Spot Forecast Request Instructions
You can request spot forecasts via our spot forecast
page located at http://spot.nws.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/spot/spotmon?site=lix,
which is easily reached from our main website at http://www.srh.noaa.gov/lix/html/firewx.php.
The main spot forecast page updates every minute and
shows you the location and status of any spot forecasts that have
already been requested for today. You can view these other forecasts,
as well as request a new spot forecast of your own.
Each request has its own webpage where all the information
about that request is displayed, including maps, information about
the request and, eventually, the forecast. Sensitive information
about the request (such as phone numbers, names of contact persons,
and the exact location of the burn) are NOT visible by everyone
- but only on the computer that made the original request and NWS
computers.
When you request a new spot forecast, you provide
information in a web-based form that is similar to the D-1 form
that you are probably used to using. The information you provide
on the form is checked for consistency, and after you complete the
form, the NWS is notified of a new request and a new webpage is
created for this burn.
Once you have submitted a request, you will probably
want to view the webpage for your burn - or check back frequently
to view it's status. To view the webpage for any burn or wildfire,
go to the main spot forecast webpage, click either on the name of
the burn in the listing, or on the dot on the map for the burn.
This page will also automatically update every minute so that when
new information becomes available, you will see it right away. If
we find any errors in your request, we might even send you a question
that will show up on this page. You can answer the question, or
make other changes to your request from this webpage, but ONLY from
the computer that made the original request. Since the forecast
screen is automatically updated very minute, you will see the forecast
within a minute of it being issued.
When the forecast is complete, you can print the webpage,
or do whatever you want with the information. From the main spot
forecast page, you have the ability to switch to a similar screen
for days other than today. You can use this to send us feedback
on earlier forecasts, or to copy the information from one request
to a new request for today.
If you have any questions or problems, we are still
available by phone at 985-649-0357.
Spot Forecast Monitor Page
The main spot forecast monitoring page shows you all
of today's spot forecasts on the map and also in the list at the
bottom of the page.
This page auto-updates every minute, so as new spot
forecasts are requested or their status changes, you immediately
see the changes on the page.
The dots on the map show the locations of the burns,
and the status of the spot forecast requests. Green squares indicate
requests that are still pending. Purple squares indicate burns where
questions have been asked. Red squares indicate burns where the
forecast has been completed. You can either click on the dots on
the map, or the list of spot names at the bottom of the page to
view the individual webpage for each request.
You can use the arrow buttons next to the date to
view spot requests from other days, or you can use the "CALENDAR"
link to move to other days more quickly.
To request a spot forecast, click on the button labeled
"Submit a new Spot Request", and you will be taken to
the Spot Request Form.
Spot Request Form
You fill in this form with the information needed
to request a spot forecast.
The first time you fill out a spot request, almost
all the boxes will be empty. After that, many of the boxes will
be filled in with information that shouldn't change very much from
one request to another (such as your name and phone number).
The elements highlighted in red are required for us
to complete your spot forecast. While the other items may not be
necessary, they are very important to our ability to make an accurate
and useful forecast.
The form is broken down into seven sections. Lets
look at each section individually, and the parameters you will need
to fill in:
Project Name Section
You need to provide a name for your project. The name
cannot be the same as any other project for the same day - you will
be alerted if you pick a name the same as an existing burn.
You should use the buttons to indicate whether the
fire is a Wildfire, WFU or Prescribed Fire (Prescribed fire is chosen
by default when you enter the form). For prescribed fires, you should
indicate the ignition time and date using a 24 hour clock (and the
time zone if necessary). The form defaults to an ignition time about
½ hour in the future.
Requesting Agency Section
You need to tell us who you are! Here you provide
your agency name, your phone number for both voice and fax (please
include the area code) and your name. All this information will
be helpful to us if there are problems or questions and we need
to contact you. You will only need to enter this information the
first time you request a spot forecast. After that, it will be filled
in with the same information as your last request.
Location Section
In this section you tell us the precise location of
the burn. You can either specify the legal location or the latitude/longitude.
If you use the legal method, you should provide something like:
T5N R12E Sec24. If you use the latitude/longitude method, you can
either specify degrees like: 45.1486 or degrees/minutes/seconds
like: 45 13 34.
If you can, please specify the name of the 7 ½
minute USGS quadmap where the burn is located. We will check that
against the legal or lat/lon location that you give. The elevation
(in feet) at the top and bottom of the burn should be entered in
the "Elevation" boxes. If the burn is on flat ground,
you can enter a value in only one of the boxes. Enter the name of
the nearest drainage in the "Drainage" box. This helps
us further locate the burn when the legal or lat/lon location still
leaves some ambiguity. Enter the slope aspect, such as NE or S (or
possibly FLAT) in the "Aspect" box. This helps us further
locate the burn. Also, please enter the size of the burn (in acres)
in the "Size" box.
