May 24, 1982                         OA/W114

TO:    All Holders of Operations Manual

SUBJECT:     Transmittal Memorandum for Operations Manual Issuance 82-10

1.    Material Transmitted:

WSOM Chapter B-19, Fire Weather Observation Stations.

2.    Summary:

3.    Effect on Other Instructions:

This cancels WSOM Chapter B-19, issu3nce 68-24, dated July 30, 1968.

Richard E. Hallgren
Director, National Weather Service

Issue Date    Org. Code     NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE         Part     Chap.
5-24-82        W114                     Operations Manual                            B             19

Table of Contents:

1.    Introduction

2.     Establishment of Stations

3.    Station Number Assignment and Documentation

4.    Relocating or Closing Stations

5.    Station Inspection and Instrument Maintenance

6.    Weather Instrumentation

7.    Expendable Supplies

8.    Observations

        8.1    Special Observations
        8.2    Remote Automatic Weather Station Observations
        8.3    Other Fire Weather Related Observations

9.    Instructions to Observers

Appendix:

A National Fire Weather Observation Station Identification System

1.    Introduction. Fire weather observation stations provide the specialized weather observations for fire weather forecasts, wildfire control and suppression, and various other wildland management operations. These stations may be either manned observation stations operated by the fire control agencies or the National Weather Service (NWS) or unmanned Remote Automatic Weather Stations (RAWS) which are operated by the various Federal and state wildland management agencies.

They can also be dual purpose stations as is the case of a number of fire danger stations of the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and National Park Service (NPS) which also participate in the NWS substation observation program. These dual purpose stations take both climatological observations and fire weather observations and are considered to be NWS cooperative observing stations. The operation and maintenance of dual purpose stations for climatological observation purposes are covered in WSOM Chapters B-17 and B-73.

2.    Establishment of Stations. Fire weather observation stations may be established by either the fire control agencies or the National Weather Service. Observation stations established for the support of fire control agency programs should be instrumented by those agencies. However, in the case of a fire danger station being established at an existing NWS office or cooperative observation station, the requesting agency will provide only those additional specialized instruments, such as those for measuring fuel moisture, which are required for fire danger purposes. NWS offices must obtain the approval of the Regional Director before establishing or instrumenting a fire weather observation station. NWS fire weather offices may provide assistance in the site selection and instrument exposure of new stations.

3.    Station Number Assignment and Documentation. Area Managers will be responsible for the assignment of station numbers for fire weather observation stations, including Remote Automatic Weather Stations (RAWS) used by Weather Service fire weather offices, in their areas of responsibility. The station number assignment will be in accordance with the national fire weather observation station identification system in appendix A of this chapter and should be coordinated, as necessary, with other Weather Service fire weather offices and the appropriate fire control agencies. Each Fire Weather Office should maintain complete documentation for each fire weather observation station in its area of responsibility. This documentation consists of a letter sized map showing the county numbering system and station locations and a tabular listing of all observation stations with the following information for each station.

    (1)     Station name; (2) number assigned; (3) county; (4) protection agency (e.g., USFS, BLM, NPS, State Division of Forestry, private agency, or other); (5) latitude and longitude to the nearest tenth degree or hundredth degree, if available); (6) section, township, and range; (7) elevation of the station in feet.

Updated copies of the tabular documentation for fire weather observation stations should be sent to the regional headquarters.

4.    Relocating or Closing Stations. Fire weather observation stations, with the exception of dual purpose stations, may be relocated or closed at the option of the agency operating the station. However, the relocation or closing of a station operated by the Nationa1 Weather Service will be coordinated with the appropriate wildland management agencies before any action is taken. NWS offices may assist the wildland fire control agencies in site selection for station relocation or in the selection of stations to be closed. If the station is dual purpose, e.g., a climatological and fire weather station, the climatological part of the station operation will remain active unless approval for closing is given by the appropriate Regional Substation Management Office.

5.    Station Inspection and Instrument Maintenance. Station inspection and instrument maintenance and service are the responsibility of the agency operating the station, except that the climatological activities of a dual purpose station will be inspected by a substation network specialist. Weather Service offices may provide technical and training assistance to the wildland management agencies in establishing their station inspection and instrument maintenance programs; but NWS personnel will not actively participate in their routine station inspection programs. NWS offices furnished special fire weather instruments by a land management agency will perform the routine servicing of the equipment, such as changing fuel moisture sticks, wicking, charts, etc.

6.    Weather Instrumentation. The basic instructions for the installation, maintenance, operation, and reading of weather instruments are contained in publications such as the Federal Meteorological Handbook No. 1, "Surface Observations," and Weather Service Observing Handbook No. 2, "Substation Observations." The U.S. Forest Service also publishes guidance for fire weather observation stations. The exposure of the weather instruments should conform to the standards outlined in Weather Service or USFS publications. Instruments provided by the fire control agencies should, as far as practicable, meet NWS instrument specifications. NWS offices may advise and assist fire control agencies in procurement, siting, and proper instrument exposure. Federal agencies may arrange to purchase weather instruments from NOAA's National Logistics Supply Center (NLSC) in Kansas City, Missouri, through Chief, Electronics Branch, within the regional Engineering Division. This is required to assure that impact on stock availability and central repairs (if applicable) at the National Reconditioning Center is coordinated.

