FNUS71 KCTP 311927 FWSCTP SPOT FORECAST FOR S290 TEST...NWS CTP NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA 327 PM EDT WED MAR 31 2010 FORECAST IS BASED ON IGNITION TIME OF 1525 EDT ON MARCH 31. IF CONDITIONS BECOME UNREPRESENTATIVE...CONTACT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE. .DISCUSSION... AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF DRY WEATHER WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES VERY MUCH ABOVE NORMAL HAS BEGUN AND WILL LAST INTO THIS FIRST HALF OF THE NEXT WEEK. FINE FUEL MOISTURES HAVE BECOME OR ALREADY ARE MUCH LOWER THAN 10 PCT...AND IN SOME CASES LESS THAN 5 PCT. AFTERNOON MINIMUM RELATIVE HUMIDITIES WILL BOTTOM OUT IN THE 25 TO 35 PERCENT RANGE TODAY...AND BETWEEN 30 AND 40 PERCENT ON THURSDAY. NORTHWEST WINDS OF 10 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 15 OVER THE CENTRAL AND WEST TODAY...BUT 10 TO 20MPH WITH GUSTS TO 25 OR 30 MPH ARE EXPECTED IN THE EAST. THESE VALUES WILL ALL TOUCH RED FLAG WARNING CRITERIA. HOWEVER...THESE CRITICAL CONDITIONS SHOULD NOT PERSIST INTO THURSDAY...AS THE WINDS WILL BE LIGHT FROM THE SOUTHWEST. MIN RH/S WILL BE IN THE 30 TO 40 PCT RANGE ON THURSDAY AS WELL. WILL THEREFORE HOLD OFF ON ISSUING A RED FLAG WARNING FOR THE AREA FOR TODAY...EVEN THOUGH IT IS A MIGHTY CLOSE CALL. .TONIGHT... SKY/WEATHER.........CLEAR. MIN TEMPERATURE.....37. MAX HUMIDITY........74 PERCENT. WIND (20 FT)........NORTHWEST WINDS 5 TO 7 MPH EARLY IN THE EVENING...BECOMING LIGHT AND VARIABLE...THEN BECOMING NORTHWEST AROUND 5 MPH LATE IN THE EVENING...BECOMING LIGHT AND VARIABLE. LAL.................NO TSTMS. TRANSPORT WINDS.....WEST 3 TO 8 MPH. HAINES INDEX........5 OR MODERATE POTENTIAL FOR LARGE PLUME DOMINATED FIRE GROWTH. TIME (EDT) 6 PM 8 PM 10 PM MIDNGT 2 AM 4 AM SKY (%).............1 0 3 0 0 0 WEATHER COV......... WEATHER TYPE........NONE NONE NONE NONE NONE NONE TEMP................61 52 49 47 45 42 MIN HUMIDITY........28 39 45 52 58 68 WIND (20 FT)........NW 7 NW 2 NW 5 W 2 W 2 W 2 20 FT WIND GUST.....15 5 5 5 TRANSPORT WINDS.....NW 8 NW 6 NW 3 NW 3 SW 3 W 3 LAL.................1 1 1 1 1 1 HAINES INDEX........5 5 5 4 4 4 .THURSDAY... SKY/WEATHER.........SUNNY. MAX TEMPERATURE.....75. MIN HUMIDITY........34 PERCENT. WIND (20 FT)........LIGHT AND VARIABLE WINDS...BECOMING SOUTHWEST 5 TO 7 MPH IN THE LATE MORNING AND AFTERNOON. LAL.................NO TSTMS. TRANSPORT WINDS.....WEST 2 TO 10 MPH...BECOMING SOUTHWEST 12 TO 16 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON. HAINES INDEX........6 OR HIGH POTENTIAL FOR LARGE PLUME DOMINATED FIRE GROWTH. TIME (EDT) 6 AM 8 AM 10 AM NOON 2 PM 4 PM SKY (%).............0 0 0 0 17 17 WEATHER COV......... WEATHER TYPE........NONE NONE NONE NONE NONE NONE TEMP................39 44 54 63 69 75 MIN HUMIDITY........79 69 54 43 39 34 WIND (20 FT)........W 2 W 3 SW 5 SW 6 SW 7 SW 6 20 FT WIND GUST.....5 5 10 10 10 15 TRANSPORT WINDS.....W 2 SW 2 SW 8 SW 12 SW 13 SW 16 LAL.................1 1 1 1 1 1 HAINES INDEX........4 4 4 5 6 6 $$ FORECASTER...WFO CTP/LAMBERT REQUESTED BY...BILL GARTNER TYPE OF REQUEST...PRESCRIBED .TAG 20100331.S290T.01/CTP