The Haines Index, introduced by Haines (1988) as the Lower Atmosphere Severity Index, is designed to gauge how readily the lower mid-troposphere (500 to 4500 m AGL) will spur an otherwise fairly predictable fire to become erratic and unmanageable. Based on stability and moisture, the Haines Index (hereafter, HI) takes on integer values from 2 to 6, with 2 being very low risk and 6 being high risk. Since its introduction, several studies have examined the performance of the HI. Werth and Ochoa (1990) saw a positive correlation between daily rate of spread for the 1989 Lowman fire in Idaho and daily HI values. In a more qualitative sense, Saltenberger and Barker (1993) examined the 1990 Awbrey Hall Fire in Oregon, and noted that when the Index was high the fire displayed 'extreme behavior.. . rapid growth' and when the index was low, the fire severity diminished.