353
NOUS41 KWBC 131837
PNSWSH
SERVICE CHANGE NOTICE 06-14
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HEADQUARTERS WASHINGTON DC
1140 AM EST MON MAR 13 2006
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 THE BOUNDARIES OF THE FIRE WEATHER ZONES IN
NEVADA: EFFECTIVE MAY 1 2006
EFFECTIVE MONDAY MAY 1 AT 1200 COORDINATED UNIVERSAL TIME /UTC/...
THE NWS WEATHER FORECAST OFFICE /WFO/ IN LAS VEGAS NEVADA /VEF/
WILL IMPLEMENT CHANGES TO SOUTHERN NEVADA FIRE WEATHER ZONE
BOUNDARIES AND ZONE DESCRIPTOR NAMES.
THE PURPOSE OF THE CHANGES IS TO SUPPORT A MORE EFFICIENT FORECAST
PROCESS AND PROVIDE NWS FIRE WEATHER CUSTOMERS WITH IMPROVED
WATCH...WARNING AND FORECAST PRODUCTS. HISTORICALLY SOUTHERN
NEVADA HAS BEEN REPRESENTED BY ONE LARGE ZONE /NVZ456/ RESULTING
IN PLANNING FORECASTS THAT ARE TOO BROAD AND GENERIC. THE CHANGES
BEING IMPLEMENTED FOR THIS SEASON WILL CREATE SEVEN /7/ NEW ZONES
WHICH ARE MORE CLOSELY ALIGNED WITH DISPATCH BOUNDARIES AND
CLIMATIC REGIMES.
ONCE THESE CHANGES HAVE BEEN IMPLEMENTED...THE NEW ZONES DESCRIBED
IN TABLE 1 WILL BE USED IN ALL FIRE WEATHER FORECAST PRODUCTS
ISSUED FOR SOUTHERN NEVADA.
TABLE 1: NEW SOUTHERN NEVADA FIRE WEATHER ZONE NUMBERS...
NAMES/DESCRIPTORS AND GEOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTIONS: EFFECTIVE MAY 1.
NVZ460 - CNC DISPATCH SOUTHERN DESERTS ESMERALDA AND
PARTS OF CENTRAL NYE COUNTY
PRIMARILY CONSISTS OF ESMERALDA COUNTY... BUT ALSO INCLUDES TWO
SMALL SECTIONS OF CENTRAL NYE COUNTY. THE BOUNDARY BETWEEN THE CNC
DISPATCH AND LV DISPATCH AREAS REPRESENTS THE EASTERN BORDER.
NVZ461 - LINCOLN COUNTY ELY DISPATCH
PORTION OF LINCOLN COUNTY THAT FALLS WITHIN THE ELY DISPATCH AREA
BOUNDARIES. THIS ZONE INCLUDES THE MAJORITY OF LINCOLN
COUNTY...WITH EXCEPTION OF THE SOUTHWESTERN CORNER. THE
GEOPOLITICAL BORDERS OF LINCOLN COUNTY REPRESENT THE BOUNDARIES OF
ZONE 461 FROM THE NORTHWEST CORNER CLOCKWISE TO THE POINT WHERE
THE BORDER OF LINCOLN AND CLARK COUNTIES INTERSECTS THE DESERT
WILDFLIFE REFUGE. FOLLOWING THE WILDLIFE REFUGE BOUNDARY
NORTHWESTWARD TO THE EASTERN BORDER OF THE NEVADA TEST SITE WILL
CONSTITUTE THE SOUTHWESTERN BORDER OF ZONE 461. THIS LINE IS ALSO
IDENTICAL TO THE BOUNDARY SEPARATING THE ELY DISPATCH CENTER AREA
OF RESPONSIBILITY FROM THAT OF THE LAS VEGAS DISPATCH CENTER.
