Observational data from Alaska Mesowest for the comparison to seasonal forecasts for the 1994-2019 Alaska fire seasons

Observational data for each selected PSA was downloaded from Alaska Mesowest Fires and Fuels database (akff.mesowest.org) and curated into text files. These data come from long term meteorological observing stations, and only consistently reported data file were pulled for this project. Those stations selected are listed in the StationsUsedinPSAObsCalcs spreadsheet and text file. Variables include temperature, 24-hour accumulated precipitation, wind speeds, humidity, and buildup index (BUI) at 1400 ADKT. Observed temperature and precipitation data were used to help adjust ECMF and CFSv2 model temperature and precipitation values. Observed BUI was compared to forecast BUI via the calculation of various forecast skill scores.