Forest fires in Brazil become more critical every year, with the increase of the extension of burned areas and the consequent damages to the atmosphere and society. The occurrence and propagation of forest fires are strongly associated with climatic factors or conditions. Among the influences that the climate can exercise on the occurrences is the distribution of dead vegetation humidity, which constitutes the main fuel of fires. The objective of this study was to compare the correlation index between the meteorological factors and the occurrences of forest fires in the urban area of the district of Juiz de Fora. To accomplish the study, a temporary series was used, including the period from 1995 to 2004. According to the results, the relative humidity of the air was the element that showed most correlation with the occurrences. The precipitation and the difference between precipitation and evaporation showed more correlation with the fires when analyzing its accumulation within the period of 10 days before each occurrence. The use of isolated elements presented a low correlation with the fires, suggesting the use of models containing climatic elements for the prediction of the occurrences.
Climate; Correlation; Fire
