20070517: fire wx zone boundaries : ADMIN NOTICE NOUS41 KWBC]

[Linda Miller]

-------- Original Message --------

941 
NOUS41 KWBC 171825
PNSWSH

SERVICE CHANGE NOTICE 07-XX
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HEADQUARTERS WASHINGTON DC
226 PM EDT THU MAY 17 2007

TO:       FAMILY OF SERVICES /FOS/ SUBSCRIBERS...NOAA WEATHER
          WIRE SERVICE /NWWS/ SUBSCRIBERS...EMERGENCY MANAGERS 
          WEATHER INFORMATION NETWORK /EMWIN/ SUBSCRIBERS...
          NOAAPORT SUBSCRIBERS...OTHER NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE 
          /NWS/ CUSTOMERS AND PARTNERS...NWS EMPLOYEES

FROM:     ELI JACKS
          CHIEF...FIRE AND PUBLIC WEATHER SERVICES BRANCH

SUBJECT:  CHANGES TO FIRE WEATHER ZONE BOUNDARIES IN 
          WASHINGTON AND OREGON...EFFECTIVE JUNE 1 2007

EFFECTIVE FRIDAY JUNE 1 AT 1200 COORDINATED UNIVERSAL TIME 
/UTC/...THE NWS WEATHER FORECAST OFFICES /WFOS/ IN PORTLAND 
OREGON /PQR/ AND PENDLETON OREGON /PDT/ WILL SPLIT FIRE WEATHER 
ZONES THAT COVER BOTH WASHINGTON AND OREGON INTO SEPARATE ZONES 
DIVIDED BY THE WASHINGTON-OREGON STATE BORDER.

THE PURPOSE OF THIS CHANGE IS TO IMPROVE DISSEMINATION OF FIRE 
WEATHER FORECASTS AND WARNINGS VIA THE WASHINGTON STATE ACCESS 
SYSTEM. CURRENTLY FIRE WEATHER ZONES THAT CROSS THE WASHINGTON-
OREGON BORDER ARE IDENTIFIED IN THE PRODUCT HEADER BY AN OREGON 
STATE ZONE. FOR EXAMPLE FIRE WEATHER ZONE ORZ601 ALONG THE 
NORTHERN OREGON AND SOUTHERN WASHINGTON COAST EXTENDS FROM 
APPROXIMATELY CAPE SHOALWATER ON THE SOUTH WASHINGTON COAST TO 
LINCOLN CITY ON THE OREGON COAST. THE PROPOSAL IS TO SPLIT ORZ601 
AT THE COLUMBIA RIVER...CREATING FIRE WEATHER ZONES WAZ601 AND 
ORZ601. A SIMILAR SPLIT WOULD BE MADE FOR OTHER FIRE WEATHER 
ZONES IN THE PORTLAND AND PENDLETON COUNTY WARNING AREAS /CWAS/ 
THAT CROSS THE WASHINGTON-OREGON STATE BORDER.

ONCE THIS CHANGE HAS BEEN IMPLEMENTED...THE FIRE WEATHER ZONES 
LISTED IN TABLE 1 WILL BE USED FOR ALL FIRE WEATHER FORECAST 
PRODUCTS ISSUED BY PORTLAND OR PENDLETON FOR EITHER SIDE OF THE 
WASHINGTON-OREGON BORDER. FOR A MORE DETAILED PHYSICAL 
DESCRIPTION OF EACH ZONE SEE THE FOLLOWING WEB PAGE /USE LOWER 
CASE LETTERS/:

 HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/OS/NOTIFICATION/RESOURCES/WA_OR_5-07.PDF  

TABLE 1:  CURRENT OREGON FIRE WEATHER ZONES THAT WILL BE SPLIT  
AND OREGON AND WASHINGTON FIRE WEATHER ZONES THAT WILL BE 
EFFECTIVE JUNE 1.

