KNYSNA | BITOU NEWS - Residents of Knysna and Plett are warned that there is a very high risk of fires running amok in the district today, Wednesday 18 May.
According to the South African Weather Services' (Saws) latest Fire Danger Index (FDI) forecast, Knysna and Plettenberg Bay have been placed under orange and red alerts, respectively, for today.
Temperatures in Knysna and Plett have reached the low 30sºC today, following two fairly warm days on Monday and Tuesday. This has placed both areas at high risk of fire.
Orange (Knysna ) indicates a very dangerous fire risk with fire-fighting teams being kept on stand-by, and no one should ignite any open flames.
Red (Plettenberg Bay) indicates an extreme fire risk.
Residents are urged to exercise the most extreme caution today, and not to ignite any open flames whatsoever.
The FDI is a rating system that provides an indication as to the fire risk for a specific area on a specific day. If the expected environmental factors are known for the coming period, the FDI can be forecast.
According to www.envirowildfire.co.za, the environmental factors that are taken into consideration are:
- Temperature: readings taken in °C.
- Relative humidity: the percentage of moisture in the air - the less moisture, the higher the value.
- Wind speed: the stronger the wind, the greater the fire risk.
- Previous rain: this is tabulated according to when last and how much fell. Expected rainfall is not considered, even if it is certain to occur. This however is countered by the expected relative humidity.
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