National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Heavy to Excessive Rainfall This Week from the Southwest into Central U.S.; Severe Weather in the Southern Plains

Pacific tropical moisture wrapping into a storm will continue a multi-day heavy rainfall event this week that will impact multiple areas in the Plains and Intermountain West. Isolated severe thunderstorm wind gusts and possibly a tornado or two could occur tonight from southern and eastern New Mexico into west Texas. 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) x Mixing Height (ft)