Plants and trees are dying, becoming tinderboxes for fires, said Barret. Low humidity has also aided the wildfires. The lower the humidity, the less moisture there is in any part of the fuel. The only sure remedy to wildfires is rain, but rain is nowhere to be found in current forecasts. Weather and fuel dictate the behavior of fires, putting meteorologists from the National Weather Service in the hot seat along with fire crews.
Meteorologists look to better technology to forecast weather patterns, thereby reducing loss.
Since 1914, NWS forecasters have worked closely with fire control specialists from various federal land agencies charged with suppressing fires. Weather forecasts and fire danger alerts are issued at least twice a day during the summer fire season. Special forecasts are prepared as conditions dictate. So far this year, the NWS has deployed more than 16 IMETs to assist other federal agencies with wildfires. IMETs rely on Advanced Technology Meteorological Units, portable data stores of weather events and forecasting tools.