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Appendices
Fire weather zones
consist of groups of counties (or occasionally single counties)
selected based on homogeneous climatology and expected weather.
These groupings may change from forecast issuance to forecast
issuance, and may contain counties from adjacent states served by
the same NWS office. For a map of the WV
fire weather forecast zones, click
here.
Name; County; Station ID; Latitude; Longitude;
Elevation
GRANDVIEW; Raleigh; 464901; 37.8325 N; 81.0678 W; 2317'
MARLINTON; Pocahontas; 464203; 38.2150 N; 80.0806 W; 2320
PIPESTEM; Summers; 465401;
37.5264 N; 80.9992 W; 2725'
Name; ID; Latitude; Longitude; Elevation
Beckley Raleigh County Memorial Airport; BKW; 37.7873 N; 81.1242 W; 2504'
Bluefield Mercer County Airport; BLF; 37.2800 N; 81.2000 W; 2858'
Name; ID; Latitude; Longitude; Elevation
Lewisburg Greenbrier County Airport; LWB; 37.8700 N; 80.4000 W; 2303'
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For a map of each transmitter reception area, click here.
Location, Call Sign, Frequency, WV Counties Served
Beckley, WV; WXM-71; 162.550 MHz; Fayette, Greenbrier, McDowell, Mercer, Monroe, Nicholas, Raleigh, Summers and Wyoming.
Hinton (Keeney Mtn.), WV; WXM-72; 162.425 MHz; Fayette, Greenbrier, Mercer, Monroe, Nicholas, Pocohontas, Raleigh and Summers.
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The following weather criteria must be met, in addition to low fuel moisture:
Ten-hour fuel
moistures are observed or expected to be 8 percent or less.
This
is an essential requirement and should be coordinated with the Fire Management Officer at the
USFS office in Elkins, WV. In the event coordination is not possible,
the forecaster may, at his or her discretion, use the fuel moisture readings from the NFDRS RAWS.
-AND-
Relative humidity is 25 or less percent at any time
over the forecast area and sustained wind of 15 mph or more. The sustained wind will be a
two-minute averaged, 20 foot-level wind forecast.
Note: During periods of extended drought or when wildland fires are occurring, modifications to
these criteria may be required. Any change will be coordinated through the USFS and the WV Division of Forestry, or with the Fire Burn Analyst (FBAN) and Incident Commander (IC) on an existing
large project burn. We recognize there are seasonal vairabilities that may stress live fuels differently,
in addition to other weather phenomena (such as, a frontal passage or thunderstorm downburst),
that may result in extreme fire behavior and pose a hazard to wildland firefighters.
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Click here for the latest products from:
Blacksburg, VA (RNK): Red Flag ;Fire Weather Forecast
Charleston, WV (RLX): Red Flag or Fire Weather Forecast
Click here for an example of a Fire Danger Statement .
Click here for an example of a Spot Forecast.
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Ventilation Rate (ft mph) and Associated Burn Category
0 to 33499 = 1
33500 to 44999 = 2
44500 to 59999 = 3
60000 to 111999 = 4
112000 + = 5 (TOP) |
Surface Wind (MPH) and Associated Dispersion Category
Near Calm = Stagnant
2 - 4 MPH = Very Poor
6 - 8 MPH = Poor
9 - 12 MPH = Fair
13 MPH + = Good (TOP) |
LAL Categories
1: No Thunderstorms.
2: Cumulus clouds are common, but only a few reach the towering
cumulus stage. A single thunderstorm must be confirmed in the rating
area. The clouds mostly produce virga, but light rain will
occasionally reach the ground.
3: Cumulus clouds are common. Swelling and towering cumulus cover
less than 2/10ths of the sky. Thunderstorms are few, but two or
three must occur within the observation area. Light to moderate rain
will reach the ground, and lightning is infrequent.
4: Swelling cumulus and towering cumulus cover 2/10ths to 3/10ths
of the sky. Thunderstorms are scattered, but more than three must
occur within the observation area. Moderate rain is commonly
produced, and lightning is frequent.
5: Towering cumulus and thunderstorms are numerous, they cover
more than 3/10ths of the sky and occasionally obscure it. Rain is
moderate to heavy, and lightning is frequent and intense.
6: Same as #3, but dry (little or no rain reaching the ground).
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Lightning Strokes
1: 0/min., 0/5 min., 0/15 min.
2: 1/min., 1-5/5 min., 1-8/15 min.
3: 1-2/min., 6-10/5 min., 9-15/15 min.
4: 2-3/min., 11-15/5 min., 16-25/15 min.
5: 3/min., 15/5 min., 25/15 min.
6: 1-2/min., 6-10/5 min., 9-15/15 min.
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Standard Air Temperature: +/- 5 degrees F.
Relative Humidity: +/- 5%.
Wind Speed and Direction at 20 ft AGL: +/- 5 mph and/or 45
degrees.
Precipitation POP, duration and amount: same as for public zones.
Transports Winds: +/- 5 mph and/or 45 degrees.
Mixing Height: +/- 300 m or 984 ft.
Dispersion: One category of change.
Note: Morning upper air soundings from nearby weather balloon sites
should be examined for update criteria.
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February 2008:
Removed Matt Dillon as the WV Forestry point of contact
Under “Natural Resource Agency Responsibilities,” removed the remarks about the upcoming automation of the NFDRS observations, referencing the change from R to O within WIMS. Deadline for implementation was not met, and not sure when this change will occur.
Under “Incident Support,” changed volume and shipping weights for the AMRS equipment used by the IMET.
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