“We can now see patterns and trends that one station wouldn’t really give us, but that the network does provide,” says East Bay Regional Parks Fire Department Assistant Chief John Swanson. “A better understanding of those patterns and trends may have helped us in 1991.”

FTS fixed RAWS (Remote Automated Weather Stations) represent one of the biggest advancements in fire preparedness since the 1991 Oakland Hills Fire raged through the area now monitored by the new FTS weather stations. A national RAWS network existed before 1991, but there were no stations in the Bay Area. The Oakland Fire Department now owns two stations, installed in 1994 and 1995. The East Bay Regional Parks District owns four stations, all installed in 1995.
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Tags: wildfire, Oakland, wildfire prediction

With climate change in the back (or front) of everyone’s minds, its an interesting time to review all the capabilities of your fire weather network. In North America especially, we are seeing an overwhelming need for more data collected on weather related changes. It’s a time for everyone to review their resources. In many cases, there may be opportunities to further maximize the potential of your established stations. In this period of increased concern on monitoring climate change, it’s useful to look into what other sensor additions are feasible for your weather station. Read More...

Tags: evapotranspiration, sensors