Weather condition analysis during wildfires on the Pelje？ac Peninsula in July 2015

Sa？etak This paper analyses the weather conditions during two forest fires that were intentionally set on the Pelje？ac Peninsula on the night of 20/21 July 2015. The aim of this study was to examine the weather conditions that led, with the help of the human factor, to the start of a wildfire. The data from nearest weather station at Plo？e showed that July 2015 was the warmest month in the period 1981–2014. In July 2015, there were 30 hot days, which is twice the average. The lack of precipitation and extremely hot weather in July caused the worst possible forest fire – a crown fire. During the forest fire, the ALADIN weather model showed that slightly lower air pressure prevailed in the southern Adriatic, with warm air up to 1 km in height. The weather was mostly sunny, and on the day the wildfire started, the air temperature at 2 m height reached 38.8°C and the relative humidity was around 40% during the day. Over the following days, the air temperature on the Pelje？ac Peninsula was always over 30°C. On the first night of the wildfire, the wind was weak. The Canadian forest fire weather index (FWI) showed a high risk of wildfire until 26 July 2015, though this is normal for the time of year. Extremely hot and dry weather conditions in the days before fire, and the very steep and inaccessible terrain hampered fire-fighting efforts, which endangered human lives and residential buildings