Weather Words: Fire Front

Just like a cold front is the leading edge of where the cold air is, a fire front is the leading edge of a wildfire. Firefighters usually focus on this area of the fire for containment.

The Fire front is where the unburned materials meet the flames. This is the most intense part of a wildfire as it spreads outward.

Many factors come into play when determining how quickly the fire front advances. Wind speed and direction play a critical role in the spread of wildfires. During strong winds, wildfires can burn as much as several football fields per minute. A sudden change in wind direction can cause the fire front to start advancing quickly in another location. The amount of dry brush on the ground can also play a role in how quickly the fire front advances. In an area with lots of dry brush, will provide fuel for that wildfire to spread rapidly, vs an area without any vegetation. Low humidity levels also give fuel to the fires and allow them to spread quickly.

This segment originally appeared in today's edition of the Morning Brief newsletter. Sign up here to get weekday updates from The Weather Channel and our meteorologists.

J​ennifer Gray is a weather and climate writer for weather.com. She has been covering some of the world's biggest weather and climate stories for the last two decades.