FNUS76 KOTX 132326
FWSOTX

SPOT FORECAST FOR YAKIMA COMPLEX NORTH...OTHER
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA
426 PM PDT THU SEP 13 2012

FORECAST IS BASED ON REQUEST TIME OF 1624 MDT ON SEPTEMBER 13.
IF CONDITIONS BECOME UNREPRESENTATIVE, CONTACT THE NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE.

.DISCUSSION...

...CONTINUED DRY AND UNSTABLE TONIGHT AND FRIDAY...

A WEAK COLD FRONT WILL ARRIVE LATE ON FRIDAY EVENING. CONDITIONS
WILL BE DRY AND UNSTABLE AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT. A HIGH LEVEL
HAINES OF 5 WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THIS EVENING. THE HAINES WILL
FALL TO A 3 OR 4 ON FRIDAY...BUT THE DECREASE IN HAINES MAY BE A
LITTLE MISLEADING. MID AND LOW LEVEL LAPSE RATES WILL ACTUALLY BE
STEEPER ON FRIDAY...AND HUMIDITY LEVELS WILL NOT IMPROVE MUCH. A
SHIFT TO WEST OR NORTHWEST WINDS WILL LIKELY OCCUR ON FRIDAY
AFTERNOON OR EARLY FRIDAY EVENING...AND LOCALIZED GUSTY CONDITIONS
WILL BE POSSIBLE FRIDAY EVENING...AND AGAIN SATURDAY EVENING.
SURFACE AND TRANSPORT WINDS WILL BECOME LIGHT AGAIN ON SUNDAY AND
POSSIBLY STAY LIGHT THROUGH MUCH OF NEXT WEEK. IF THE SMOKE IS
CLEARED OUT OF THE YAKIMA AND ELLENSBURG AREAS FRIDAY NIGHT OR
SATURDAY...IT MAY RETURN SUNDAY NIGHT OR MONDAY.


.FRIDAY...

SKY/WEATHER.........SMOKY...ESPECIALLY IN THE MORNING. VERY FEW
                    CLOUDS.
CWR.................0 PERCENT.
MAX TEMPERATURE.....2500 FT (BOTTOM ELEVATION)...82.
                    5000 FT (TOP ELEVATION)......70.
MIN HUMIDITY........16-21 PERCENT.
WIND (20 FT)........MID-SLOPES...UPSLOPE/UPVALLEY 2 TO 4 MPH
                    BECOMING WEST 3 TO 6 MPH AFTER 1400 PDT.
                    RIDGE TOPS...WEST 2 TO 5 MPH INCREASING TO
                    WEST 4 TO 8 MPH WITH LOCALIZED GUSTS TO 16 MPH
                    IN THE AFTERNOON.
MIXING HEIGHT.......INVERSION BREAKING AROUND 1000 OR 1100 PDT.
                    MIXING HEIGHT 6000 FEET...MUCH HIGHER THAN
                    TODAY.
TRANSPORT WINDS.....NORTHWEST 2 TO 5 MPH IN THE MORNING...
                    INCREASING TO WEST 7 TO 12 MPH THROUGH
                    THE AFTERNOON.
LAL.................1.
HAINES INDEX........4 LOW.

.FRIDAY NIGHT...

SKY/WEATHER.........CLEAR SKIES. AIR QUALITY SHOULD IMPROVE WITH
                    ARRIVAL OF WEST WINDS.
CWR.................0 PERCENT.
MIN TEMPERATURE.....42-50.
MAX HUMIDITY........68-80 PERCENT. BEST RECOVERIES IN SHELTERED
                    AREAS.
WIND (20 FT)........MID-SLOPES...WEST OR NORTHWEST 3 TO 6 MPH.
                    RIDGE TOPS...WEST 6 TO 10 MPH WITH GUSTS TO
                    18 MPH IN THE EVENING.
MIXING HEIGHT.......200-500 FT AGL.
TRANSPORT WINDS.....WEST 10 TO 15 MPH.
LAL.................1.
HAINES INDEX........3 MODERATE.

.OUTLOOK...

.SATURDAY...MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGHS 79 (BOTTOM) AND 67 (TOP). NORTHWEST
WIND 4 TO 7 MPH...WITH RIDGE TOP GUSTS TO 14 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON.
.SATURDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLEAR. LOWS 40S. NORTHWEST WIND 5 TO 8 MPH
WITH RIDGE TOP GUSTS TO 16 MPH IN THE EVENING.
.SUNDAY...SUNNY. LOWS 40S. HIGHS 78 (BOTTOM) AND 66 (TOP). LIGHT
TERRAIN DRIVEN WINDS.
.MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY...CLEAR. ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES WITH
HIGHS LOW TO MID 80S LOW ELEVATIONS AND 70S HIGH ELEVATIONS.
LOWS 44 TO 53. GENERALLY LIGHT WINDS.


$$
FORECASTER...GK
REQUESTED BY...JOE BLAZEK
TYPE OF REQUEST...WILDFIRE
.TAG 20120913.YAKIM.01/OTX