SMI West (Smoke Management Instructions) Western Oregon Smoke Management Instructions

Wed Apr 1 14:07:52 PDT 2009

SMOKE MANAGEMENT FORECAST AND INSTRUCTIONS
SALEM FORESTRY WEATHER CENTER
OREGON DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY

ISSUED: Wednesday, April 1, 2009       2:30 PM      Jim Little

1.  DISCUSSION AND FORECAST FOR THE WESTERN OREGON AREA FORECAST ZONES 601-623

A Pacific cold front enters northwestern Oregon overnight Wednesday night and sweeps across the
state during the day on Thursday.  Rainfall will be heaviest in the northern zones but rain will reach all the way to
the California border.  Behind the front a fairly strong WSW to NNE pressure gradient will give blustery onshore flow. Transport winds should be generally westerly, backing to west-northwesterly later in the day.  Mixing heights will be high for excellent smoke dispersal conditions.

    OUTLOOK (FRIDAY - SUNDAY)

Showers will begin to taper off Friday and onshore pressure gradients will relax for less wind.  Transport winds will be generally northwesterly across northwestern Oregon with more of a tendency for northerly winds in the southwest portion of the state.  The air mass will stabilize Saturday but mixing heights should remain high for fair to good smoke dispersal conditions.  Saturday and Sunday look dry as a Pacific system splits and most rain moves into California before rotating northward Monday.

2.  DISPERSION

Zone 601, 602, 603 and 612 (North Coast Range):

MORNING
Mixing height above 5000 ft.
Transport wind WSW to WNW at 15 - 29 mph.
Surface wind SSW to WSW at 10 - 18 mph.

AFTERNOON
Mixing height above 5000 ft.
Transport wind WNW at 22 - 38 mph.
Surface wind WSW to W at 10 - 22 mph.

EVENING
Mixing height remains above 5000 ft.
Transport wind WNW at 20 - 34 mph.
Surface wind WSW to WNW at 10 - 16 mph.

Zone 605-611 (North Cascades):

MORNING
Mixing height above 5000 ft.
Transport wind WSW to W at 14 - 28 mph.
Surface wind SW to W at 8 - 12 mph.

AFTERNOON
Mixing height above 5000 ft.
Transport wind W at 18 - 32 mph.
Surface wind increases to W to WNW at 12 - 22 mph.

EVENING
Mixing height remains above 5000 ft.
Transport wind similar to afternoon.
Surface wind decreases to WSW to WNW at 8 - 14 mph.

Zone 615-620 (South Coast Range):

MORNING
Mixing height above 5000 ft.
Transport wind WSW to NW at 6 - 10 mph.
Surface wind SW to W at 5 - 9 mph.

AFTERNOON
Mixing height above 5000 ft.
Transport wind W to NW at 9 - 15 mph.
Surface wind shifts to W to NW at 8 - 12 mph.

EVENING
Mixing height remains above 5000 ft.
Transport wind WNW to NNW at 10 - 18 mph.
Surface wind NW to NNW at 8 - 12 mph.

Zone 616-623 (South Cascades):

MORNING
Mixing height above 5000 ft.
Transport wind WSW to WNW at 8 - 14 mph.
Surface wind W to NW at 10 - 16 mph.

AFTERNOON
Mixing height above 5000 ft.
Transport wind similar to morning.
Surface wind similar to morning.

EVENING
Mixing height remains above 5000 ft.
Transport wind W to NW at 10 - 20 mph.
Surface wind WNW to NNW at 6 - 12 mph.

OUTLOOK:

FRIDAY
Mixing height 4100 to 5000 ft during the morning rising above 5000 ft during the afternoon.  Transport wind W to NW at 10 - 18 mph.  Surface wind SW to W at 6 - 12 mph during the morning becoming WNW to NNW at 5 - 9 mph during the afternoon.

