FNUS74 KLZK 251348 FWSLZK SPOT FORECAST FOR CRIGGER FIELDS...USDA FOREST SERVICE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR 748 AM CST SUN JAN 25 2009 FORECAST IS BASED ON IGNITION TIME OF 1100 CST ON JANUARY 25. IF CONDITIONS BECOME UNREPRESENTATIVE...CONTACT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. .DISCUSSION... MAJOR ICING EVENT WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS NORTHERN AND NORTH CENTRAL ARKANSAS THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AS WINTER STORM CONTINUES TO EVOLVE. NORTHEAST WINDS WILL KEEP COLD AIR IN PLACE WHILE MOISTURE WILL WORK ITS WAY OVER THE COLD AIR ON SOUTHWEST WINDS ALOFT. THE MOISTURE WILL RIDE UP AND OVER THE COLDER SURFACE AIR WITH WIDESPREAD FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET LIKELY OVER THE NORTH BY LATE MONDAY. FREEZING PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO PERSIST THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. THE PROLONGED DURATION OF THE EVENT AND AMOUNT OF ICE EXPECTED WILL LIKELY LEAD TO POWER OUTAGES AND WIDESPREAD TIMBER DAMAGE. A WINTER STORM WATCH IN IN EFFECT FOR AREAS ROUGHLY NORTH OF A FORT SMITH TO CLINTON TO HEBER SPRINGS TO NEWPORT LINE. SOUTH OF THIS LINE...A WIDESPREAD COLD RAIN IS EXPECTED. A SLIGHT DEVIATION OF THE EXPECTED STORM TRACK WOULD CHANGE THE WATCH AND LIKELY WARNING AREA. AS THE SYSTEM PULLS OUT WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...THE FREEZING PRECIPITATION WILL LIKELY SHIFT SOUTHWARD BEFORE ENDING LATE WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. THE EXACT TIMING AND PLACEMENT OF THE HEAVIEST ICING IS STILL IN QUESTION BUT NORTHERN ARKANSAS SHOULD BRACE FOR SIGNIFICANT ICING. .TODAY... TEMPERATURE.........37 AT IGNITION...MAX 42. RH..................40 PERCENT AT IGNITION...MIN 36 PERCENT. EYE LEVEL WINDS.....LIGHT WINDS. TRANSPORT WINDS........EAST 10 TO 14 MPH. MIXING HEIGHT.......BECOMING 2200 FT MSL. TIME (CST) 11A 12P 1PM 2PM 3PM 4PM 5PM TEMP............37 39 40 41 42 41 40 RH..............40 38 37 37 36 40 43 EYE LVL WND DIR.E E E E E E E EYE LVL WND SPD.4 4 4 4 4 4 4 EYE LVL WND GST.3 3 3 3 3 3 3 MIX HGT (KFT)... TRANSP WIND DIR.SE SE SE SE SE E E TRANSP WIND SPD.10 10 10 12 13 13 14 .TONIGHT... TEMPERATURE.........MIN 28. RH..................MAX 85 PERCENT. EYE LEVEL WINDS.....LIGHT WINDS BECOMING EAST 5 TO 6 MPH AFTER MIDNIGHT. TIME (CST) 6 PM 8 PM 10 PM MIDNGT 2 AM 4 AM TEMP............38 36 34 33 32 30 RH..............48 60 64 68 72 78 EYE LVL WND DIR.E E E E E E EYE LVL WND SPD.4 4 4 4 4 4 EYE LVL WND GST.3 3 3 3 5 5 $$ FORECASTER...44 REQUESTED BY...BEN ROWLAND TYPE OF REQUEST...PRESCRIBED .TAG 20090125.CRIGG.01/LZK