Fuel Section
Please indicate the type of fuel, either using fuel
model numbers, or a description of the fuel such as "grass",
"ponderosa pine", etc. Also, if you can indicate the amount
of fuel sheltering, it helps us tremendously in providing accurate
wind forecasts.
Observation Section
In this section you provide us with local observations
near the burn. For each observation we need where it is in relation
to the burn (for example, "base camp", "1 mile NW"
or something like that), the elevation (in feet) and the time (preferably
using a 24 hour clock). The wind (in miles per hour) can be specified
as "N12 Gust 25" or something like that. The temperature
and wetbulb values (in degrees F) should be entered and the RH (in
percent) and Dewpoint (in degrees F) can also be entered if known
(they will be calculated from the Temperature/Wetbulb/Elevation
if you do not provide them). Finally, any remarks about clouds,
weather or other important information should be entered in the
final box. If you have more than 4 observations (and we like that!)
please put them in the comments section below (or fax them to us!).
Forecast Elements Section
Not all spot requests are created equal! In this section
we are asking you to tell us what are the forecast elements you
need, or are particularly important. If you have a grass fire that
will be out by later today, we don't want to waste time worrying
about the temperature for tomorrow, unless you really need it. Likewise,
if the wind direction is particularly important for you, we want
to know about it. Pick the parameters that you need for today, tonight
and tomorrow. If we think something is particularly noteworthy,
we will let you know - even if you didn't request it. If you are
submitting a request in the evening for the next day - keep in mind
that you are requesting parameters for the day of the burn. For
wildfires, we will provide all parameters (except smoke dispersion),
so you do not need to waste time filling this in, unless you have
a parameter that is particularly critical for you (in which case,
this is a good place to indicate that).
Comments Section
If there is something else that you think we need
to know, or something you couldn't fit elsewhere on the form, please
enter it here. There is virtually no limit to what you can put here.
Submit the form
When you are ready to submit the form, just click
on the "Submit Request" button at the bottom of the page.
If you want to cancel the request you can click on the "Cancel
Request" button, and if you want to clear the form and start
over again, you can click on the "Clear Form" button.
When you submit the form, various checks are performed
on the data you have entered. Some problems make it impossible for
your request to be accepted (for example, if you forget to enter
a name for the burn), while others will produce warnings and messages
for your information. If an error is found, you will be given the
opportunity to go back and fix the form, or cancel the request.
Once you are confident there are no more errors in your request,
it will be submitted and we will be automatically notified through
our computer systems. If you have the time, we appreciate it if
you could still call us, just in case something goes wrong on the
web and we don't get notified of your request.
Spot Forecast Webpage
After you have submitted a spot forecast request,
an individualized spot forecast webpage becomes available for that
burn. This page automatically updates every minute so that as new
information becomes available for the burn, you see it immediately.
Detailed maps of the area around the burn are generated and displayed
when they become available. Keep in mind that "sensitive"
information like your name, phone number, and the exact location
of the burn are NOT visible to others - only to you and the NWS.
If we have questions about your request, we may send
you back a question about it. If this happens, you will see a big
red box in the forecast page, with our question. Usually, there
is some problem with the request that you can probably fix (use
the links at the bottom of the page to change the request) or you
can call us.
When your forecast is complete, it will show up in
the spot forecast webpage automatically, and a box to provide feedback
will become available. We hope that you can provide us feedback
with how the forecast worked out, perhaps later in the day or several
days down the road. This feedback helps us tremendously in improving
our forecasts.
At the bottom of the forecast page are links for actions
that you can take. For example, you can go "Back to Spot List"
to return to the monitor page. If you are at the same computer that
made the original request, you can click on "Change Request"
to change the details of your request, or "Delete Request"
to delete the request.
You can also click on "Copy Info to New Spot
Request". This is helpful for burns that last over several
days. Rather than having to re-enter the data in the form in order
to get a new forecast - you can view the previous forecast and then
copy all the location parameters to a new request using this link.
This will save you some time when filling out the request form.
Invariably, something will go wrong at some point,
and you might not be able to request or receive spot requests via
the webpage (for example, your computers might go down, or our web
server may fail). In such cases, we would like you fill out the
paper version of the request form and fax it to us. We will fax
you back the forecast when it is complete. Please keep in mind that
this should be used as a last resort. Spot Forecast Requests received
via the webpage will be completed more quickly.
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