Public Information Statement
Issued by NWS National HQ
Issued by NWS National HQ
252 NOUS41 KWBC 281600 PNSWSH Public Information Statement 24-38 National Weather Service Headquarters Silver Spring MD 1200 PM EDT Tue May 28 2024 To: Subscribers: -NOAA Weather Wire Service -Emergency Managers Weather Information Network -NOAAPort Other NWS Partners, Users and Employees From: Stephen W. Bieda III, Ph.D, Chief Severe, Fire, Public, and Winter Weather Services Branch Subject: Soliciting Comments on the Proposed Changes to Fire Weather Products to Support Discontinuation of Haines Index and Lightning Activity Level (LAL) as Fire Weather Forecast Elements through August 1, 2024 The National Weather Service (NWS) is soliciting comments through August 1, 2024, on proposed changes to Fire Weather Forecast (FWF), local fire weather matrix, and local experimental fire weather products to assess discontinuation of Haines Index and LAL as Fire Weather Forecast Elements. The discontinuation is proposed due to new science demonstrating the forecast information is best assessed through other forecast fields. The forecast information conveyed through Haines and LAL would be alternatively found in other Impact-based Decision Support Services (IDSS) products, forecast discussions, and other forecast elements such as mixing heights, thunder probability, and quantitative precipitation forecasts (QPF). Table 1. Operational NWS products potentially affected by these changes. Product Name WMO Heading AWIPS ID ------------- ----------- -------- Fire Weather Forecast FNHW50 FWF A description of the proposed discontinuation of Haines Index and LAL as Fire Weather Forecast Elements and examples of fire weather products using alternative information to replace Haines Index and LAL, can be found at the following link: https://nsdesk.servicenowservices.com/api/g_noa/nwspc/res2/eae9e64287 de0e1 04b0fa8a60cbb3540 Input on the proposed discontinuation of Haines Index and LAL as Fire Weather Forecast Elements, and proposed replacement information is being sought from the core partner agencies and all other fire weather forecast users via the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ProposedDiscontinuationofHainesIndexan dLAL_ 2024 Additional Comments may be sent to: Heath Hockenberry NWS Fire Weather Program Manager National Weather Service Boise, ID 208-334-9862 heath.hockenberry@noaa.gov National Public Information Statements are online at: https://www.weather.gov/notification/