edu.ucar.opensky::articles:16494 UCAR/NCAR - Library OpenSky Support PO Box 3000 Boulder CO 80307-3000 opensky@ucar.edu http://opensky.ucar.edu/ homepage pointOfContact 2025-12-26T03:17:30.842054 ISO 19115-2 Geographic Information - Metadata - Part 2: Extensions for Imagery and Gridded Data ISO 19115-2:2009(E) https://n2t.org/ark:/85065/d7cn752q The High Park fire: Coupled weather-wildland fire model simulation of a windstorm-driven wildfire in Colorado's Front Range 2015-01-16T00:00:00Z publication https://n2t.org/ark:/85065/d7cn752q https://doi.org/10.1002/2014JD021993 Coen, Janice L. author Schroeder, W. author UCAR/NCAR - Library publisher Weather affects wildland fires at scales from multiseasonal precipitation patterns and anomalies, through synoptic and mesoscale weather patterns, to convective scale motions including fire-induced winds. This work analyzed the first day's growth of the 2012 High Park fire, which occurred in Colorado's Front Range during widespread drought and an unseasonal June windstorm, assessing to what extent the Coupled Atmosphere-Wildland Fire Environment coupled numerical weather prediction--wildland fire behavior model could reproduce the event, burn severity patterns, and how the drought impact on fuel moisture impacted the event. Simulated mountaintop wind speeds reaching 47 m s⁻¹ and gravity wave overturning created strong, gusty surface winds. During the first 9 h, the simulated fire grew underneath the gravity wave's crest and downdraft, sheltered from the windstorm. The simulated fire then climbed a ridge, was exposed to the windstorm, and rapidly traveled east, covering 15 km in 12.3 h. Burning routed up or down drainages caused finger-like streaks in maximum fire intensity. Reference fire mapping information supported the simulated early growth toward the north, splitting around topographic features, while the simulation's underestimate of extent accrued to 2 km over 21.3 h. While the control simulation employed horizontal grid spacing of 123 m, a simulation refined to 370 m captured some wave motions and overall direction but further underestimated extent and lacked details such as turns in direction, splitting, or fingering at the leading edge. Compared to a simulation with moderately dry fuel conditions, a range of drought-like fuel moisture conditions produced fires that extended 0-39% farther. UCAR/NCAR - Library OpenSky Support PO Box 3000 Boulder CO 80307-3000 opensky@ucar.edu http://opensky.ucar.edu/ homepage pointOfContact PDF Text theme Resource Type 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z publication Copyright 2015 American Geophysical Union. None eng geoscientificInformation