SATURDAY
Mixing height below 1000 ft early rising to 3800 to 4800 ft by late morning rising above 5000 ft during the afternoon.  Transport wind ESE to S at 4 - 8 mph during the morning becoming light and variable during the afternoon.  Surface wind ESE to S at 5 - 9 mph during the morning becoming S to SW at 4 - 8 mph during the afternoon.

SUNDAY
Mixing height 3800 to 4800 ft throughout the day.  Transport wind S to SSW at 10 - 22 mph during the morning becoming SSW to WSW at 6 - 10 mph during the afternoon.  Surface wind S to SSW at 10 - 22 mph during the morning becoming SSW to WSW at 6 - 10 mph during the afternoon.

3.  BURNING INSTRUCTIONS FOR ALL ZONES IN THE WESTERN OREGON AREA
These instructions are valid for burning conducted on Thursday, April 2, 2009.
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Coast Range

Zone 601 and 612
Units should be 1000 tons or less, spaced 5 miles apart, and 10 miles from downwind SSRAs.  Restrict units in or near corridors to 500 tons or less.

Zone 602, 603, and 620
Units should be 500 tons or less, spaced 5 miles apart, and 10 miles from downwind SSRAs.  Avoid burning in or near corridors.  Higher tonnage is possible south of the Siuslaw River in Zone 603.  Call the forecaster.  Higher tonnage is possible south of T35S in Zone 620.  Call the forecaster.

Zone 615
Units should be 1500 tons or less, spaced 5 miles apart, and 10 miles from downwind SSRAs.

Zone 616 west of R8W
Units should be 1200 tons or less, spaced 5 miles apart, and 10 miles from downwind SSRAs.

Zone 616 east of R9W
Units should be 750 tons or less, spaced 5 miles apart, and 10 miles from downwind SSRAs.  Restrict units to 500 tons or less south of T30S.

Zone 618
Use standard guidance matrix. (See section 5 below.)

Zone 619
Units should be 2000 tons or less, spaced 5 miles apart, and 10 miles from downwind SSRAs.

Cascades

All zones except Zone 610 and 611
Use standard guidance matrix. (See section 5 below.)  Ensure adequate distance from downwind SSRAs for smoke to dissipate.  From T15S through T20S in Zone 608 units should be 1000 tons or less, spaced 5 miles apart.

Zone 610 and 611
Units should be 1000 tons or less, spaced 5 miles apart, and 10 miles from downwind SSRAs.

Siskiyous
Units should be 1000 tons or less, spaced 5 miles apart, and 10 miles from downwind SSRAs.

==============================================================
4.  SPECIAL NOTE:

    Call the smoke management duty forecaster at (503) 945-7401 to
    discuss burning.  Please do not call individual's numbers to
    discuss daily burning.  If the forecaster is not available,
    leave a message and he will return your call as soon as possible.
    Avoid calling between 2 to 2:30 p.m.

    The forecast is available on the Internet at:
      http://oregon.gov/ODF/FIRE/fire.shtml/#Smoke_Management

    Please ensure your units have been planned and accomplished by checking:
      http://oregon.gov/ODF/FIRE/SMP/dailysmoke.shtml

5.  STANDARD GUIDANCE MATRIX:

  * Greater than 5000 ft mixing height:  No burning within 5 miles of
    downwind SSRA.  Maximum 100 tons per mile from downwind SSRA.
    Example:  500 ton maximum allowed if burned 5 miles from downwind SSRA.

  * 3000 - 5000 ft mixing height:  No burning within 10 miles of
    downwind SSRA.  Maximum 75 tons per mile from downwind SSRA.
    Example:  750 ton maximum allowed if burned 10 miles from downwind SSRA.

  * Less than 3000 ft mixing height:  No burning within 15 miles of
    downwind SSRA.  Maximum 50 tons per mile from downwind SSRA.
    Example:  750 ton maximum allowed if burned 15 miles from downwind SSRA.

  * All exceptions must be coordinated with the duty forecaster
    prior to ignition.

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