Rawlins Interagency Dispatch Center

Rawlins, Wyoming

Dispatch Zone Information Update

Date: Friday, October 10, 2008

To report wildland fires in Southern Wyoming – call: 800-295-9953 Available 24 hours a day

Regular hours 07:30 – 1700 Monday-Friday,

Answering Service available all other times - (800-295-9953)

Dispatch Zone News:

The final daily update of the morning report will be Friday, Oct. 10. Daily updates will resume in the spring of 2009.

Dispatching changes -

Medicine Bow NF is dispatched by Casper Interagency Dispatch Center (800-295-9952).

Riverton Weather Office, Lander Field Office & Fremont County dispatched by Cody Interagency Dispatch Center (800-295-9954).

RWC Area Weather Forecast:

Wx Zones

414

277

278

279

289

290

292

293

294

295

 Hazardous weather outlook for today: 
 
 EAST—

A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE NORTHERN LARAMIE RANGE FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH 6 AM SUNDAY MORNING. SNOWFALL AMOUNTS BY EARLY SUNDAY MORNING WILL BE 9 TO 13 INCHES ABOVE 8500 FEET WITH 4 TO 6 INCHES OF SNOW NEAR ESTERBROOK.

A WINTER STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE LOWER ELEVATIONS OF

CONVERSE COUNTY AND NORTHERN CARBON COUNTY FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH 6 AM SUNDAY MORNING. PLEASE SEE PRODUCT WWUS45 FOR MORE DETAILS. SNOWFALL AMOUNTS IN EXCESS OF 6 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE BY SUNDAY MORNING.

EXPECT A CHANCE OF RAIN TODAY...WITH RAIN AND SNOW LIKELY TONIGHT

AN EARLY SEASON WINTER-LIKE STORM SYSTEM WILL BRING MUCH COOLER

TEMPERATURES ALONG WITH RAIN AND SNOW OVER SOUTHEAST WYOMING TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT...WITH MOST OF THE PRECIPITATION EXPECTED TO FALL SATURDAY NIGHT. RAIN AND MOUNTAIN SNOW WILL SPREAD OVER THE AREA TODAY AND THEN CHANGE TO SNOW TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING MAINLY ABOVE ABOUT 6000 FEET. MORE SNOWFALL IS LIKELY AGAIN SATURDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY SUNDAY MORNING WITH SOME MAINLY LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS POSSIBLE PRIMARILY FROM THE SOUTH LARAMIE RANGE EAST OVER THE PLAINS OF SOUTHEAST WYOMING. SOME LIGHT SNOW MAY ALSO SPREAD OVER THE WESTERN NEBRASKA PANHANDLE LATER SATURDAY NIGHT BUT LITTLE IF ANY ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED.

WEST—

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RIVERTON HAS ISSUED A BLIZZARD

WATCH...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY MORNING THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING.

THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR 3 TO 6 INCHES OF SNOWFALL TO OCCUR

ACROSS SWEETWATER COUNTY SATURDAY AND SATURDAY EVENING ALONG WITH 4 TO 8 INCHES IN SOUTHERN LINCOLN COUNTY. IN ADDITION...VERY STRONG EAST NORTHEAST WINDS OF 35 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 55 MPH MAY CREATE ONE TO 3 FOOT DRIFTS ALONG WITH WHITE OUT CONDITIONS. TRAVEL ALONG INTERSTATE 80 AS WELL AS OTHER AREA HIGHWAYS MAY BECOME EXTREMELY TREACHEROUS. IN ADDITION...WIND CHILLS OF 10 BELOW ZERO ARE POSSIBLE.

WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL MIDNIGHT SATURDAY FOR THE MOUNTAINS

ALONG AND EAST OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE...

