Discover How the Dew Point is a Utah Firefighting Secret Weapon

Rain Can Help Fight a Wildfire 

One of my friends worked as a forest fire fighter when I was in college. He encouraged me to join the team. After a physical test which included running in fire boots, and a hiring process I was part of the team. It was a job I loved.

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We were fighting a stubborn fire in the high mountains and feeling frustrated as it seemed to dance over our fire lines and laugh at the fire retardant that airplanes dropped, then the weather seemed to join our team. There was a forecast of rain. "Rain", we whispered in satisfaction, surely that would strengthen our side of the battle.

Dew Point More Important to Fight a Wildfire 

I noticed the captain and his bosses were hopeful for rain, but they had their fingers crossed over something much more powerful than water falling from the sky. They kept talking about the dew point.

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It came to a head for me when I overheard our fire boss being interviewed on the news and he turned idea from theory into the gospel as he explained to the community that the storm system could positively affect the dewpoint which would really help.

What is Dewpoint? 

After the cameras went away, I asked him about this dew point concept. He explained that while we were hoping for water from above, the dew comes from below and really slows a fire.

The dew point can be explained as the temperature needed to turn the water vapor in the air into liquid. If you live in humid climates, you know predicted dew point and temperature will let you know how muggy the day is going to feel, and this is related to fighting wildfires, but they are looking more specifically for the point that actual dew will appear on the foliage like when you walk across the lawn in the morning and your feet get wet.

What Makes a Higher Dewpoint  

Like a ninja firefighting team, the weather turned as predicted. Cooler temperature and moisture combined to pull water magically from thin air slowly dispersing mist onto root of the wildfire. The ground, plants (what firefighters call fuel) and even our tents were met with a wet fireproofing blanket of water droplets that next morning and our efforts became effective at last.