FNUS71 KRNK 301506 FWSRNK SPOT FORECAST FOR HIGH COUNTRY RX...USDA FOREST SERVICE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA 1106 AM EDT FRI MAR 30 2012 FORECAST IS BASED ON IGNITION TIME OF 1040 EDT ON MARCH 30. IF CONDITIONS BECOME UNREPRESENTATIVE...CONTACT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. .DISCUSSION... LIGHT SOUTHERLY TO SOUTHWEST WINDS CAN BE EXPECTED TODAY...INCREASING BY EARLY AFTERNOON TO AS MUCH AS 10-14 MPH AT THE HIGH ELEVATIONS. AS WINDS AT RIDGE TOP SHIFT MORE MORE SOUTHWEST...THEY COULD AT TIMES FUNNEL AROUND WHITE TOP MTN MORE FROM THE WEST THROUGH THE ELK GARDEN PASS. SCATTERED SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED BY 3PM OR LATER THIS AFTERNOON...AND WINDS COULD BE GUSTY AND VARIABLE NEAR ANY STORMS...BUT WOULD TEND TO BE MORE FROM THE WEST. SCATTERED SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE THIS EVENING... AND THEN AGAIN TOWARD SATURDAY MORNING...WITH BREEZY NORTHWEST WINDS BEHIND A COLD FRONT FOR SATURDAY. .TODAY... SKY/WEATHER.........MOSTLY SUNNY (35-45 PERCENT). A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AFTERNOON. MAX TEMPERATURE.....AROUND 66. MIN HUMIDITY........42 PERCENT. WIND (20 FT)........LIGHT AND VARIABLE WINDS...BECOMING SOUTHWEST 8 TO 10 MPH IN THE LATE MORNING AND AFTERNOON. GUSTY AND ERRATIC WINDS EXPECTED NEAR THUNDERSTORMS EARLY IN THE AFTERNOON. CWR (0.01 IN).......30 PERCENT. MIXING HEIGHT.......2200 FT AGL...INCREASING TO 3000 FT AGL IN THE AFTERNOON. TRANSPORT WINDS.....SOUTHWEST 5 TO 7 MPH...INCREASING TO 10 TO 16 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON. HAINES INDEX........3 TO 4 OR OR VERY LOW POTENTIAL FOR LARGE PLUME DOMINATED FIRE GROWTH TO OR LOW POTENTIAL FOR LARGE PLUME DOMINATED FIRE GROWTH. TIME (EDT) 10 AM NOON 2 PM 4 PM SKY (%).............25 50 55 70 WEATHER COV......... S CHC CHANCE CHANCE WEATHER TYPE........NONE RNSHWR RNSHWR RNSHWR TSTM COV............ CHANCE CHANCE TEMP................59 61 63 65 RH..................53 47 43 42 20 FT WIND..........SW 4 SW 4 W 6 SW 6 20 FT WIND GUST.....5 10 10 15 MIX HGT (FT)........1500 2800 3000 3200 TRANSPORT WIND......S 5 SW 10 SW 15 SW 16 CWR.................10 20 30 30 HAINES INDEX........3 4 4 4 .TONIGHT... SKY/WEATHER.........MOSTLY CLOUDY (60-70 PERCENT). A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS IN THE EVENING. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS. MIN TEMPERATURE.....AROUND 49. MAX HUMIDITY........92 PERCENT. WIND (20 FT)........WEST WINDS 7 TO 12 MPH. GUSTS UP TO 25 MPH AFTER MIDNIGHT. GUSTY AND ERRATIC WINDS EXPECTED NEAR THUNDERSTORMS EARLY IN THE EVENING. CWR (0.01 IN).......40 PERCENT. MIXING HEIGHT.......300 FT AGL. TRANSPORT WINDS.....SOUTHWEST 7 TO 16 MPH...BECOMING SOUTH 0 TO 5 MPH AFTER MIDNIGHT. MIXING HEIGHT.......300 FT AGL. TRANSPORT WINDS.....SOUTHWEST 7 TO 16 MPH...BECOMING SOUTH 0 TO 5 MPH AFTER MIDNIGHT. HAINES INDEX........3 OR VERY LOW POTENTIAL FOR LARGE PLUME DOMINATED FIRE GROWTH. TIME (EDT) 6 PM 8 PM 10 PM MIDNGT 2 AM 4 AM SKY (%).............61 70 62 60 61 65 WEATHER COV.........CHANCE CHANCE CHANCE CHANCE S CHC CHANCE WEATHER TYPE........RNSHWR RNSHWR RNSHWR RNSHWR RNSHWR RNSHWR TSTM COV............CHANCE CHANCE TEMP................63 60 57 55 54 52 RH..................47 57 70 77 83 85 20 FT WIND..........SW 5 SW 5 SW 5 SW 6 W 7 W 9 20 FT WIND GUST.....15 10 15 15 20 20 MIX HGT (FT)........1900 1200 900 600 300 300 TRANSPORT WIND......SW 16 SW 15 SW 10 S 5 S 0 S 0 CWR.................40 40 30 30 20 30 HAINES INDEX........3 3 3 3 3 3 .SATURDAY... SKY/WEATHER.........MOSTLY SUNNY (35-45 PERCENT). A CHANCE OF SHOWERS EARLY IN THE MORNING. MAX TEMPERATURE.....AROUND 67. MIN HUMIDITY........45 PERCENT. WIND (20 FT)........WEST WINDS 9 TO 14 MPH. GUSTS UP TO 25 MPH EARLY IN THE MORNING...THEN 25 MPH LATE IN THE MORNING. CWR (0.01 IN).......30 PERCENT. MIXING HEIGHT.......2200 FT AGL...INCREASING TO 3200 FT AGL IN THE AFTERNOON. TRANSPORT WINDS.....SOUTHWEST 0 TO 9 MPH...INCREASING TO WEST 15 TO 21 MPH LATE IN THE MORNING...THEN INCREASING TO 25 TO 33 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON...INCREASING TO AROUND 35 MPH LATE. MIXING HEIGHT.......2200 FT AGL...INCREASING TO 3200 FT AGL IN THE AFTERNOON. TRANSPORT WINDS.....SOUTHWEST 0 TO 9 MPH...INCREASING TO WEST 15 TO 21 MPH LATE IN THE MORNING...THEN INCREASING TO 25 TO 33 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON...INCREASING TO AROUND 35 MPH LATE. HAINES INDEX........3 OR VERY LOW POTENTIAL FOR LARGE PLUME DOMINATED FIRE GROWTH. TIME (EDT) 6 AM 8 AM 10 AM NOON 2 PM 4 PM SKY (%).............66 55 35 25 17 16 WEATHER COV.........CHANCE S CHC S CHC S CHC WEATHER TYPE........RNSHWR RNSHWR RNSHWR RNSHWR NONE NONE TSTM COV............ TEMP................51 51 56 61 64 66 RH..................89 87 78 67 56 49 20 FT WIND..........W 10 W 5 W 7 W 10 W 10 W 11 20 FT WIND GUST.....25 10 15 20 20 25 MIX HGT (FT)........300 300 1200 2200 3200 2800 TRANSPORT WIND......S 0 S 0 SW 9 W 21 W 30 W 33 CWR.................30 20 10 10 10 10 HAINES INDEX........3 3 3 3 3 3 $$ FORECASTER...KEIGHTON REQUESTED BY...RON NIXON TYPE OF REQUEST...PRESCRIBED .TAG 20120330.HIGHC.01/RNK