Wildfire expert Dr. Mike Flannigan is sharing a new national fire weather outlook aimed at helping agencies, communities and individuals prepare for periods of elevated wildfire risk.
Flannigan, one of the world’s leading fire researchers, is providing a weekly Canada Fire Weather Outlook that will be updated every Tuesday during wildfire season. The Outlook offers a national five- to 10-day forecast identifying areas at risk for extreme fire weather conditions.
Currently, there is no comparable publicly available national fire weather outlook in Canada that forecasts five to ten days in advance. As a public tool, the Outlook is intended to provide advance warning of potential extreme fire weather events and support greater awareness and preparedness across the country.
“This outlook is a first step toward building a national early warning system for landscape fire in Canada,” said Flannigan, scientific director of the Institute for Wildfire Science, Adaptation and Resiliency and BC Innovation Research Chair in Predictive Services, Emergency Management and Fire Science at TRU.
“Most of our wildfire impacts are the result of extreme fire weather, often described as hot, dry and windy, and if we have advanced notice of these extreme episodes, we can be better prepared to extinguish unwanted fires while they are still small,” he said.
The outlook draws on weather forecasting models and wildfire science expertise to identify regions with extreme fire weather in the coming days. The weekly forecast is national in scope and designed to be accessible to both wildfire professionals and the public.
Shannon Wagner, TRU’s vice-president research, said the initiative builds on TRU’s commitment to leadership in wildfire and reflects how research can have a real impact supporting communities and addressing urgent climate challenges.
“Wildfire affects communities across Canada in profound ways, and the need for timely, scientific information has never been greater,” said Wagner. “This new fire weather outlook demonstrates how Mike Flannigan and TRU are contributing practical tools and knowledge that can help Canadians better prepare for increasingly complex wildfire seasons.”
People can subscribe to receive weekly notifications when the forecast is updated throughout the wildfire season, which typically runs from May to October.
View the Canada Fire Weather Outlook and subscribe for updates at tru.ca/wildfire.
Dr. Mike Flannigan and the Institute for Wildfire Science, Adaptation and Resiliency are part of TRU Wildfire, a university-wide initiative advancing research, education, training and innovation to address current and future wildfire challenges. Learn more.
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