40: “Forecasting Fire” Guest: Matt MacDonald

In this episode, we sit down with Matt MacDonald, Lead Fire Weather Forecaster with the Predictive Services Unit for the BC Wildfire Service. Through our conversation, we dive into his background and learn what a day in the life of the Lead Fire Weather Forecaster looks like. As an experienced meteorologist and weather professional, Matt explains how t​​emperature, relative humidity, precipitation, wind speed, and wind direction come together to influence the potential for ignition, rate of spread, and intensity of wildfires. He also touches on the importance of FireSmart actions and how they can help residents navigate the trend of increasingly severe fire weather.

This episode was recorded live at the 2024 Wildfire Resiliency and Training Summit.

Links:

Learn more about FireSmart BC: firesmartbc.ca

Watch FireSmart BC videos: https://vimeo.com/firesmartbc

For important wildfire information, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/wildfire-status