Hi-tech wildfire warning system to be unveiled in Riverside

A hi-tech tool that identifies wildfire threats based on wind and other conditions will be unveiled Wednesday by the U.S. Forest Service.

The Santa Ana Wildfire Threat Index is expected to aid government agencies in preparing for destructive wildland fires by crunching meteorological data, according to Forest Service officials.

The system’s unveiling is scheduled for 11 a.m. at the state-run Southern California Geographic Area Coordination Center at 2524 Mulberry St. in Riverside.

Representatives from UCLA and San Diego Gas & Electric are slated to be on hand, along with USFS officials. According to Forest Service spokesman John Miller, the university and utility collaborated with the federal agency in developing the Santa Ana Wildfire Threat Index.

The system gauges the potentiality and probable intensity of wildfire events by examining offshore wind flows and other factors, relying on three decades of Southern California weather data to pattern forecasts, according to officials.

Information gleaned from the system will be provided to safety agencies, the news media and public in advance in the form of advisories, officials said.