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The fire season in New Hampshire is usually from mid March through mid November. During the fire season New Hampshire weather data is collected daily from the National Weather Service in Taunton, Massachusetts and Gray, Maine, and from the system of fire tower lookout stations and local fire departments with weather gathering instruments. This weather data allows us to determine daily forest fire danger to assist fire departments throughout the state with what might be expected for wildfire behavior.
Weather reporting stations and the National Weather Service provide temperature, relative humidity, wind direction, wind speed, and rainfall in the last 24 hours. This information is put into the National Fire Danger Rating System formula that provides us with the fire danger class day (see chart below).
Rating |
Description |
Class 1 |
A class 1 day is a day a forest fire is not likely to start. (LOW) |
Class 2 |
A class 2 day the danger is MODERATE, but it is possible for fires to start in light flashy fuels but will have a slow rate of spread. |
Class 3 |
A class 3 day the fire danger is HIGH and fine fuels in open areas and sunny slopes may spread rapidly. |
Class 4 |
A class 4 day the fire danger is VERY HIGH and fires will start easily from all causes. Fires will spread rapidly and increase in intensity rapidly meaning they will be hard to extinguish. Spot fires may occur and, except in spring, will burn deep. |
Class 5 |
A class 5 day the danger is EXTREME. Small fires will spread very rapidly meaning they will be hard to extinguish. Severe spotting may occur and mop-up will require a great deal of effort. |
Prior day weather data from the National Weather Service stations is analyzed every morning and a predicted fire danger class day is determined and broadcast state wide at 10 am every day. By 2 pm the current day’s weather data has been analyzed and the actual fire danger class day is broadcast statewide. 
Statewide broadcasts of the 10 am predicted and 2 pm actual fire danger class day reports are done through the statewide New Hampshire Forestry radio system. Broadcasts are made at the above times 7-days a week during the fire season that are received by forestry two-way communication radio equipment and scanner radios. Division of Forests and Lands staff, local fire departments, forest fire wardens, deputy wardens, and the public (via scanner radios) are equipped to receive the broadcasts.
If you would like to be kept informed at 10 am and 2 pm every day, program your scanner radio to 151.295 MHz for northern New Hampshire, and 151.445 MHz for southern New Hampshire. We do send out, via fax and email, the class day information. If you would like to be added to either of those lists, please contact our office at 271-2217 or by email. Also, many communities and local fire departments maintain a Smokey Bear sign similar to the one pictured above with the daily fire danger class day calculated and broadcast by the Division of Forests and Lands Forest Protection Bureau.
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