A STRENGTHENING WINTER STORM IN THE GREAT BASIN WILL PRODUCE

PERIODS OF WET SNOW MIXED WITH SOME RAIN AT THE LOWER ELEVATIONS

OF NATRONA AND JOHNSON COUNTIES TODAY AND TONIGHT. MUCH HEAVIER SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED IN THE MOUNTAINS WITH THE MOST SNOW FALLING ALONG AND EAST OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE WHERE 10 TO 18 INCHES OF SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED. 4 TO 6 INCHES OF SNOW IS EXPECTED IN THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS. 1 TO 3 INCHES OF SNOW IS EXPECTED AT THE LOWER ELEVATIONS. MANY ROADS WILL BECOME SLICK AND SNOW COVERED.

SATURDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT...THE PROBABILITY FOR A MAJOR

WINTER-LIKE STORM ACROSS THE HIGH ELEVATIONS OF WESTERN AND CENTRAL WYOMING CONTINUES TO INCREASE WITH SIGNIFICANT SNOW ACCUMULATION IN AND NEAR THE BIG HORN MOUNTAINS...ABSAROKA MOUNTAINS...WIND RIVER MOUNTAINS...CASPER MOUNTAIN...AS WELL AS THE WYOMING AND SALT RIVER RANGES. THE FOOTHILLS OF CODY...THERMOPOLIS...CASPER AND LANDER HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL AS WELL. THE SLOW MOVING STORM IS EXPECTED TO IMPACT THE AREA SATURDAY THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING.

THE LOWER ELEVATIONS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING WILL ALSO HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL SATURDAY THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING.

STRENGTHENING LOW LEVEL UPSLOPE FLOW WILL OCCUR SATURDAY...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE SOUTHERN WIND CORRIDOR. 2 TO 4 INCHES OF SNOW IS EXPECTED SATURDAY AND SATURDAY EVENING ACROSS SWEETWATER COUNTY ALONG WITH 4 TO 8 INCHES OF SNOW EXPECTED ACROSS SOUTHERN LINCOLN COUNTY ALONG WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR EAST NORTHEAST WINDS OF 35 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 55 MPH RESULTING IN POSSIBLE BLIZZARD CONDITIONS IN THOSE AREAS AS WELL AS OVER SOUTH PASS.

SNOWFALL AMOUNTS BY LATE SATURDAY NIGHT ARE EXPECTED TO RANGE FROM 6 TO 12 INCHES AT MUCH OF THE LOWER ELEVATIONS EAST OF THE DIVIDE ALONG WITH AS MUCH AS 15 INCHES POSSIBLE IN THE CODY FOOTHILLS. 1 TO 3 FEET OF SNOW IS EXPECTED ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS ALONG AND EAST OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. 10 TO 18 INCHES ARE EXPECTED BY LATE SATURDAY NIGHT ACROSS MUCH OF THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS. ONE TO TWO FEET OF SNOW ARE EXPECTED ON THE OWL CREEK AND BRIDGER MOUNTAINS AS WELL AS ON CASPER MOUNTAIN.

Preparedness Levels, Fire Danger Adjectives and Staffing Levels

	Nat.	RMA	RWC	High Desert District BLM	Seedskadee/Cokeville Meadows NWR	Fossil Butte NPS	Southern Wyoming Counties
PL	1	1	2
NFDRS	-	-		L	L	L	L
Staffing				2	2	2	2

Recent Incidents & Active Fires (not declared out)

Incident #

Fire Name

Ownership/Protection

Start Date

Cause

Size (Acres)

Fire Code

Status

Remarks

Up to the minute Incident Information can be found on the WildWEB link on the RWC home page.

Staffing and Resource Availability

Rawlins Interagency Dispatch Center

Duty Officer: Mike	24 hour #: 800-295-9953
Center Manger	Mike – On
Asst. Center Manager	Roy - On
IA/Admin/Logistics Dispatcher	Tracy - On
IA Dispatcher	Susan – On

High Desert District BLM (RSFO, KFO, RFO, PFO

FIRE OPERATIONS	1^st Out	Name	Location, In/Out of service
Operations Duty Officer		Berger
HDD FMO		Kyle Cowan	Off/Annual Leave
HDD AFMO		Robert Berger	Off/Annual Leave
Rock Springs FOS		Frank Keeler	Off/Annual Leave
Rawlins FOS		Steve Renner	Off/Annual Leave