This map product, on the National Interagency Fire Center’s web site, is new to me. It is interactive, in that you can toggle on or off many different layers for weather and fuel conditions that affect wildland fire, including lightning, fuel moisture, fire danger, observed precipitation, forecast precipitation, Red Flag Warnings, and current weather conditions. Some of the layers don’t seem to be active, but maybe it is a work in progress.
The map above shows lightning over the last 24 hours by PSA. And yes, I had to research what “PSA” is. Apparently it stands for Predictive Service Area: “geographic areas of similar climate based on statistical correlation of RAWS data”. Unfortunately the lightning map does not include the date and time the data was current. And there is no explanation for the numbers that correspond to the colors, but I assume it is the number of lightning strikes.
The user interface for the site is a little cumbersome and at times non-intuitive, but after you figure it out it can be quite interesting.
Another product from the site is below — Red Flag Warnings for June 28, 2015.