NVZ462 - NYE COUNTY DESERTS LV DISPATCH
ZONE 462 WILL BE REPRESENTED BY THAT PORTION OF THE LAS VEGAS BLM
DISPATCH AREA THAT LIES WITHIN NYE COUNTY. THE BOUNDARY SEPARATING
THE CNC DISPATCH AREA AND THE LV DISPATCH AREA WILL ALSO DEFINE
THE NORTHERN AND WESTERN BOUNDARIES OF ZONE 462. THE SOUTHERN
BOUNDARY WILL BE THE BORDER BETWEEN NYE COUNTY NEVADA AND INYO
COUNTY CALIFORNIA. THE EASTERN BOUNDARY OF ZONE 462 WILL BE
REPRESENTED BY THE EASTERN BORDER OF NYE COUNTY FROM THE NORTHEAST
CORNER OF THE NEVADA TEST SITE SOUTH TO THE CALIFORNIA LINE...
EXCEPT FOR THAT PORTION OF THE SPRING MOUNTAINS ABOVE 5000 FEET
WHICH IS ASSIGNED TO ZONE 464.
NVZ463 - SHEEP RANGE
PORTION OF THE SOUTHERN NEVADA SHEEP RANGE AT OR ABOVE 5000 FEET
ELEVATION. THIS ZONE WILL COMMONLY BE MERGED WITH ZONE 464 TO FORM
A SINGLE CLARK COUNTY MOUNTAINS ZONE.
NVZ464 - SPRING MOUNTAINS
PORTION OF THE SOUTHERN NEVADA SPRING MOUNTAINS RECREATION AREA AT
OR ABOVE 5000 FEET ELEVATION. THIS ZONE WILL COMMONLY BE MERGED
WITH ZONE 463 TO FORM A SINGLE CLARK COUNTY MOUNTAINS ZONE.
NVZ465 - CLARK AND SW LINCOLN DESERTS LV DISPATCH
ZONE 465 WILL BE ALL OF CLARK COUNTY BELOW THE ELEVATION OF 5000
FEET EXCEPT FOR THE LAKE MEAD NATIONAL RECREATION AREA. IT WILL
ALSO CONTAIN THAT PORTION OF SW LINCOLN COUNTY THAT LIES WITHIN
THE LV DISPATCH AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY...INCLUDING THE DESERT
WILDLIFE REFUGE AND THE EASTERNMOST SECTIONS OF THE NEVADA TEST
SITE.
NVZ466 - LAKE MEAD AND COLORADO RIVER LV DISPATCH
PORTION OF THE LAKE MEAD NATIONAL RECREATION AREA THAT LIES WITHIN
NEVADA. THIS ZONE WILL NORMALLY BE MERGED WITH ARIZONA ZONE 101 AS
A SINGLE LAKE MEAD AND LOWER COLORADO RIVER VALLEY ZONE.
TABLE 2: NWS WATCH...WARNING AND FORECAST PRODUCTS AFFECTED BY
SOUTHERN NEVADA FIRE WEATER ZONE CHANGES:
PRODUCTWMO HEADINGAWIPS ID
------------------------------------------------
FIRE WEATHER WATCHWWUS85 KVEFRFWVEF
RED FLAG WARNINGWWUS85 KVEFRFWVEF
FIRE WEATHER PLANNINGFNUS55 KVEFFWFVEF
FORECAST
NATIONAL FIRE DANGERFNUS85 KVEFFWMVEF
RATING SYSTEM FORECAST
NWS CUSTOMERS WILL BE REQUIRED TO MAKE 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 ZONE ADDITIONS PROPOSED FOR
IMPLEMENTATION WERE REQUESTED BY...AND HAVE BEEN CLOSELY
COORDINATED WITH...LOCAL FIRE WEATHER PARTNERS AND CUSTOMERS TO BE
READY TO GO WITH THIS CHANGE ON MAY 1.
THE SHAPEFILES OF THE NEW FIRE WEATHER ZONES FOR THE NWS OFFICE IN
LAS VEGAS 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:
KIM RUNK
METEOROLOGIST IN CHARGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
7851 DEAN MARTIN DRIVE
LAS VEGAS NV 89139-6682
PHONE: 702-263-9744
EMAIL: Kim.Runk@xxxxxxxx
-OR-
JIM HARRISON
FIRE WEATHER PROGRAM MANAGER
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
7851 DEAN MARTIN DRIVE
LAS VEGAS NV 89139-6682
PHONE: 702-263-9744
EMAIL: Jim.Harrison@xxxxxxxx
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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