| Topic | Activities & Assignments | Learning Goals. By the end of this section, you will be able to ... |
|---|---|---|
| Smoke - part 2 | See the Smoke-part 1 links from week 11. |
See the learning goals from Thursday Week 11 that were not covered during that week. |
| Terrain-modified strong synoptic winds | Read Stull Practical Meteorology sections 17.4 , 17.7, & 17.10. Downslope windstorms were significant for the Paradise (Camp Fire, see paper by Brewer and Clements 2020), Marshall fire (see paper by Fovell et al 2022) and the Lahaina fire (see paper by Mass and Ovens 2024). Very short video of fire/smoke in Banff Park with upslope anabatic winds (0:15). Also search on videos of open channel flow over a wier to see supercritical flow and a hydraulic jump. | Explain the difference between thermally generated terrain circulations (e.g., anabatic & katabatic winds) and terrain-modified strong synoptic-scale winds. Compare inversion height to mountain height to determine whether foehns (chinooks, santa anna, diablo) or boras are likely. Relate temperature inversion strength to interfacial wave speed and use that concept to explain hydraulic jump and mountain waves. |
| PyroCB, fire tornadoes, fire whirls | Read mc07.7 and mc07.8 | Explain why some fires create pyrocumulonimbus clouds and others do not. Describe the difference in creation mechanism and behavior of fire tornadoes and fire whirls. |
| Synthesis | See the National Wildfire Coordinating Group NWCG Fire Environment Poster. (The original link is: https://www.nwcg.gov/publications/439 ). |
Describe the factors that influence fire behavior and how they interact. This includes sun, heat, humidity, rain, clouds, smoke plumes, wind speed and direction, topography, fuel characteristics, visual appearance and rapid changes in fire behavior. |
| Retrospective, Synthesis, Societal Impacts | Last Lecture Slides. | Pull together all aspects of this course for a holistic view of fire weather and society. |
| Trailer | "FireStorm" Weather Channel documentary (42 minutes) on wildfire fighting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWY2kTr_u-I | (Not a learning goal. But a good video to end the course with.) |
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