####018005279#### FNUS21 KWNS 210652 FWDDY1 DAY 1 FIRE WEATHER OUTLOOK NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK 0151 AM CDT TUE OCT 21 2008 VALID 211200Z - 221200Z ...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER AREA FOR SRN CA COASTAL AREAS... ...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER AREA FOR LOWER CO RIVER VALLEY... ...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER AREA FOR NRN CA/SACRAMENTO VALLEY... ...SYNOPSIS... MULTIPLE AREAS OF ENHANCED FIRE DANGER WILL EXIST TODAY. AN UPPER TROUGH AFFECTING THE PACIFIC NW THIS MORNING WILL QUICKLY DIG SEWD ACROSS THE ROCKIES AND INTO THE CNTRL PLAINS TODAY. A NWLY JET AXIS AROUND THE BACKSIDE OF THE TROUGH WILL ALLOW FOR GUSTY WLY TO NWLY WINDS ACROSS MUCH OF THE ROCKIES...WITH A LOCALLY ENHANCED FIRE THREAT IN ERN UT/NWRN CO AS A COLD FRONT PASSES AND DRY CONDITIONS FOLLOW. MEANWHILE...SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE CENTERED ROUGHLY OVER THE PACIFIC NW WILL BUILD EWD AND SWD...SUBSEQUENTLY INCREASING THE PRESSURE GRADIENT ACROSS SRN NM/AZ/CA BY EARLY WED MORNING. HOT AND DRY CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST...WITH GUSTY NLY/NELY WINDS W OF THE COASTAL RANGES IN SRN CA...AND GUSTY NLY WINDS THROUGH THE LOWER CO RIVER VALLEY. FARTHER N...DRY OFFSHORE FLOW...NLY SURFACE WINDS NEAR 15 TO 20 MPH IN THE LOWER VALLEYS...AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY WILL CONTRIBUTE TO CRITICAL FIRE CONDITIONS ACROSS NRN CA. IN THE NERN STATES...A COLD FRONT WILL PASS THROUGH EARLY THIS MORNING...WITH STRONG NWLY WINDS FOLLOWING. THESE WINDS MAY JUXTAPOSE WITH MARGINAL RH VALUES IN PORTIONS OF VA/MD/PA/DEL AND NJ. FARTHER S...RELATIVE HUMIDITIES WILL DROP INTO THE UPPER 20S AND LOWER 30S ACROSS A WIDESPREAD REGION...ALTHOUGH WINDS WILL BE LIGHTER THAN AREAS TO THE N. ...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER AREA - SRN CA COASTAL AREAS... PRIMARY CONDITIONS: SANTA ANA WINDS...LOW RH...MODERATE TO SEVERE DROUGHT SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD SWD AND EWD WITH AN INCREASING PRESSURE GRADIENT ACROSS SRN CA BY LATE TUESDAY THROUGH EARLY WED MORNING. HOT AND DRY CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE W OF THE COASTAL RANGES AS OFFSHORE FLOW LEADS TO COMPRESSIONAL HEATING. EXTREMELY LOW RH VALUES IN THE SINGLE DIGITS WILL COMBINE WITH VERY DRY FUELS AND GUSTY WINDS TO CREATE DANGEROUS FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ALONG AND W OF THE COASTAL RANGE. OVERNIGHT INTO WED MORNING...WINDS WILL INCREASE AS THESE AREAS REMAIN HOT AND RH VALUES REMAIN IN THE SINGLE DIGITS. AREAS IN FAVORED CANYONS AND PASSES WILL BE ESPECIALLY VULNERABLE TO LOCALLY EXTREME CONDITIONS...WITH GUSTS NEAR 50 TO 60 MPH. A LACK OF UPPER SUPPORT/STRONGER WINDS ALOFT WILL PRECLUDE AN EXTREME OUTLINE AT THIS TIME...ALTHOUGH AN ENHANCED FIRE THREAT WILL CERTAINLY EXIST. ...