Wind effects
Winds affect fire intensity, direction and rate of spread in several important ways:
- By increasing the supply of oxygen, thus aiding combustion
- By driving convective heat into adjacent fuels, hastening the drying process
- By influencing the direction of spread and spotting
- By bending flames closer to unburned fuels, preheating, drying and igniting them
- By carrying away moist air, replacing it with drier air
- By carrying embers to new fuels and increasing fire spread
- By moving moist air that may reduce fire intensity