FNUS75 KRIW 232048
FWSRIW

SPOT FORECAST FOR NORTON...FOREST SERVICE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY
248 PM MDT TUE AUG 23 2011

FORECAST IS BASED ON REQUEST TIME OF 1429 MDT ON AUGUST 23.
IF CONDITIONS BECOME UNREPRESENTATIVE...CONTACT THE NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE.

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM MDT THIS EVENING...

.DISCUSSION...

HOT DRY AND WINDY UNDERNEATH A RIDGE. A TROUGH MOVING THROUGHMONTANA
WILL INCREASE THE PRESSURE GRADIENT AND THEREFORE THE OVERALL WIND
SPEEDS. WE ARE EXPECTED TO MIX OUT TO ABOUT 10000 FEET ABOVE THE
BOTTOM ELEVATION OF THE FIRE...WHERE 28 TO 35 MPH WESTERLY WINDS
RESIDE...EXPECT THESE WINDS TO MIX DOWN THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
THESE MODERATE WESTERLIES WILL CREATE DOWNSLOPE DRYING AND COMBINE
WITH THE ALREADY DRY AMBIENT AIR TO CAUSE EXTREME FIRE BEHAVIOR
INTO THE EARLY EVENING. WEDNESDAY LOOKS DRY AGAIN WITH WEST TO
SOUTHWEST WINDS AT 10 TO 20 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON.

TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN HOT THROUGH THE WEEK WITH LITTLE TREND...RHS
WILL REMAIN IN THE LOW TEENS WITH A SLIGHT UPWARD TREND TOWARD THE
END OF THE WEEK AS THE RIDGE BREAKS DOWN. DRY THUNDERSTORMS ARE
POSSIBLE TOWARD THE END OF THE WEEK...POSSIBLY AS EARLY AS
THURSDAY. EXPECT THUNDERSTORMS EACH AFTERNOON THIS WEEKEND AND
INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK WITH CHANCES OF WETTING RAINS INCREASING WITH
EACH DAY...BUT CHANCES REMAIN FAIRLY LOW.

...THUNDERSTORMS IMPLY STRONG GUSTY AND ERRATIC WINDS...
...HAINES INDEX IS HIGH LEVEL HAINES BOTH DAY AND NIGHT...

FORECASTER...ALLEN

.TONIGHT...
SKY/WEATHER.........CLEAR (5-15 PERCENT).
MIN TEMPERATURE.....40-44.
MAX HUMIDITY........45-55 PERCENT.
20 FOOT WINDS.......NORTHWEST WINDS 8 TO 17 MPH WITH GUSTS TO
                    AROUND 35 MPH UNTIL MIDNIGHT BECOMING
                    DOWNSLOPE/DOWNVALLEY 4-7 MPH.
RIDGE TOP WINDS.....NORTHWEST AROUND 30 MPH DECREASING TO 15 MPH
                    IN THE LATE EVENING AND OVERNIGHT.
LAL.................1.
CHC OF WETTING RAIN.ZERO PERCENT.
HAINES INDEX........4 OR LOW POTENTIAL FOR LARGE PLUME DOMINATED
                    FIRE GROWTH.

.WEDNESDAY...
SKY/WEATHER.........SUNNY (0-5 PERCENT) THEN BECOMING PARTLY CLOUDY
                    (30-40 PERCENT). AREAS OF SMOKE IN THE
                    AFTERNOON. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF DRY THUNDERSTORMS
                    IN THE AFTERNOON.
MAX TEMPERATURE.....77-79.
MIN HUMIDITY........10-13 PERCENT.
20 FOOT WINDS.......UPSLOPE/UPVALLEY 5-9 MPH BECOMING WEST 10 TO 15
                    MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 20 MPH IN THE
                    AFTERNOON. GUSTY AND ERRATIC WINDS EXPECTED
                    NEAR THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AFTERNOON.
RIDGE TOP WINDS.....WEST 10 TO 15 MPH INCREASING TO WEST 15 TO
                    25 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON.
LAL.................1 UNTIL 1200...THEN 2.
CHC OF WETTING RAIN.LESS THAN 5 PERCENT.
HAINES INDEX........5 OR MODERATE POTENTIAL FOR LARGE PLUME
                    DOMINATED FIRE GROWTH.

.FORECAST DAYS 3 THROUGH 5...
.WEDNESDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLEAR. SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS IN THE EVENING. LOWS IN THE LOW 40S. WINDS
GENERALLY LESS THAN 10 MPH.
.THURSDAY...PARTLY CLOUDY WITH SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS. LOWS IN THE LOW 40S. HIGHS IN THE UPPER 70S.
WINDS GENERALLY LESS THAN 10 MPH.
.FRIDAY...PARTLY CLOUDY WITH SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS. LOWS IN THE LOW 40S. HIGHS IN THE MID 70S. WINDS
GENERALLY LESS THAN 10 MPH.
.SATURDAY...PARTLY CLOUDY WITH SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS. LOWS IN THE SLOW 40S. HIGHS IN THE MID 70S. WINDS
GENERALLY LESS THAN 10 MPH.
.SUNDAY...MOSTLY CLEAR. SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS. LOWS IN THE MID 30S. HIGHS IN THE LOWER 70S.
WINDS GENERALLY LESS THAN 10 MPH.

$$

FORECASTER...ALLEN
REQUESTED BY...SLAGOWSKI
REASON FOR REQUEST...WILDFIRE
.TAG 20110823.NORTO.01/RIW