AAFC Canadian Drought Monitor · monthly dryness context

British Columbia Drought Monitor & Wildfire Conditions

British Columbia's drought context is especially useful for comparing longer-term dryness with FireRadar's current BC wildfire incidents and daily fire-danger product.

Source cadence

National drought conditions are assessed monthly using multiple indicators and expert interpretation.

FireRadar links to the current official assessment rather than estimating a drought class between AAFC releases. Historic monthly maps and change analysis remain available from the official source.

Canadian Drought Monitor scale

D0
Abnormally Dry
D1
Moderate Drought
D2
Severe Drought
D3
Extreme Drought
D4
Exceptional Drought

How drought relates to wildfire conditions in British Columbia

B.C. drought can vary sharply between the coast, southern Interior, central Interior, Peace region and north. A monthly drought category should not be treated as a local ignition forecast or a substitute for BC Wildfire Service restrictions, emergency information or current fire behaviour. Short-range rain, wind and fuel conditions can change fire behaviour while the monthly drought class remains unchanged.

Drought

Longer-term moisture deficit and dryness context from the monthly AAFC national assessment.

Fire Weather Index

Daily weather-based fire-potential guidance from NRCan CWFIS. It can change much faster than monthly drought status.

Active wildfires

Actual current incident records from responsible wildfire authorities. These remain separate from both drought and forecast products.