NWS Twin Cities Home Page » Fire Weather Forecasts » NFDRS Forecasts
Format of NFDRS point forecast:
FCST,Station ID,yymmdd,VT,W,TT,RH,L1,L2,DD,VV,M,TM,TN,HM,HN,P1,P2,WF
FCST,214001,030322,13,1,55,35,1,1,NW,10,M,56,37,85,32,0,0,N
FCST,471601,030322,13,1,58,42,1,1,W,7,M,59,40,85,32,1,2,N
FCST,472801,030322,13,1,58,43,1,1,W,7,M,60,41,85,32,1,3,N
The above is a sample NFDRS forecast issued by the National Weather Service
- Twin Cities for all three of its assigned forecast points.
| FCST | Forecast for NFDRS point |
| Station ID | 214001 - Sherburne, 471601 - Ladysmith, 472801 - Augusta |
| yymmdd | Year, month, date - Forecast valid for next day |
| VT | Valid time of forecast - always 1300 local time |
| W | weather 0 - clear, 1 - scattered clouds, 2 - broken clouds, 3 - overcast, 4 - fog, 5 - drizzle, 6 - rain, 7 - snow/sleet, 8 - showers, 9 - thunderstorms |
| T | Dry bulb temperature at 1300 next day |
| RH | Relative humidity at 1300 next day |
| L1and L2 | Lightning Activity level - not forecast |
| DD | Wind direction (8 compass points) at 1300 next day |
| VV | Wind speed (mph) at 1300 next day |
| M | 10 hour fuel moisture (input by users) |
| TM* | Maximum temperature (F) |
| TN* | Minimum temperature |
| HM* | Maximum humidity |
| HN* | Minimum humidity |
| P1 | Hours of precipitation from 1300 today to 0500 next day |
| P2 | Hours of precipitation from 0500 to 1300 tomorrow |
| WF | Wet Flag - either Y or N. Used to indicate of fuels will be wet at 1300 next day. All indices will be set to zero if a Y is used. |
* Forecast for the period 1300 today to 1300 the next day for all four elements.
What is NFDRS?
The National Fire danger Rating System is a set of computer programs and algorithms that allow land management agencies to estimate today's or tomorrow's fire danger for a given rating area. NFDRS characterizes fire danger by evaluating the approximate upper limit of fire behavior in a fire danger rating area during a 24-hour period. Calculations of fire behavior are based on fuels, topography and weather, or what is commonly called the fire triangle. NFDRS output give relative ratings of the potential growth and behavior of any wildfire. Fire danger ratings are guides for initiating presuppression activities and selecting the appropriate level of initial response to a reported wildfire in lieu of detailed, site- and time-specific information. It links an organization's readiness level (or pre-planned fire suppression actions) to the fire problems of the day.
More information on NFDRS
