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

Thu Apr 23 14:27:49 PDT 2009

SMOKE MANAGEMENT FORECAST AND INSTRUCTIONS

SALEM FORESTRY WEATHER CENTER

OREGON DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY

ISSUED: Thursday, April 23, 2009       2:30 PM          Jim Trost

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

Some showers are falling over northwest Oregon.  These are associated with the upper air trough crossing the area this afternoon.  The showers are expected to end overnight and clouds decrease.  This leaves the area under northerly flow aloft as a ridge strengthens to the west.  Under the northerly flow and clearing skies temperatures overnight will be cool with frost likely in sheltered areas.  Air mass begins to stabilize a little but the axis of the ridge remains too far west to seriously worsen mixing.  Low level flow remains generally northwesterly.

    OUTLOOK (SATURDAY - MONDAY)

Ridge remains nearly stationary off the coast with cool northerly flow over the Pacific Northwest.  A couple of minor disturbances slide south out of Canada bringing some cloudy periods over the weekend and a slight chance of some rain or showers Saturday night or early Sunday.  Mixing remains fairly good as the ridge stays too far to the west to cause the air mass to stabilize.  Nighttime cooling will result in poor mixing from after sunset through early morning.  Low-level wind flow mostly northwest to north through Sunday.  Likely to see a slight tendency to offshore flow Monday.

2.  DISPERSION

Zone 601-612 (North Coast Range and Cascades):

MORNING

Mixing height 3700 - 4700 ft.

Transport wind NW to N at 6 - 12 mph.

Surface wind light and variable.

AFTERNOON

Mixing height 3400 - 4400 ft.

Transport wind WNW to NNW at 8 - 14 mph.

Surface wind WNW to NNW at 6 - 12 mph.

EVENING

Mixing height lowers below 1000 ft after sunset.

Transport wind WNW to NNW at 10 - 18 mph.

Surface wind similar to afternoon.

Zone 615-623 (South Coast Range and Cascades):

MORNING

Mixing height 4200 - 5000 ft.

Transport wind NNW to NNE at 6 - 10 mph.

Surface wind light and variable.

AFTERNOON

Mixing height 4200 - 5200 ft.

Transport wind NW to N at 10 - 18 mph.

Surface wind NW to N at 9 - 15 mph.

EVENING

Mixing height lowers below 1000 ft after sunset.

Transport wind similar to afternoon.

Surface wind NW to N at 6 - 12 mph.

OUTLOOK:

SATURDAY

Mixing height below 1000 ft early, rising to 4100 to 5000 ft by late morning. Afternoon mixing height near 5000 ft until sunset when mixing worsens rapidly. Transport wind W to NW at 6 - 10 mph.  Surface wind SW to W at 5 - 9 mph during the morning, becoming WNW to NNW at 9 - 15 mph in the afternoon.

SUNDAY

Mixing height 3000 to 4000 ft during the morning and above 5000 ft in the afternoon.  Transport wind NNW to N at 8 - 12 mph during the morning and NNW to N at 10 - 20 mph in the afternoon.  Surface wind NW to N at 6 - 10 mph.

MONDAY

Mixing height 2100 to 3100 ft during the morning, rising above 5000 ft during the afternoon.  Transport wind NNW to NNE at 9 - 15 mph.  Surface wind NNW to NNE at 6 - 10 mph.

3.  BURNING INSTRUCTIONS FOR ALL ZONES IN THE WESTERN OREGON AREA

These instructions are valid for burning conducted on Friday, April 24, 2009.

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Coast Range

Zone 601 and 612

Units should be 750 tons or less, spaced 10 miles apart, and 12 miles from downwind SSRAs.  Restrict units in or near corridors to 500 tons or less.  Higher tonnage is possible south of Waldport in Zone 612.  Call the forecaster.

Zone 602 and 603

Units should be 300 tons or less, spaced 10 miles apart, and 12 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.

Zone 615

Units should be 2000 tons or less, spaced 8 miles apart, and 10 miles from downwind SSRAs.

Zone 616 west of R8W

Units should be 1200 tons or less, spaced 8 miles apart, and 10 miles from downwind SSRAs.

Zone 616 east of R9W

Units should be 750 tons or less, spaced 8 miles apart, and 10 miles from downwind SSRAs.  Restrict units to 500 tons or less south of T30S.

Zone 618 and 619

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

Zone 620

Units should be 500 tons or less, spaced 8 miles apart, and 10 miles from downwind SSRAs.  Higher tonnage is possible south of the Rogue River.  Call the forecaster.

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Cascades

Zone 610

Units should be 1000 tons or less, spaced 8 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.

All Other Zones

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.  South of T30S in Zone 616 and 617, units should be 500 tons or less, spaced 5 miles apart.

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Siskiyous

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

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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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