Changes in the large fire seasons induced by climate variability may have implications in several sectors of modern society. This communication aims to investigate possible changes in the behaviour of active fires during the wintertime and document an event that occurred in the transboundary mountainous region in the north-western Iberian Peninsula between Portugal and Spain on 28 January 2022. The VIIRS active fire data, a satellite product, were analysed for the period between December 2012 and February 2022. The Meso-NH model was used to explore the atmospheric conditions during the event that burned almost 2400 ha. It was configured in a single domain with a horizontal resolution of 1500 m (300 × 300 grid points). The study highlights an increase in fire occurrence during the winter of 2021/22 and indicates that climate variability may create atmospheric conditions propitious for fire development even during the winter. The mild temperatures, dry air, and easterly flow affecting northern Portugal played an important role in the fire that occurred on 28 January 2022. Local orographic effects associated with downslope flow favoured fire propagation. Given the lack of knowledge about large winter fires, this study can be a starting point for future research on this subject.

<p>Drought conditions increase the likelihood of extreme wildfires which result in loss of life and property causing several damages to the society. The extensive study of different real cases is important to better understand the environmental conditions and their impacts on different sectors. The study aims to explore the atmospheric conditions associated with three forest fires occurring in Madeira island using convection-permitting simulations. In addition, the potential impacts on tourism sector is preliminary discussed using media data for one of the episodes when the fires affected the area surrounding the Funchal city, leaving several houses and a five-star hotel destroyed and 3 fatalities at least. Madeira is a Portuguese island located in the North Atlantic Ocean where the forest fires represent a risk for the ecosystems and for the local economy. The tourism is one of the main economic activities of the island. The numerical simulations were performed using the Meso-NH model. It was configured into two domains, the outer domain with 2.5 km resolution, and an inner domain with a resolution of 500 m and capable to better represent the complex terrain characteristic of the mountainous island. The vertical grid was calculated automatically by the model with a total of 50 levels following the terrain. The simulations were performed in a two-way interactive mode, initialized and forced using the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) analysis updated each 6 hours. The forest fires episodes were explored from the atmospheric circulation point of view, using meteorological variables as temperature, relative humidity and wind over the island. The Azores Anticyclone was the typical synoptic system inducing the north-easterly airflow towards the island. As it remains almost stationary, the fair weather is maintained over the region for several days and may lead to drought conditions during summertime. However, the downward motion created by the local orography at the southern slope was evident from the simulations. The combined effect of terrain and atmospheric condition was essential increasing the fire danger by leading the maximum temperatures above 35°C and relative humidity around 15%. Also, by creating the favourable conditions to the fire propagation after their ignition, namely due to the intense gust winds. One episode was marked by the cancellation of several international flights due to the high amount of smoke that affected Funchal, as well as the evacuation of more than 1,000 residents and tourists. The summer season is a critical fire weather period for the Madeira island, and the study contributes to identify fire risk and anticipate fire behaviour in some specific regions of the island. The use of high-resolution simulations is able to indicate the regions more propitious to fires, namely those affected by the highest near surface temperatures and lowest values of relative humidity. Overall, the results also can help in the development of fire risk management practices, as well as promoting a sustainable development, namely of the tourism sector.</p>

Increased knowledge of the meteorological conditions that lead to mega-fires is important to prevent wildfires and improve firefighting. This study analyses the atmospheric conditions that led to the largest forest fire ever observed in Portugal in 2019. The fire burned an estimated total area of around 9000 hectares in 12 h. The study is based on two simulations performed with the Meso-NH atmospheric model. The control simulation was configured in a single and large domain with 2500 m resolution, whereas a second simulation was configured using the grid nesting technique with an inner domain with 500 m resolution. The fire developed under typical summer conditions, under the influence of the Azores anticyclone and the presence of the Iberian thermal low. The weather pattern included intense northwest winds in the western region of the Iberian Peninsula. In the fire area, the wind speed was around 7 m s−1 with maximum wind gusts of 15 m s−1, favouring the rapid spread of the fire and characterising the event as a wind-driven fire. This study demonstrates the benefits of the use of large domains and high-resolution numerical simulations to explore the regional and local effects, which are crucial for the evolution of some fires.

This is an exploratory study aiming to assess the fire risk perception by operators of the Vale do Guadiana Natural Park (PNVG), southern Portugal. To maximize the sample size, a questionnaire survey was distributed among 35 entities with activities in tourism, hunting, and agriculture, as well as among members of PNVG’s co-management commission. For data analysis and interpretation, quantitative and qualitative analyses were used. Survey responses revealed that the entities expressed concern about and made efforts toward the search for and improvement in mitigation strategies in the occurrence of fires. A total of 69.6% of the respondents have knowledge of the occurrence of fires in the region. The qualitative analysis highlights the concern with biodiversity, as well as with the maintenance and cleaning of the PNVG. This study verifies the degree of importance that the tourism sector should give to the impacts caused by fires. The impact of climate change favoring fires was recognized by the entities, as well as the fact that the loss of biodiversity due to fires may have a direct impact on the attractiveness of this tourist destination, indicating the importance of environmental conservation strategies for the region.