CURRENT PENDLETON AND PORTLAND FIRE WEATHER ZONES:

ZONE NUMBER    ZONE NAME /DESCRIPTOR

ORZ601         NORTH OREGON COAST AND SOUTH WASHINGTON COAST
                 INCLUDING WILLAPA HILLS
ORZ602         NORTH OREGON COAST RANGE
ORZ604         WILLAMETTE VALLEY AND CLARK COUNTY LOWLANDS OF
                 SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON
ORZ609         EAST SLOPES OF NORTH OREGON AND SOUTH WASHINGTON
                 CASCADES
ORZ631         COLUMBIA BASIN OF OREGON AND SOUTHEAST WASHINGTON
ORZ633         NORTHERN BLUE MOUNTAINS

PENDLETON AND PORTLAND FIRE WEATHER ZONES EFFECTIVE JUNE 1:

ZONE NUMBER    ZONE NAME/DESCRIPTOR

WAZ601         SOUTH WASHINGTON COAST INCLUDING THE WEST 
                 WILLAPA HILLS
ORZ601         NORTH OREGON COAST
WAZ602         EAST WILLAPA HILLS
ORZ602         NORTH OREGON COAST RANGE
WAZ604         CLARK COUNTY LOWLANDS
ORZ604         WILLAMETTE VALLEY
WAZ609         EAST SLOPES OF THE SOUTHERN WASHINGTON CASCADES
ORZ609         EAST SLOPES OF THE NORTHERN OREGON CASCADES
WAZ631         LOWER COLUMBIA BASIN OF WASHINGTON
ORZ631         LOWER COLUMBIA BASIN OF OREGON
WAZ633         BLUE MOUNTAINS OF WASHINGTON
ORZ633         NORTHERN BLUE MOUNTAINS OF OREGON

TABLE 2:  NWS WATCH...WARNING AND FORECAST PRODUCTS AFFECTED BY 
THESE CHANGES...FOR ZONES WAZ601...ORZ601...WAZ602...ORZ602... 
WAZ604...ORZ604...WAZ609...ORZ609...WAZ631...ORZ631...WAZ633...
ORZ633...ARE AS FOLLOWS:

PRODUCT                       WMO HEADING    AWIPS ID

FIRE WEATHER WATCH            WWUS85 KPQR    RFWPQR
FIRE WEATHER WATCH            WWUS85 KPDT    RFWPDT

RED FLAG WARNING              WWUS85 KPQR    RFWPQR
RED FLAG WARNING              WWUS85 KPDT    RFWPDT

FIRE WEATHER PLANNING         FNUS55 KPQR    FWFPQR
  FORECAST
FIRE WEATHER PLANNING         FNUS55 KPDT    FWFPDT
  FORECAST

NATIONAL FIRE DANGER RATING   FNUS85 KPQR    FWMPQR
  SYSTEM FORECAST
NATIONAL FIRE DANGER RATING   FNUS85 KPDT    FWMPDT
  SYSTEM FORECAST

NWS CUSTOMERS WILL BE REQUIRED TO MAKE THE NECESSARY CHANGES TO 
THEIR COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS TO ACCOMMODATE THESE ZONE CHANGES.

ALTHOUGH THIS NOTIFICATION IS LESS THAN THE REQUIRED 120 DAYS AS 
SPECIFIED BY NWSI 10-1805...THE NEW CONFIGURATION PROPOSED FOR 
IMPLEMENTATION WAS REQUESTED BY...AND HAS BEEN CLOSELY 
COORDINATED WITH...LOCAL FIRE WEATHER PARTNERS AND CUSTOMERS TO 
BE READY TO GO WITH THESE CHANGES ON JUNE 1 2007.

SHAPEFILES OF THE NEW FIRE WEATHER ZONES FOR THE NWS PORTLAND AND 
PENDLETON OFFICES ARE AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD FROM THE FOLLOWING 
WEBSITE /USE LOWER CASE LETTERS/:

     WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/GEODATA/CATALOG/WSOM/HTML/FIREZONE.HTM

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING THESE PRODUCT CHANGES...
PLEASE CONTACT:

     STEPHEN TODD
     METEOROLOGIST IN CHARGE
     NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
     5241 NE 122TH AVE
     PORTLAND OR 97230
     PHONE: 503-326-2340
     EMAIL: STEVE.TODD at NOAA.GOV

THIS AND OTHER NWS SERVICE CHANGE NOTICES ARE AVAILABLE ONLINE AT 
/USE LOWER CASE LETTERS/:

     HTTP://WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/OM/NOTIF.HTM

$$



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