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER AREA - LOWER CO RIVER VALLEY... PRIMARY CONDITIONS: LOW RH...STRONG WINDS...MODERATE DROUGHT RELATIVE HUMIDITIES WILL REMAIN IN THE SINGLE DIGITS THROUGHOUT TUESDAY...WITH TEMPERATURES IN THE 90S THROUGH THE LOWER VALLEYS. OVERNIGHT...LITTLE RH RECOVERY IS EXPECTED AND TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN IN THE UPPER 60S TO LOWER 70S. OVERNIGHT THROUGH EARLY WED MORNING...HIGH PRESSURE CURRENTLY CENTERED NEAR THE PACIFIC NW WILL CONTINUE TO BUILD SWD AND EWD...INCREASING THE PRESSURE GRADIENT ACROSS THE SWRN STATES. NLY WINDS WILL ACCELERATE THROUGH THE LOWER CO RIVER VALLEY OVERNIGHT AS LOWER ELEVATIONS REMAIN WARM...WITH SUSTAINED SPEEDS CLOSE TO 20 MPH AND GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH. ...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER AREA - NRN CA/SACRAMENTO VALLEY... PRIMARY CONDITIONS: LOW RH...SEVERE DROUGHT...LOCALLY STRONG WINDS ALTHOUGH THE STRONGER JET WINDS WILL REMAIN E OF CA...NLY WINDS NEAR 15 TO 20 MPH WILL AFFECT PORTIONS OF THE SACRAMENTO VALLEY...WITH STRONGER SPEEDS AT HIGHER ELEVATIONS. RELATIVE HUMIDITIES IN THE UPPER SINGLE DIGITS AND LOWER TEENS WILL AFFECT THE LOWER VALLEYS...WITH POOR RH RECOVERY OVERNIGHT. GIVEN SEVERE DROUGHT CONDITIONS...AN ENHANCED FIRE THREAT WILL EXIST. ...ERN UT/NWRN CO... A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE AREA BY MID-LATE AFTERNOON CAUSING WINDS TO SHIFT FROM THE W TO THE NW...POSING A DANGER TO ANY EXISTING FIRES. SUSTAINED WINDS NEAR 20 TO 25 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS WILL ACCOMPANY THE FRONT AND FOLLOW IT...AND WILL ALIGN WITH RELATIVE HUMIDITIES IN THE 20S. DESPITE LOCALLY ENHANCED FIRE THREAT...FUEL CONDITIONS AND COOL TEMPERATURES OVERNIGHT IN THE 20S AND 30S WILL PRECLUDE A CRITICAL OUTLINE. ...PORTIONS OF THE NE... A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE AREA THIS MORNING...WITH STRONG NWLY WINDS FOLLOWING THE PASSAGE OF THE FRONT. LEAVES THAT HAVE FALLEN OR ARE FALLING MAY PROVIDE LOCALLY DRIER FUELS FOR STARTS AS THE AREA HAS REMAINED DRY OVER THE PAST FEW DAYS. MARGINAL RELATIVE HUMIDITIES IN THE 30S WILL PRECLUDE AN OUTLINE...ALTHOUGH LOCALIZED AREAS MAY EXPERIENCE RELATIVE HUMIDITIES IN THE UPPER 20S IN WEAK DOWNSLOPING/DRYING. ...FL PANHANDLE/SUWANNEE VALLEY... DRY AIRMASS REMAINS OVER A LARGE PORTION OF THE SE...EVIDENCED IN WV IMAGERY AND OBSERVED PWATS. ANOTHER DAY OF CRITICALLY LOW RH WILL EXIST OVER THE PANHANDLE AND PORTIONS OF THE SUWANNEE VALLEY...ALTHOUGH LIGHT WINDS WILL PRECLUDE A CRITICAL AREA. ..HURLBUT.. 10/21/2008 ...PLEASE SEE WWW.SPC.NOAA.GOV/FIRE FOR GRAPHIC PRODUCT...