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

Thu Apr 2 14:43:38 PDT 2009

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

ISSUED: Thursday, April 2, 2009       2:30 PM      Nick Yonker

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

Upper level trough slides by to the east tonight and tomorrow keeping cool, northwesterly flow over the region.  Air mass slowly dries out but remains unstable.  Expect mostly cloudy skies with a chance of a few light showers.  Good mixing and moderate NW'erly flow will make for excellent smoke dispersion.

    OUTLOOK (SATURDAY - MONDAY)

A period of spring like weather finally makes an appearance over the weekend and into early next week as an upper level ridge moves in on Saturday.  The next frontal system will dive mainly to the south of the state Sunday and Monday.  It appears the region will stay dry through the period with moisture staying to the south in California.  Air mass will stabilize, especially during the night and morning, then destabilize in most inland locations during the afternoon.  Wind flow weakens and turns offshore.  Smoke dispersion slowly worsens.

2.  DISPERSION

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

MORNING
Mixing height above 5000 ft.
Transport wind WNW to NW at 13 - 25 mph.
Surface wind WSW to WNW at 8 - 12 mph.

AFTERNOON
Mixing height above 5000 ft.
Transport wind similar to morning.
Surface wind WSW to NW at 6 - 12 mph.

EVENING
Mixing height lowers below 3000 ft after sunset.
Transport wind W to NW at 9 - 15 mph.
Surface wind W to NNW at 4 - 8 mph.

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

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

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

EVENING
Mixing height lowers below 3000 ft after sunset.
Transport wind NW to N at 8 - 14 mph.
Surface wind becomes light and variable but favors NW to N.

OUTLOOK:

SATURDAY
Mixing height below 1000 ft early rising to 3300 to 4300 ft by late morning and through the afternoon.  Transport wind E to SE at 4 - 8 mph during the morning becoming NE to E at 6 - 12 mph during the afternoon.  Surface wind light and variable during the morning becoming N to ENE at 5 - 9 mph during the afternoon.

SUNDAY
Mixing height below 1000 ft early rising to 3000 to 4000 ft by late morning rising to 3800 to 4800 ft during the afternoon.  Transport wind ESE to SSE at 9 - 15 mph.  Surface wind ESE to SSE at 6 - 12 mph during the morning becoming NNE to ENE at 4 - 8 mph during the afternoon.

MONDAY
Mixing height below 1000 ft early rising to 2000 to 3000 ft by late morning rising to 3200 to 4200 ft during the afternoon.  Transport wind ENE to ESE at 6 - 10 mph during the morning becoming light and variable during the afternoon.  Surface wind ENE to ESE at 4 - 8 mph during the morning becoming light and variable during the afternoon.

3.  BURNING INSTRUCTIONS FOR ALL ZONES IN THE WESTERN OREGON AREA
These instructions are valid for burning conducted on Friday, April 3, 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 and 619
Use standard guidance matrix. (See section 5 below.)

Cascades

Zone 605, 606, 607, 608, 609, 616, 617, and 623
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, 611, and 622
Units should be 1000 tons or less, spaced 5 miles apart, and 10 miles from downwind SSRAs.  East of R2W in Zone 622, use standard guidance matrix. (See section 5 below.)

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

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

==============================================================
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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