The High Park fire: Coupled weather-wildland fire model simulation of a windstorm-driven wildfire in Colorado's Front Range

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.