NWS Little Rock, AR - Fire Weather (Decoding the FWM)

Example - FCST,031201,070429,13,1,78,37,1,1,259,05,M,78,52,83,37,0,0,N

FCST,031201,070429,13,1,78,37,1,1,259,05,M,78,52,83,37,0,0,N
The administrative section of the forecast with the site identification (031201), followed by the date (070429) and the specific forecast time (1300 hours). The stations are as follows:

031201 Silver Hill (Searcy Co)
032001 Devils Knob (Johnson Co)
033001 Booneville (Logan Co)
034702 Oden (Montgomery Co)
034802 Jessieville (Garland Co)
031502 Evening Shade (Sharp Co)
033202 Guy (Faulkner Co)
035102 Sheridan (Grant Co)
036901 Monticello (Drew Co)
031404 Blanchard Springs (Stone Co)
032101 Armstead Mountain (Pope Co)

FCST,031201,070429,13,1,78,37,1,1,259,05,M,78,52,83,37,0,0,N
State of Weather - The state of weather is input as a code for the weather expected at basic observation time the next day. Forecasters will select the highest code when more than one type of weather is expected. For example, if both fog and rain are anticipated at basic observation time, the state of weather would be coded as six, the higher state of weather code. The codes are as follows:

0 Clear Skies
1 Scattered Clouds
2 Broken Clouds
3 Overcast Conditions
4 Fog
5 Drizzle
6 Rain
7 Snow
8 Showers
9 Thunderstorms

FCST,031201,070429,13,1,78,37,1,1,259,05,M,78,52,83,37,0,0,N
Temperature and humidity - The forecaster will enter the temperature in degrees Fahrenheit, and the relative humidity in whole percent expected at observation time.

FCST,031201,070429,13,1,78,37,1,1,259,05,M,78,52,83,37,0,0,N
Lightning activity level - Currently these values default to 1 as dry lightning is a very rare event in Arkansas. The possibility of issuing a LAL for Arkansas is currently under review.

FCST,031201,070429,13,1,78,37,1,1,259,05,M,78,52,83,37,0,0,N
Wind direction and speed - The forecaster will enter the expected wind direction in degrees and the expected wind speed at the observation site in mph. The wind speed at a fire weather station is the average of the speed measured over a 10 minute period. Wind speeds measured at a fire weather station usually do not compare with the ASOS 10 meter winds measured at airports. Wind speeds are observed to be lower over the rougher terrain of a forest as compared to the observation site at an airport. The 10- minute average wind at the 20 foot level will produce lower wind speeds than the 2- minute ASOS winds. The forecast wind speed will reflect the lower wind speeds at fire weather stations by reducing the forecast wind speed by 70%.

FCST,031201,070429,13,1,78,37,1,1,259,05,M,78,52,83,37,0,0,N
24 hour forecasts - The forecaster will follow the basic observation time forecasts with the maximum temperature expected during the 24 hour period from basic observation time the day the forecast is being prepared to the basic observation time the following day. This is followed by a forecast of minimum temperature, maximum humidity and minimum humidity expected in the same 24-hour time frame.

FCST,031201,070429,13,1,78,37,1,1,259,05,M,78,52,83,37,0,0,N
Precipitation time duration - The forecaster will enter the expected duration of precipitation in whole hours that will fall at the site for the first 16 hours of the forecast between basic observation times. This sixteen hour forecast will be followed by a forecast of the expected duration of precipitation in whole hours that will fall at the site for the final eight hours of the forecast between basic observation times.

FCST,031201,070429,13,1,78,37,1,1,259,05,M,78,52,83,37,0,0,N
Wet Fuels Condition - A wet fuels condition anticipated at the next basic observation time is entered next. If the forecaster expects fuels to be wet, a Y for yes will be entered. If the forecaster feels fuels will not be wet, an N for no will be entered. Basically, this parameter will be yes when liquid water, ice or snow, will be sitting on the fuels at observation time, i.e., really soaked! Use yes with caution as all indices in the NFDRS are set to zero when wet fuels are forecast.