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

Tue Nov 3 14:58:52 PST 2009

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

ISSUED: Tuesday, November 3, 2009       2:30 PM      Jim Little

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

    ** Improving Smoke Dispersal Conditions **

The upper ridge that has brought pleasant fall weather to the region the past few days will be shifting eastward Wednesday.  By late afternoon the ridge axis will be on a line from Salt Lake City to eastern British Columbia.  This is a slightly faster eastward movement than was previously thought.  Mixing heights will be on the rise during the day.  Maximum daytime mixing heights will still be fairly low in the north, but will be increasing through late afternoon and evening.  With the weather pattern change wind directions will shift to southeast through south and become more southwest during the afternoon and evening most areas.

    OUTLOOK (THURSDAY-SATURDAY)

On Thursday a major upper low will set up shop in the northern Gulf of Alaska.  This will give southwesterly flow aloft to the region and surface winds should be nearly due south most of western Oregon.  Mixing heights will be 5000 feet or above throughout the day for good smoke dispersal conditions.  A pacific front spreads rain into northwest Oregon by afternoon and to all of western Oregon by midnight.  Rain continues on Friday with good smoke dispersal conditions.  Locally heavy rain is possible.  Another Pacific front moves through during the day on Friday and smoke dispersal conditions remain favorable.

2.  DISPERSION

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

MORNING
Mixing height below 1000 ft.
Transport wind ESE to SSE at 4 - 8 mph.
Surface wind light and variable and controlled by local terrain.

AFTERNOON
Mixing height rising to 2000 - 3000 ft.
Transport wind shifts to SSW to WSW and increases to 15 - 29 mph.
Surface wind increases to SSW to WSW at 9 - 15 mph.

EVENING
Mixing height rising to 3500 - 4500 ft.
Transport wind similar to afternoon.
Surface wind similar to afternoon.

Zone 605-611 (North Cascades):

MORNING
Mixing height below 1000 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 to 1500 - 2500 ft.
Transport wind similar to morning.
Surface wind similar to morning.

EVENING
Mixing height rising to 3000 - 4000 ft.
Transport wind similar to afternoon.
Surface wind similar to afternoon.

Zone 615-620 (South Coast Range):

MORNING
Mixing height 1000 - 1800 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 to 3500 - 4500 ft.
Transport wind increases to SSW to SW at 13 - 25 mph.
Surface wind increases to SSW to SW at 10 - 20 mph.

EVENING
Mixing height 4000 - 5000 ft.
Transport wind S to SSW at 12 - 22 mph.
Surface wind S to SW at 10 - 16 mph.

Zone 616-623 (South Cascades):

MORNING
Mixing height 1500 - 2500 ft.
Transport wind SE to S at 10 - 16 mph.
Surface wind SE to S at 8 - 14 mph.

AFTERNOON
Mixing height rising to 3500 - 4500 ft.
Transport wind increases to S to SSW at 15 - 25 mph.
Surface wind S to SW at 10 - 20 mph.

EVENING
Mixing height 4000 - 5000 ft.
Transport wind SSE to S at 10 - 22 mph.
Surface wind SE to S at 8 - 14 mph.

OUTLOOK:

THURSDAY
Mixing height 4100 to 5000 ft during the morning rising above 5000 ft during the afternoon.  Transport wind S to SSW at 15 - 25 mph during the morning becoming SSW to SW at 22 - 38 mph during the afternoon.  Surface wind S to SSW at 10 - 22 mph during the morning becoming SSW to SW at 16 - 30 mph during the afternoon.

FRIDAY
Mixing height 2400 to 3400 ft during the morning rising to 3800 to 4800 ft during the afternoon.  Transport wind SW to W at 9 - 15 mph.  Surface wind light and variable.

SATURDAY
Mixing height 2200 to 3200 ft during the morning rising to 4200 to 5000 ft during the afternoon.  Transport wind SSW to W at 6 - 10 mph during the morning becoming SSW to WSW at 10 - 18 mph during the afternoon.  Surface wind light and variable.

3.  BURNING INSTRUCTIONS FOR ALL ZONES IN THE WESTERN OREGON AREA
These instructions are valid for burning conducted on Wednesday, November 4, 2009.
=================================================================

Coast Range

***Avoid ignitions before 10:00am in Zone 601 and 612.***

Zone 601 and 612
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.)

Zone 602 and 603
No burning allowed.  North of T3N in Zone 602, use standard guidance matrix. (See section 5 below.)  Units may be 750 tons or less, spaced 15 miles apart, south of the Siuslaw River in Zone 603.

Zone 615, 616, 618, 619, and 620
Use standard guidance matrix. (See section 5 below.)  Avoid burning directly upwind of the North Bend/Coos Bay SSRA.

Cascades

***Complete ignitions by 10:00am in Zone 605 and 606.***

Zone 605 and 606
No burning allowed.

Zone 607 and 608
Units should be 750 tons or less, spaced 15 miles apart, and 15 miles from downwind SSRAs.

Zone 609 and 623
Use standard guidance matrix. (See section 5 below.)

Zone 610 and 611
Units should be 1000 tons or less, spaced 15 miles apart, and 15 miles from downwind SSRAs.

Zone 616
Units should be 750 tons or less, spaced 8 miles apart, and 10 miles from downwind SSRAs.

Zone 617
Units should be 1000 tons or less, spaced 8 miles apart, and 10 miles from downwind SSRAs.

Zone 620 and 622
Units should be 1500 tons or less, spaced 8 miles apart, and 10 miles from downwind SSRAs.

Siskiyous
Units should be 1000 tons or less, spaced 8 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/20091103/e6061563/attachment.html>