FNUS75 KTFX 042004
FWSTFX

SPOT FORECAST FOR ELBOW PASS COMPLEX...GREAT FALLS DISPATCH
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
204 PM MDT TUE SEP 4 2012

FORECAST IS BASED ON REQUEST TIME OF 1349 MDT ON SEPTEMBER 04.
IF CONDITIONS BECOME UNREPRESENTATIVE...CONTACT THE NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE.

.DISCUSSION...
A WEAK UPPER LEVEL TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE WILL BRING SCATTERED TO
BROKEN MID LEVEL CLOUDS TO THE FIRE AREA TODAY. AN ASSOCIATED COOL
FRONT WILL ALSO APPROACH THE AREA TODAY...BUT IT WILL MOSTLY SLIDE
OFF TO THE SOUTHEAST. THE OVERALL EFFECTS WILL BE TO KEEP THE GUSTY
WINDS MORE OUT OF THE WEST...KEEP TEMPERATURES A BIT COOLER THAN
NORMAL...AND KEEP RELATIVE HUMIDITIES ABOVE 25 PERCENT. AS THIS
SYSTEM EXITS THE AREA OVERNIGHT...WINDS WILL DECREASE AND BECOME
MORE TERRAIN-DRIVEN WITH CLEARING SKIES AND OVERNIGHT
TEMPERATURES/HUMIDITIES SIMILAR TO LAST NIGHT. A DRIER NORTHWEST
FLOW ALOFT WILL KEEP SKIES MOSTLY CLEAR WITH NEAR NORMAL
TEMPERATURES ON WEDNESDAY. THE BREEZY WEST WINDS ALOFT WILL
THEN LIKELY MIX DOWN TO THE SURFACE DURING THE AFTERNOON WITH
SLIGHTLY LOWER RELATIVE HUMIDITIES.  COULSTON


.REST OF TODAY...

SKY/WEATHER.........PARTLY SUNNY.
CWR.................0 PERCENT.
LAL.................1.
HAINES INDEX........2 VERY LOW.
MAX TEMPERATURE.....63-68 VALLEYS...58-63 RIDGES.
MIN HUMIDITY........25-30 PERCENT VALLEYS...35-40 PERCENT RIDGES.
WIND (20 FT)........WEST WINDS 5 TO 15 MPH WITH OCCASIONAL GUSTS
                    TO 25 MPH.
RIDGE TOP WIND......NORTHWEST 15 TO 25 MPH.
MIXING HEIGHT.......7000 FT AGL.
MIXING WINDS........NORTHWEST 10 TO 20 MPH.
INVERSION...........NONE.

.TONIGHT...

SKY/WEATHER.........MOSTLY CLEAR.
CWR.................0 PERCENT.
LAL.................1.
HAINES INDEX........3 VERY LOW.
MIN TEMPERATURE.....35-40 VALLEYS...40-45 RIDGES.
MAX HUMIDITY........70-80 PERCENT VALLEYS...45-50 PERCENT RIDGES.
WIND (20 FT)........WEST WINDS 5 TO 10 MPH IN THE EVENING BECOMING
                    DOWNSLOPE/DOWNVALLEY 4 TO 7 MPH AROUND MIDNIGHT.
RIDGE TOP WIND......NORTHWEST WINDS 10 TO 20 MPH.
MIXING HEIGHT.......500 FT AGL.
MIXING WINDS........WEST AROUND 10 MPH.
INVERSION...........7000 TO 8000 FEET MSL DEVELOPING AROUND MIDNIGHT.

.WEDNESDAY...

SKY/WEATHER.........SUNNY.
CWR.................0 PERCENT.
LAL.................1.
HAINES INDEX........3 VERY LOW.
MAX TEMPERATURE.....67-72 VALLEYS...62-67 RIDGES.
MIN HUMIDITY........22-27 PERCENT VALLEYS...32-37 PERCENT RIDGES.
WIND (20 FT)........LIGHT AND VARIABLE WINDS BECOMING WEST 10 TO 20
                    MPH BY EARLY AFTERNOON.
RIDGE TOP WIND......WEST WINDS 15 TO 25 MPH.
MIXING HEIGHT.......5000 FT AGL.
MIXING WINDS........WEST WINDS 15 TO 20 MPH.

$$
FORECASTER...COULSTON
REQUESTED BY...GREAT FALLS DISPATCH
TYPE OF REQUEST...WILDFIRE
.TAG 20120904.ELBOW.02/TFX