The daily fire weather index from the Banff Townsite Station (currently in grasslands east of town) for the period 1953 to 2025.
The Town of Banff has one of the longest fire weather records in Canada. Various components of the Canadian Fire Weather Index (e.g., the Drought Code) have been calculated as far back as the 1890s. When combined with a relatively good adminstrative record of when and where wild or prescribed fires occurred, this allows evaluations of weather conditions that created observed fire behaviour patterns such as rate-of-spread, direction of spread and flame-length.
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References
For those individuals wishing to learn more about fire danger and fire behaviour prediction using the Canadian models visit https://cwfis.cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/background and/or review this short list of the essential documents:
- Canadian Forestry Service. 1984. Tables for the Canadian Forest Fire Weather Index System. 4th Environment Canada, Canadian Forestry Service, Ottawa, Ontario. Forestry Technical Report 25. 48p
- Van Wagner CE and Pickett TL. Equations and FORTRAN program for the Canadian Forest Fire Weather Index System. Government of Canada, Canadian Forestry Service, Ottawa, Ontario. Forestry Technical Report 33. 18p
- Van Wagner CE. Structure and development of the Canadian Forest Fire Weather Index System. Government of Canada, Canadian Forestry Service, Ottawa, Ontario. Forestry Technical Report 35. 37p
- Forestry Canada Fire Danger Group. 1992. Development and structure of the Canadian Forest Fire Behaviour Prediction System. Forestry Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. Information Report ST-X-3. 63p
- Taylor SW, Pike RG, Alexander ME. A field guide to the Canadian Forest Fire Behaviour (FBP) System. Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Northern Forestry Centre, Edmonton, Alberta. Special Report 11. 60p
- Lawson BD and Armitage OB. Weather guide for the Canadian Fire Danger Rating System. Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Northern Forestry Centre, Edmonton, Alberta. 73p
- Wotton BM, Alexander ME, Taylor SW. 2009. Updates and revisions to the 1992 Canadian Forest Fire Behaviour Prediction System. Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Great Lakes Forestry Centre, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Information Report GLC-X-10E. 45p