Storm Prediction Center
Day 1 and Day 2 Fire Weather Outlooks
ZCZC SPCFWDDY1 ALL
FNUS21 KWNS 160900
DAY 1 FIRE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
0300 AM CST THU MAR 16 2006
VALID 161200Z - 171200Z
...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER AREA FOR SRN KS / CENTRAL AND WRN OK /
PORTIONS OF NW TX...
...SYNOPSIS...
FAST MOVING UPPER SHORTWAVE TROUGH AND ATTENDANT SURFACE LOW WILL
MOVE RAPIDLY EWD FROM IA/MO BORDER AREA INTO THE OHIO VALLEY BY
AFTERNOON. BEHIND THIS FEATURE...HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD SWD OUT OF
CANADA WITH DRY AIR PUSHING SWD BEHIND A COLD FRONT INTO THE SRN
PLAINS. FARTHER E...HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE SERN STATES WILL WEAKEN
AND ALLOW RH LEVELS TO RISE COMPARED TO YESTERDAY...WITH WEAKER
WINDS OVER THE CAROLINAS AS PRESSURE GRADIENT RELAXES. FARTHER
WEST...A LONGWAVE TROUGH WILL AMPLIFY ALONG THE PACIFIC COAST...AND
WILL BEGIN MOVING INLAND.
LATE IN THE PERIOD...MOIST SELY FLOW WILL INITIATE MUCH NEEDED RAIN
ACROSS MUCH OF CENTRAL AND WRN TX...AS WELL AS NM. THERE COULD EVEN
BE AN ISOLATED LIGHTNING STRIKE OVER SWRN NM LATE IN THE DAY...AS
MOISTURE INCREASES AHEAD OF UPPER TROUGH.
...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER AREA 1 - SRN KS / CENTRAL AND WRN OK /
PORTIONS OF NW TX...
PRIMARY CONDITIONS: MODERATE NLY WINDS AND LOW RH WITH ONGOING FIRE
- STRONG INSOLATION
COMBINATION OF GUSTY WINDS BEHIND A COLD FRONT ALONG WITH LOW RH
VALUES AND STRONG INSOLATION WILL CAUSE CRITICAL FIRE CONDITIONS
TODAY...MAINLY THROUGH EARLY AFTERNOON.
A COLD FRONT WILL EXTEND FROM WRN MO SWWD THROUGH CENTRAL OK AND
INTO NWRN TX EARLY THIS MORNING...AND WILL CONTINUE SEWD WITH WINDS
SHIFTING TO THE N. THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL BE SHORTLY AFTER SUNRISE
THROUGH ABOUT MIDDAY...WHEN SUSTAINED SPEEDS OF 15-20 MPH WILL BE
COMMON...WITH HIGHER GUSTS OF 25-35 MPH LIKELY ACROSS SRN KS AND OK.
WINDS WILL BE A BIT WEAKER OVER THE ERN TX PANHANDLE...BUT SOME OF
THE DRIEST AIR WILL RESIDE HERE...AND WITH STRONG HEATING...LOW
LEVEL LAPSE RATES WILL BE DRY ADIABATIC AND WILL FAVOR FIRE GROWTH.
UPSTREAM SURFACE OBSERVATIONS AS OF EARLY MORNING INDICATE AN
EXTREMELY DRY AIR MASS IN PLACE. THUS...DESPITE TEMPERATURES ONLY IN
THE 60S...RH LEVELS WILL DROP INTO THE TEENS. IN ADDITION...STRONG
SUNSHINE WILL HELP TO HEAT SURFACE FUELS.
...SERN STATES...
RH VALUES WILL INCREASE TODAY COMPARED TO PREVIOUS DAY WITH MIN
VALUES MAINLY NEAR 20-25 PERCENT CAROLINAS TO 25-30 PERCENT NRN FL.
WINDS WILL BE 10 MPH OR LESS.
...SWRN NM / SERN AZ...
COOLING ALOFT WITH UPPER TROUGH AND STRONG HEATING WILL ALLOW FOR
WEAK MOIST CONVECTIVE INSTABILITY TO DEVELOP LATE IN THE DAY.
GENERAL SWLY FLOW IN THE LOW LEVELS MAY PRODUCE ISOLATED
CONVECTION...WITH OCCASIONAL LIGHTNING STRIKES...TO DEVELOP OVER THE
HIGH TERRAIN AND FAVORING S AND W FACING SLOPES. SURFACE RH VALUES
WILL BE IN THE TEENS...AND FUELS ARE QUITE DRY...THUS ANY STRIKES
MAY INITIATE A FIRE.
..JEWELL.. 03/16/2006
...PLEASE SEE WWW.SPC.NOAA.GOV/FIRE FOR GRAPHIC PRODUCT...
ZCZC SPCFWDDY2 ALL
FNUS22 KWNS 160901
DAY 2 FIRE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
0301 AM CST THU MAR 16 2006
VALID 171200Z - 181200Z
...NO CRITICAL AREAS...
...SYNOPSIS...
UPPER RIDGE AXIS WILL REMAIN OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS THROUGH THE
PERIOD...WHILE UPPER TROUGH ACROSS THE WEST STRENGTHENS AND BEGINS
TO ENTER THE GREAT BASIN. SWLY FLOW AHEAD OF THIS TROUGH WILL HELP
INCREASE SWLY SURFACE WINDS ACROSS SRN AZ AND NM WHERE IT WILL
REMAIN DRY...WHILE RAIN FALLS ACROSS MUCH OF TX AND OK.
MEANWHILE...MODERATE NWLY WINDS WILL OCCUR ACROSS THE SERN STATES
WITH HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING IN FROM THE NW...AND WITH MODERATELY LOW
RH VALUES.
...SRN AZ AND SWRN NM...
APPROACHING UPPER TROUGH WILL CAUSE SURFACE WINDS TO INCREASE ON
FRIDAY TO 15-20 MPH WHILE RH DROPS TO NEAR 15 PERCENT. TEMPERATURES
WILL BE MAINLY IN THE LOWER 70S AND WITH A MODERATE HAINES INDEX AT
BEST. THUS...FIRE WEATHER CONCERN SHOULD BE ELEVATED.
...SERN STATES...
THE AIR MASS WILL REMAIN FAIRLY DRY ACROSS THE REGION WITH NWLY FLOW
AT THE SURFACE. RH LEVELS WILL LIKELY RANGE FROM 25-35 PERCENT IN
GENERAL AS TEMPERATURES RISE INTO THE LOWER 70S. SUSTAINED NWLY
WINDS WILL BE NEAR 15 MPH DURING THE DAY BEFORE DYING DOWN IN THE
EVENING.
..JEWELL.. 03/16/2006
...PLEASE SEE WWW.SPC.NOAA.GOV/FIRE FOR GRAPHIC PRODUCT...
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