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

Wed Apr 15 14:19:01 PDT 2009

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

ISSUED: Wednesday, April 15, 2009       2:30 PM      Jim Little

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

Thursday will see a weak upper ridge moving slowly eastward over the region.  A weak Pacific cold front will approach the coast during the day, but rainfall should hold off until Thursday evening.  Rain should eventually spread to the California border Thursday night with rainfall totals of near a quarter of an inch in the north Coast Range to less than a tenth of an inch over the southwestern portion of Oregon.  Transport winds will be generally south-southeast to south-southwest, except westerly in southwestern Oregon.  Mixing heights should be high enough for fair to good smoke dispersal conditions.

    OUTLOOK (FRIDAY - SUNDAY)

The front weakens Friday without making much of an eastward push and an upper trough moves through late in the day.  Expect cloudy skies and a few areas of light rain Friday.  Winds will begin southerly and then switch to a more west or northwest direction later in the day.  Smoke dispersal conditions will be fair to good.  A surface high develops over Washington with a thermal low in northern California on Saturday.  The high shifts to the northern Rockies on Sunday while the thermal low shifts to the Cascades.  Saturday expect a generally northeasterly flow except easterly in the Rogue Valley with winds becoming northwest late in the day.  Mixing heights will lower somewhat over the weekend for deteriorating smoke dispersal conditions.

2.  DISPERSION

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

MORNING
Mixing height 1900 - 2900 ft.
Transport wind SSE to SSW at 8 - 12 mph.
Surface wind ESE to S at 5 - 9 mph.

AFTERNOON
Mixing height 1800 - 2800 ft.
Transport wind S to SW at 10 - 20 mph.
Surface wind SSE to SSW at 6 - 10 mph.

EVENING
Mixing height 1000 - 1800 ft.
Transport wind S to SW at 12 - 24 mph.
Surface wind similar to afternoon.

Zone 605-611 (North Cascades):

MORNING
Mixing height 2400 - 3400 ft.
Transport wind SSE to SSW at 6 - 12 mph.
Surface wind light and variable and controlled by local terrain.

AFTERNOON
Mixing height rising to 4000 - 5000 ft.
Transport wind SSE to SW at 6 - 10 mph.
Surface wind similar to morning.

EVENING
Mixing height lowers below 1000 ft.
Transport wind SSW to WSW at 6 - 12 mph.
Surface wind similar to afternoon.

Zone 615-620 (South Coast Range):

MORNING
Mixing height 1700 - 2700 ft.
Transport wind light and variable and controlled by local terrain.
Surface wind light and variable and controlled by local terrain.

AFTERNOON
Mixing height 2100 - 3100 ft.
Transport wind SW to W at 5 - 9 mph.
Surface wind increases to WSW to WNW at 6 - 12 mph.

EVENING
Mixing height lowers below 1000 ft.
Transport wind SW to W at 8 - 14 mph.
Surface wind becomes light and variable and controlled by local terrain.

Zone 616-623 (South Cascades):

MORNING
Mixing height 2400 - 3400 ft.
Transport wind light and variable and controlled by local terrain.
Surface wind light and variable and controlled by local terrain.

AFTERNOON
Mixing height rising above 5000 ft.
Transport wind similar to morning.
Surface wind increases to WNW to NNW at 5 - 9 mph.

EVENING
Mixing height 1000 - 1900 ft.
Transport wind increases to WSW to NW at 4 - 8 mph.
Surface wind becomes light and variable and controlled by local terrain.

OUTLOOK:

FRIDAY
In the north mixing height below 1000 ft early rising to 2600 to 3600 ft by late morning rising above 5000 ft during the afternoon.  In the south mixing height below 1000 ft early rising above 5000 ft by late morning and through the afternoon.  Transport wind SSW to WSW at 6 - 10 mph during the morning becoming W to NW at 6 - 10 mph during the afternoon.  Surface wind light and variable during the morning becoming WNW to NNW at 6 - 10 mph during the afternoon.

SATURDAY
Mixing height below 1000 ft early rising to 3100 to 4100 ft by late morning rising to 4200 to 5000 ft during the afternoon.  Transport wind light and variable during the morning becoming NW to N at 6 - 10 mph during the afternoon.  Surface wind NE to E at 4 - 8 mph during the morning becoming NW to N at 6 - 10 mph during the afternoon.

SUNDAY
Mixing height below 1000 ft early rising to 3100 to 4100 ft by late morning and through the afternoon.  Transport wind ESE to SSE at 4 - 8 mph during the morning becoming NNW to NNE at 6 - 10 mph during the afternoon.  Surface wind E to SE at 4 - 8 mph during the morning becoming NNW to NNE 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 16, 2009.
=================================================================

Coast Range

Zone 601, 612, 615, 616 west of and R8W
Units should be 750 tons or less, spaced 15 miles apart, and 15 miles from downwind SSRAs.  North of Tillamook in Zone 601, use standard guidance matrix. (See section 5 below.)  Higher tonnage is possible south of T29S in Zone 616.  Call the forecaster.

Zone 602, 603, and 620
No burning allowed.  North of T3N in Zone 602, use standard guidance matrix. (See section 5 below.)  Units may be 500 tons or less, spaced 15 miles apart, south of the Siuslaw River in Zone 603.  Some burning allowed south of T35S in Zone 620.  Call the forecaster.

Zone 616 east of R9W
Units should be 500 tons or less, spaced 15 miles apart, and 15 miles from downwind SSRAs.  Higher tonnage is possible south of T29S.  Call the forecaster.

Zone 618 and 619
Units should be 1000 tons or less, spaced 15 miles apart, and 15 miles from downwind SSRAs.

Cascades

Zone 605, 606, 607, 608, 609, 610, 617, and 623
Use standard guidance matrix. (See section 5 below.)  Ensure adequate distance from downwind SSRAs for smoke to dissipate.  Verify transport winds away from SSRA if burning within 10 miles of the SSRA in Zone 605 and 606.

Zone 611
Units should be 1000 tons or less, spaced 8 miles apart, and 10 miles from downwind SSRAs.

Zone 616
Units should be 1000 tons or less, spaced 5 miles apart, and 10 miles from downwind SSRAs.

Zone 620 and 622
Units should be 500 tons or less, spaced 5 miles apart, and 10 miles from downwind SSRAs.

Siskiyous
Units should be 1500 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.

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://omls.oregon.gov/pipermail/smi_west/attachments/20090415/6fbaefa7/attachment.html>