Remoted Automated Weather Stations (RAWS)

The North Carolina Forest Service maintains and monitors a network of 21 fire danger weather stations. These stations are part of a larger national interagency network that provides key observational weather data to fire managers who are responsible for suppressing wildfires or conducting planned prescribed fires. The stations form the foundation of the forest service's fire danger program that applies the use of the National Fire Danger Rating System (NFDRS).

Each day, agency personnel interpret the effect of weather on local forests. This evaluation gives an indication of the relative seriousness of burning conditions across the state. These daily measurements and assessments assist the forest service in establishing a level of preparedness either to suppress wildfires or to conduct natural resource management prescribed fires. agency and cooperator stations are accessible through RAWS USA Climate Archive and the Real-time Observation Monitor and Analysis Network (ROMAN), both of which provide interfaces tailored to meet the needs of natural resource managers.

RAWS USA Archive
The RAWS USA Archive site displays information only for those fire danger stations from which weather data is primarily transmitted through the GOES satellite. The Western Regional Climatic Center and the Bureau of Land Management make this site possible. The RAWS USA Archive presents current information and as far back as 30 days. Additional weather records are accessible to those applying for and receiving access protocols.

ROMAN(Real-time Observation Monitor and Analysis Network)
ROMAN is a unique site in that it pulls together observations from all 50 states from all the different types of sources into a single system (Fire Danger RAWS, National Weather Service Stations, Snotel, and any other state or federal networks from which the data can be readily accessed). The University of Utah and the Eastern Great Basin Predictive Services Unit wildland fire weather meteorologists have made this site possible. ROMAN presents information on current weather data and information from the previous 5 days.