7.    Expendable Supplies. NWS fire weather offices will provide, on request, fire weather observation stations with expendable observational supplies, such as WS Form D-9, "10-Day Fire Danger and Fire Weather Record," coding sheets, psychrometric tables, psychrometric wicking, anemometer oil, hygrothermograph chart sheets and ink, "Reading and Setting Thermometer" cards, cloud charts, and other observer aids.

8.    Observations. Daily observations are usually scheduled for a time corresponding to the most critical burning period. However, observations must be scheduled so that they are received in sufficient time to use in forecast preparation. Additional observations from selected stations, particularly higher elevation stations, may be scheduled at other times to provide a check on changes in weather conditions or to aid in forecast preparation and updates. A schedule of observations will be established by the NWS fire weather office and the fire control agencies to meet both fire danger rating and forecast needs. This schedule will be included in the Annual Operations Plan (see WSOM Chapter D-6).

8.1    Special Observations. Fire weather observers should be encouraged to provide special observations to NWS fire weather offices any time there is an unexpected significant increase or decrease in fire danger; such as strong winds, a significant change in humidity, or lightning. These special observations will follow WS Form D-9, "10-Day Fire Danger and Fire Weather Record," guidelines and format. Special observations, containing the information required in WS Form D-1, "Fire Weather Special Forecast Request," should be provided whenever a special forecast is requested. Fire weather offices should arrange for the provision of special observations during special weather support activities.

8.2    Remote Automatic Weather Station Observations. The volume of observations available from Remote Automatic Weather Stations (RAWS) may be too large for a fire weather office to effectively analyze and use. Fire weather offices should arrange with the fire control agencies to routinely receive only selected RAWS observations. Arrangements should be made, and procedures established, to provide fire weather offices with access to other RAWS observations to meet special forecast requirements. All arrangements for the routine and special acquisition of RAWS observations will be coordinated with NWS regional headquarters.

8.3    Other Fire Weather Related Observations. Where land management agencies have established specialized weather detection systems and/or networks, such as lightning detection systems or radar, the Regional Director will negotiate with the appropriate land management agency for NWS field office access to the specialized weather information.

9.    Instructions to Observers. Instructions for taking fire weather observations are contained in publicat10ns, such as the USDA Forest Service Handbook No. 494, "Fire Weather Observers' Handbook."  Instructions for recording fire weather observations are printed on the cover of each pad of WS Form D-9, "10-Day Fire Danger and Fire Weather Record."  Observers should be aware of these instructions. NWS offices and personnel may assist in the training of fire weather observers. Fire weather observers participating in climatological or hydrological observation programs will be instructed by the substation network specialist.

WSOM Issuance
82-10 5-24-82

This system uses a 6-digit number code in the form IIiill in which:

    II  = state number
     ii  = county number
    11 = station number within the county (Numbers within each county begin with the number 01)

The state numbers, which correspond to the numbers used in all climatological data processing, are as follows:

01 - Alabama	18 - Maryland	35 - Oregon
02 - Arizona	19 - Massachusetts	36 - Pennsylvania
03 - Arkansas	20 - Michigan	37 - Rhode Island
04 - California	21 - Minnesota	38 - S. Carolina
05 - Colorado	22 - Mississippi	39 - S. Dakota
06 - Connecticut	23 - Missouri	40 - Tennessee
07 - Delaware	24 - Montana	41 - Texas
08 - Florida	25 - Nebraska	42 - Utah
09 - Georgia	26 - Nevada	43 - Vermont
10 - Idaho	27 - New Hampshire	44 - Virginia
11 - Illinois	28 - New Jersey	45 - Washington
12 - Indiana	29 - New Mexico	46 - W. Virginia
13 - Iowa	30 - New York	47 - Wisconsin
14 - Kansas	31 - N. Carolina	48 - Wyoming
15 - Kentucky	32 - N. Dakota	49 - NOT USED
16 - Louisiana	33 - Ohio	50 - Alaska
17 - Maine	34 - Oklahoma	51 - Hawaii

The county numbers will begin in the northwest corner of the state and progress from west to east and north to south. All counties should be numbered even though some may have no observation stations.

The station numbers within each county will begin with the number "01" and will continue until all existing stations are numbered. It is unlikely that any county will have as many as 100 observation stations and, therefore, little or no chance of exceeding the two-digit numbering system. Remote Automatic Weather Station (RAWS) observations which will not be archived by the U.S. Forest Service will be assigned two letters (e.g., AA, AB, etc.) instead of two numbers for the station number group11.

There are several states that have more than 100 counties each. In these states, any two adjacent counties may be combined into a single numbered area. Enough two-county pairings should be made to reduce the number of areas to 99 or less. Observation stations in the two-county area should be numbered consecutively.

Since Alaska is not divided into counties, it will be necessary to arbitrarily designate "districts" for use in this numbering system. It is suggested that geographical features, such as mountain ridges and rivers, be used as boundaries for these districts. This form of boundary is preferable because it is not subject to change as is a protection agency boundary or a fire control area.

This numbering system is not intended to replace any numbering or name system used by the fire control agency. It has been devised to provide a universal numbering system for processing fire weather observational data.

WSOM Issuance
82-10 5-24-82