Fire Lab Seminar Series

The Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory has been hosting an annual seminar series since 1998. Hour-long seminars are presented by Fire Lab employees and other researchers from throughout the world. Seminars cover current research and management about the natural world from a broad range of disciplines, but most seminars usually have a wildland fire theme. The Fire Lab Seminar Series provides a platform for researchers and managers to present their work in an environment that encourages critical thought, the free exchange of ideas, and knowledge discovery.

November 5: The Two Types of Santa Ana Wind Events: Implications for Regional Wildfires

Thursday, November 5, 2026, 11am PT/2pm ET

Presenter: Clifford Mass

Santa Ana events over southern California bring strong, offshore-directed winds and low relative humidifies that have been associated with many major wildfire events over the region. This presentation will show that Santa Ana's can be divided into two main types: those associated with mainly gap flow and those associated with predominantly downslope flow, with only a very small number of events exhibiting both characteristics. The synoptic conditions and local wind distributions associated with both types of events will be described, and the ability of high-resolution models to skillfully forecast such events will be examined.