-------- Original Message --------
735
NOUS41 KWBC 301850
PNSWSH
Service Change Notice 12-16
National Weather Service Headquarters Washington DC
250 PM EDT Fri Mar 30 2012
To: Subscribers:
-Family of Services
-NOAA Weather Wire Service
-Emergency Managers Weather Information Network
-NOAAPORT
Other NWS Partners and NWS Employees
From: Eli Jacks
Chief, Fire and Public Weather Services Branch
Subject: Changes in Fire Weather Forecast Zones for Utah
Effective April 30, 2012
Effective Monday April 30, 2012, at 600 AM Mountain Daylight
Time, 1200 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), the NWS Weather
Forecast Offices in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Grand Junction,
Colorado, will reconfigure the fire weather forecast zones for
Utah to align with the boundaries of the National Fire Danger
Rating Areas. Upon implementation of this change, all fire
weather forecasts and related products for Utah will use the zone
number and name shown below. Utah fire weather forecast zones
UTZ420 through UTZ449 will no longer be used.
Table 1: WFO Salt Lake City Fire Weather Forecast Zones in UT
Zone Code New Zone Name
--------- -------------
UTZ478 Salt Lake Desert
This zone includes the Great Salt Lake Desert and the Wasatch
Front from Nephi to the Idaho Border.
UTZ479 Wasatch Mountains
This zone includes the Wasatch Mountains, Wasatch Mountain
Valleys, the Cache Valley and the Bear River Valley along the
Wyoming border.
UTZ480 Uinta Mountains
This zone includes the north slopes of the Uinta Mountains in
Summit County.
UTZ481 Western Ashley National Forest
This zone includes the south slopes of the Uinta Mountains in
Duchesne County.
UTZ482 Western Uintah Basin
This zone includes the western portion of the Uintah Basin in
Duchesne County.
UTZ483 Southern Ashley National Forest
This zone includes Ashley National Forest in the extreme eastern
portion of Wasatch County and southwest Duchesne County.
UTZ484 Western Book Cliffs
This zone includes the West Tavaputs Plateau and the western
portion of the Book Cliffs.
UTZ488 Manti-La Sal National Forest
This zone includes the northern portion of the central mountains,
otherwise known as the Wasatch Plateau. This area is mostly
contained within Sanpete County.
UTZ489 San Rafael Swell
This zone includes Castle Country and the San Rafael Swell.
UTZ492 Central Utah West Desert
This zone includes much of southeast Utah from Lake Powell
eastward to the Colorado border, and north to about the latitude
of Moab.
UTZ493 Central Utah Mountains
This mountainous zone lies mainly within the counties of Sevier
and Piute, as well as the western portion of Wayne County.
UTZ494 Canyonlands
This zone includes the Henry Mountains, Canyonlands, and the
eastern portion of Capitol Reef National Park.
UTZ495 Color Country West Desert
This zone includes most of the lower elevation areas of Iron and
Beaver Counties.
UTZ496 Color Country Mountains
This zone includes the higher terrain of southwest Utah from the
Pine Valley Mountains, eastward to Boulder Mountain, and the
western portion of Capitol Reef National Park.
UTZ497 Mojave Desert
This zone includes the northern portion of the Arizona Strip,
within Washington County, Utah.
UTZ498 Grand Staircase
This zone includes the Grand Staircase-Escalante National
Monument in Kane and southern Garfield Counties, as well as the
Lake Powell region.
Table 2: WFO GJT Fire Weather Forecast Zones in UT:
Zone Code New Zone Name
--------- -------------
UTZ485 Eastern Ashley National Forest
This zone includes the Uinta Mountains of Daggett and Uintah
Counties.
UTZ486 Eastern Uintah Basin
This zone includes the eastern Uintah Basin in Uintah County.
UTZ487 Eastern Book Cliffs
This zone includes the East Tavaputs Plateau and the eastern
portion of the Book Cliffs.
UTZ490 Colorado River Basin
This zone contains the low elevations surrounding the Colorado
River between the Colorado-Utah border and Moab.
UTZ491 Southeast Utah
This zone includes much of southeast Utah from Lake Powell
eastward to the Colorado border, and north to about the latitude
of Moab.
These changes have been requested by and coordinated with the
Eastern Great Basin Coordination Center, Utah Interagency Fire
Centers and other fire weather partners and users in Utah.
Additional information regarding these fire weather forecast
zones changes is online at:
www.nws.noaa.gov/os/fire/ut-fzones.doc
Partners and users of WFO SLC fire weather products will need to
update their system(s) to continue receiving correct fire weather
forecasts/products.
An updated fire weather zone map shapefile containing the new
zones is online at:
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/geodata/catalog/wsom/html/firezone.htm
If you have any questions or comments please contact:
Larry Dunn Doug Crowley
Meteorologist-in-Charge Meteorologist-in-Charge
larry.dunn@xxxxxxxx doug.crowley@xxxxxxxx
NWS Weather Forecast Office
Or 2844 Aviators Way
Grand Junction, CO 81506
Kevin Barjenbruch 970-243-7007 x 642
Warning Coordination
Meteorologist
kevin.barjenbruch@xxxxxxxx
NWS Weather Forecast Office
2242 West North Temple
Salt Lake City, UT 84116
801-524-4378
National Service Change Notices are online at:
http://www.weather.gov/os/notif.htm
$$