latest fire weather forecast for your area.

Cumulus clouds represent an unstable atmosphere with gusty, shifty winds and hazardous fire conditions. Additionally, lightning from dry storm cells can start new fires.

Northwest Wisconsin counties of: (Exit DNR)Ashland, Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, Iron, Price, Sawyer and Washburn

Northeast Wisconsin counties of: (Exit DNR) Brown, Calumet, Door, Florence, Forest, Kewaunee, Langlade, Lincoln, Manitowoc, Marathon, Marinette, Menominee, Oconto, Oneida, Outagamie, Portage, Shawano, Vilas, Waupaca, Waushara, Winnegago and Wood

West Central Wisconsin counties of: (Exit DNR)Barron, Chippewa, Dunn, Eau Claire, Pepin, Pierce, Polk, Rusk and St Croix

Southwest & Northcentral Wisconsin counties of: (Exit DNR) Buffalo, Crawford, Grant, Jackson, La Crosse, Monroe, Richland, Trempealeau, Vernon, Clark, Taylor, Adams and Juneau

Southeast Wisconsin counties of: (Exit DNR) Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Fon Du Lac, Green, Green Lake, Iowa, Jefferson, Kenosha, Lafayette, Marquette, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Rock, Sauk, Sheboygan, Walworth, Washington and Waukesha

In addition to fire weather forecasts, many other sources of weather and forest-fuel related information exists that can help the firefighter prepare for and predict what fire behavior can to expected on a given day. The Northland Fire weather page contains links to some of these resources, as well as long-term forecasts for Wisconsin.