Transatlantic Fire Resource Guide
Fire Weather Tools
Bufkit
Operator: Iowa State University, original Bufkit software developed by NOAA NWS Buffalo/Albany
Geographic Focus: United States (primary); global sounding data available
Tags: Fire Weather · Model Output · Point Forecast · Operational · Decision Support
Access: Free, public (Windows desktop software)
URL: https://www.meteor.iastate.edu/~ckarsten/bufkit/instructions.html
Bufkit is a free desktop software application for Windows that allows meteorologists to load, visualize, and analyze vertical atmospheric profile soundings extracted from NWP model output — including NAM, GFS, RAP, and HRRR — for any available station location, displaying parameters such as temperature, dewpoint, wind speed, wind direction, and derived stability indices across the full atmospheric column. In the fire weather context, Bufkit is widely used by fire weather meteorologists and Air Resource Advisors (ARAs) to examine forecast atmospheric mixing height, transport wind speed and direction, ventilation index, and lower-atmosphere instability — all critical parameters for smoke dispersion assessment and fire behavior anticipation. The ISU installation page provides the most accessible entry point to acquiring and installing Bufkit for users unfamiliar with the software, making it a practical starting reference for fire weather professionals adopting vertical sounding analysis into their workflow.
Bufkit Data Distribution System
Operator: Pennsylvania State University (PSU)
Geographic Focus: Contiguous United States (CONUS); multiple model domains available
Tags: Fire Weather · Model Output · Point Forecast · Archive · Operational
Access: Free, public
The PSU Bufkit Data Distribution page provides a clickable CONUS station map for downloading Bufkit-format vertical sounding profile files (.buf) extracted from NWP model runs — including the NAM 12km, GFS, RAP, and HRRR — for hundreds of locations across the contiguous United States, with files updated operationally following each model cycle. It is one of the two primary public mirrors for Bufkit profile data alongside the Iowa State University Bufkit Warehouse, and its interactive station map interface makes locating and downloading the correct station file faster and more intuitive than navigating directory-based alternatives. For fire weather meteorologists, Air Resource Advisors (ARAs), and smoke management specialists who rely on Bufkit for mixing height, transport wind, and ventilation index analysis, the PSU distribution page is an essential and reliable data source — particularly as a backup or complement to the ISU mirror, and well suited for users who prefer to select stations visually from a map rather than a text directory.
Bufkit Warehouse – Data Sources (Iowa State University)
Operator: Iowa State University, with contributions from NWS offices and Penn State
Geographic Focus: United States (national network); international profiles available via global map
Tags: Fire Weather · Model Output · Point Forecast · Archive · Operational
Access: Free, public
The Bufkit Warehouse Data Sources page provides a global interactive map for selecting and downloading Bufkit vertical sounding profile files (.buf format) from multiple NWP model runs — including GFS, NAM, and others — for hundreds of station locations, alongside links to NWS office Bufkit data pages, a national profile selection tool from Penn State, and an archive of ISU-generated profiles dating back to December 2010. This page is the primary data-access companion to the Bufkit software itself, enabling users to locate and retrieve the specific model sounding files needed for their location of interest without navigating complex government data portals. For fire weather meteorologists and smoke management specialists who rely on Bufkit for mixing height, ventilation index, and transport wind analysis, the Bufkit Warehouse removes the main friction point — finding and downloading profile data — making it an indispensable reference alongside the software installation page.
Hot-Dry-Windy Index (HDWI)
Operator: USDA Forest Service (FS2C), in collaboration with St. Cloud State University (SCSU) and Missouri State University (MSU)
Geographic Focus: Contiguous United States and Alaska
Tags: Fire Weather · Fire Danger · Index · Probabilistic Forecast · Climatology · Decision Support · Research · Operational
Access: Free, public (products in active development)
The HDWI Real-Time Product Suite provides interactive, map-based access to forecasts and analysis of the Hot-Dry-Windy Index — a composite fire weather metric integrating vapor pressure deficit and wind speed to capture the simultaneous atmospheric conditions most associated with rapid fire growth — using GEFS ensemble output for 7-day forecasts, a 30-day GEFS analysis archive, and a 30-year CFSR climatology for percentile-based context, with a separate product suite for Alaska. Users can query HDWI values for any grid point across the CONUS via a clickable map or coordinate dropdown, enabling both operational fire weather assessment and historical baseline comparison at a given location. For fire weather forecasters, fire danger analysts, and researchers, the HDWI portal offers a statistically grounded, ensemble-based perspective on fire weather threat that complements traditional indices like the Energy Release Component (ERC) or Fire Weather Index (FWI) — and its probabilistic framing makes it particularly valuable for communicating the likelihood and magnitude of dangerous fire weather conditions to decision-makers.
WindNinja – Terrain-Driven Wind Simulation Tool
Operator: USDA Forest Service Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory (FireLab)
Geographic Focus: Global (terrain-based; applicable anywhere with elevation data)
Tags: Fire Behavior · Fire Weather · Model Output · Operational · Decision Support
Access: Free, public (desktop software download; online version available)
URL: https://research.fs.usda.gov/firelab/products/dataandtools/windninja
WindNinja is a diagnostic terrain wind model developed by the USFS Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory that computes high-resolution (sub-100 m) surface wind fields by adjusting coarser NWP model output or user-specified inputs to account for topographic effects such as slope channeling, valley drainage flows, ridgeline acceleration, and thermal-driven upslope/downslope winds. It ingests digital elevation model (DEM) data for any user-defined domain and can ingest forecasts from NDFD, NOMADS, or custom inputs to produce spatially detailed wind grids compatible with fire behavior models such as FlamMap, FARSITE, and Prometheus. For fire behavior analysts, prescribed burn planners, and incident meteorologists, WindNinja is an essential downscaling tool that bridges the gap between coarse NWP wind forecasts and the fine-scale terrain-driven wind reality that governs fire spread — particularly in complex topography where standard weather station data or model output can badly misrepresent actual surface flow.