FNUS75 KABQ 201824
FWSABQ

SPOT FORECAST FOR VALLE CANYON FIRE...SANTA FE NATIONAL FOREST
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM
1224 PM MDT SUN MAR 20 2011

IF CONDITIONS BECOME UNREPRESENTATIVE...CONTACT THE NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE.

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 9 AM TO 9 PM MDT MONDAY...

DISCUSSION...
A THICK VEIL OF CIRRUS WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE OVER THE AREA TODAY.
A FEW MID LEVEL CLOUDS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE. VERY DRY AIR IS IN PLACE
AT LOW LEVELS WITH DEWPOINTS RAPIDLY DROPPING INTO THE NEGATIVE
TEENS SURROUNDING THE BURN SITE. LOOK FOR HUMIDITIES IN THE SINGLE
DIGITS THIS AFTERNOON. POOR HUMIDITY RECOVERIES ARE EXPECTED
TONIGHT AS TEMPERATURES REMAIN WARM. RIDGETOP WINDS MAY INCREASE
OVERNIGHT. AS MIXING OCCURS ON MONDAY...WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO
INCREASE FURTHER. DUE TO DAYTIME HUMIDITIES AROUND 15 PERCENT AND
WINDS GUSTS UP TO 45 MPH EXPECTED...A RED FLAG WARNING HAS BEEN
ISSUED FOR THE AREA. THESE CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR A
SIGNIFICANT FIRE WEATHER EVENT. WINDS WILL BECOME MORE WESTERLY
AND WEAKEN ON TUESDAY.

FOR TODAY
   CLOUDS/WEATHER......MOSTLY CLOUDY.
   CHC OF PRECIP.......0 PERCENT.
   TEMPERATURE.........MAX 51-55.
   RELATIVE HUMIDITY...MIN 3-8 PERCENT.
   20 FOOT WIND........SOUTHWEST 8 TO 13 MPH AT RIDGETOP. GUSTS UP
                       TO 25 MPH. MORE TERRAIN DRIVEN WINDS IN LOWER
                       THIRD OF THE CANYON...WITH UPCANYON OR UPSLOPE
                       WINDS 5 TO 8 MPH. WIND DIRECTIONS MAY BE
                       ERRATIC LATE THIS AFTERNOON.
   MIXING HEIGHT.......9500 FT AGL.
   TRANSPORT WIND......SOUTHWEST 25 KNOTS.
   MAX VENT RATE.......EXCELLENT/237500 KNOT-FT.
   VENTILATION TREND...GOOD/82079 KNOT-FT AROUND MID-MORNING
                       BECOMING EXCELLENT/226499 KNOT-FT BY
                       MID-AFTERNOON.

FOR TONIGHT
   CLOUDS/WEATHER......MOSTLY CLOUDY.
   CHC OF PRECIP.......0 PERCENT.
   TEMPERATURE.........MIN 29-32 AT BOTTOM OF CANYON...
                       MIN 34-37 AT MIDSLOPE.
   RELATIVE HUMIDITY...MAX 35-40 PERCENT BOTTOM OF CANYON...
                       MAX 18-23 PERCENT AT MIDSLOPE.
   20 FOOT WIND........SOUTHWEST WINDS 8 TO 14 MPH AT RIDGETOP.
                       A FEW GUSTS OVERNIGHT IN THE LOWER 20S.
                       UPCANYON WINDS WITHIN THE LOWER THIRD OF
                       CANYON EARLY IN THE EVENING...BECOMING
                       DOWNSLOPE/TERRAIN DRIVEN 2 TO 4 MPH BY
                       LATE EVENING.

FOR MONDAY
   CLOUDS/WEATHER......MOSTLY CLOUDY.
   CHC OF PRECIP.......0 PERCENT.
   TEMPERATURE.........MAX 52-56.
   RELATIVE HUMIDITY...MIN 12-17 PERCENT.
   20 FOOT WIND........SOUTHWEST WINDS 15 TO 25 MPH INCREASING TO
                       22 TO 32 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON AT RIDGETOP.
                       GUSTS UP TO 45 MPH AT RIDGETOP. ERRATIC
                       TERRAIN DRIVEN WINDS IN LOWER THIRD OF THE
                       CANYON. GENERALLY UPSLOPE/UPCANYON WINDS
                       8 TO 14 MPH...PERHAPS STRONGER IN THE
                       AFTERNOON.
   MIXING HEIGHT.......10500 FT AGL.
   TRANSPORT WIND......SOUTHWEST 41 KNOTS.
   MAX VENT RATE.......EXCELLENT/430500 KNOT-FT.
   VENTILATION TREND...VERY GOOD/110499 KNOT-FT AROUND MID-MORNING
                       BECOMING EXCELLENT/424511 KNOT-FT BY
                       MID-AFTERNOON.

FORECASTS FOR WINDS ARE 20 FOOT WIND SPEEDS AND MUST BE ADJUSTED
ACCORDING TO FUEL TYPE AND SHELTERING TO GET EYE LEVEL WIND SPEED.

FORECASTER...34

$$

REQUESTED BY...VALLE LOOKOUT
REASON FOR REQUEST...WILDFIRE
.TAG 20110320.VALLE.01/ABQ