CalFiDE project gathers data from Mosquito Fire to help improve fire behavior forecasting

Weather conditions around a wildfire have a big influence on how it may behave. Strong winds, dry air and intense heat can all create an environment for rapid fire growth. Once a fire does show explosive growth, it can quickly create its own weather. Towering smoke plumes reaching high into the atmosphere contain extreme wind shifts and temperature differences. Understanding how these smoke plumes evolve can give fire experts a big advantage when it comes to predicting future fire behavior.