The perfect fire recipe - Dry vegetation, low humidity and winds

A region’s peak wildfire season varies throughout the year. In some places, fire season is year-round, with peaks a few times a year.

Regardless of the season, three main ingredients get a fire going and, at times, spreading fast: drought or dry vegetation, low relative humidity, and winds.

Before these ingredients come into play, there first needs to be a spark. Fire ignition can be caused by cigarette butts, a still-burning match, smoldering, a small (controlled) fire pit, a hot tailpipe, or even lightning. Knowing the causes of ignition can help us easily understand that humans cause 9 out of 10 wildfires in the United States.

Once a fire is ignited, dry vegetation helps fuel the fire. Low humidity brings dry air, which helps fires spread easily. The wind provides all the oxygen needed to spread the fires. The more wind, the more the fires spread, often making these fires behave erratically.

Depending on the region, the fall and spring bring drastic changes in temperatures and large swings in the amount of moisture available in the air, or what we call “the dew point temperature.” You can see the current dew point at your location in our app. Remember, the lower the dew point, the less moisture available in the air. The higher it is, the muggier it will feel, especially if that number is close to the actual air temperature.

Make sure to check out the WindRadar for the latest wind speeds and their forecast. In our app, you can see the dewpoint temperature for your location, too. Remember, relative humidity doesn't always tell you exactly if fires are more prone to be spread.