National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Thunderstorms and Heavy Rainfall in the Mid-Atlantic; Fire Weather Concerns in the West

Thunderstorms are expected to bring heavy rain and potential significant flash and urban flooding to the Mid-Atlantic on Thursday, especially along the I-95 urban corridor. Dry conditions, gusty winds, and isolated dry thunderstorms will continue to bring a critical fire weather threat to the northwestern Great Basin into the interior Northwest through Thursday. Read More >

Smoke dispersal is categorized by using the Ventilation Rate. Ventilation Rate forecasts for a specific point can be found using the Fire Weather Dashboard. Click a spot on the map and scroll down to find daily and hourly Ventilation Rate values for the next few days.

 

Fire Weather Dashboard

 

The link above is configured to display smoke dispersal categories as shown here:

 

  Smoke Dispersal Vent. Rate, knot-feet (x1000)
     Excellent             150 or greater
     Very Good 100 to 149.99
     Good 60 to 99.99
     Fair 40 to 59.99
     Poor less than 40

 

Ventilation Rate = Transport Wind (kts) Mixing Height (ft)