Alert archive / Alabama / Red Flag Warnings in 2008

Red Flag Warning 13, NWS Birmingham, AL

March 23, 200828 counties in Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this red flag warning at Mar 23, 2008, 5:08 AM CDT for 28 counties in Alabama. It took effect at Mar 23, 2008, 1:00 PM CDT. It was in force for 5 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Mar 23, 2008, 5:08 AM CDT (10:08 UTC)
In effect from
Mar 23, 2008, 1:00 PM CDT
Expired
Mar 23, 2008, 6:00 PM CDT
In force
5 hr
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
All 28 counties

Autauga County, AL, Barbour County, AL, Bibb County, AL, Bullock County, AL, Chambers County, AL, Chilton County, AL, Clay County, AL, Coosa County, AL, Dallas County, AL, Elmore County, AL, Greene County, AL, Hale County, AL, Jefferson County, AL, Lee County, AL, Lowndes County, AL, Macon County, AL, Marengo County, AL, Montgomery County, AL, Perry County, AL, Pickens County, AL, Pike County, AL, Randolph County, AL, Russell County, AL, Shelby County, AL, Sumter County, AL, Talladega County, AL, Tallapoosa County, AL, Tuscaloosa County, AL

The radar

The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 56 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 10:12 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 10.1 hours before the alert went out and 57 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Birmingham, AL at 00:00Z on 2008-03-23Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Birmingham, AL at 00:00Z on 2008-03-23The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -51 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
4520 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
52 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-51 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-4 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
WWUS84 KBMX 231008
RFWBMX

RED FLAG WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
508 AM CDT SUN MAR 23 2008

...DRIER AIRMASS TO CREATE A HIGH FIRE DANGER SUNDAY AND
MONDAY...

.A DRY AIRMASS HAS MOVED INTO CENTRAL ALABAMA TODAY. THIS COMBINED
WITH TEMPERATURES IN THE 60S WILL RESULT IN RELATIVE HUMIDITY
VALUES TO FALL BELOW 25 PERCENT FOR MUCH OF THE AFTERNOON.
LOCATIONS INCLUDED IN THE RED FLAG WARNING ARE GENERALLY SOUTH OF
A LINE FROM REFORM TO BIRMINGHAM TO TALLADEGA TO WEDOWEE.
HOWEVER...IF DEWPOINTS MIX OUT LOWER THAN EXPECTED DURING THE
AFTERNOON...ALL OF CENTRAL ALABAMA WOULD FALL IN THE CRITERIA.

MONDAY...WILL BE COOLER THAN SUNDAY...HOWEVER DEWPOINTS ARE
FORECAST TO BE MUCH LOWER. THIS WILL LIKELY RESULT IN RELATIVE
HUMIDITY VALUES WELL BELOW 25 PERCENT FOR MOST OF CENTRAL
ALABAMA MONDAY AFTERNOON. TUESDAY AFTERNOON WILL ALSO BE
DRY...WITH WARMER TEMPERATURES... RESULTING IN ANOTHER HIGH FIRE
DANGER POSSIBILITY.

ALZ022>025-027>050-232300-
/O.UPG.KBMX.FW.A.0009.080323T1800Z-080323T2300Z/
/O.NEW.KBMX.FW.W.0013.080323T1800Z-080323T2300Z/
/O.NEW.KBMX.FW.A.0010.080324T1800Z-080324T2300Z/
PICKENS-TUSCALOOSA-JEFFERSON-SHELBY-TALLADEGA-CLAY-RANDOLPH-
SUMTER-GREENE-HALE-PERRY-BIBB-CHILTON-COOSA-TALLAPOOSA-CHAMBERS-
MARENGO-DALLAS-AUTAUGA-LOWNDES-ELMORE-MONTGOMERY-MACON-BULLOCK-
LEE-RUSSELL-PIKE-BARBOUR-
508 AM CDT SUN MAR 23 2008

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM TO 6 PM CDT THIS
AFTERNOON...
...FIRE WEATHER WATCH IN EFFECT MONDAY AFTERNOON...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM TO 6 PM CDT THIS
AFTERNOON. A FIRE WEATHER WATCH HAS ALSO BEEN ISSUED FOR 
MONDAY AFTERNOON.

LOCATIONS INCLUDED IN THE RED FLAG WARNING ARE GENERALLY SOUTH OF
A LINE FROM REFORM TO BIRMINGHAM TO TALLADEGA TO WEDOWEE. 

A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS
ARE EITHER OCCURRING NOW...OR WILL SHORTLY. A COMBINATION OF
WINDS...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AND WARM TEMPERATURES WILL CREATE
EXPLOSIVE FIRE GROWTH POTENTIAL.

A FIRE WEATHER WATCH MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS
ARE FORECAST TO OCCUR. LISTEN FOR LATER FORECASTS AND POSSIBLE
RED FLAG WARNINGS.

$$

ALZ011>015-017>021-026-232300-
/O.NEW.KBMX.FW.A.0010.080324T1800Z-080324T2300Z/
/O.CON.KBMX.FW.A.0009.080323T1800Z-080323T2300Z/
MARION-LAMAR-FAYETTE-WINSTON-WALKER-BLOUNT-ETOWAH-CALHOUN-
CHEROKEE-CLEBURNE-ST. CLAIR-
508 AM CDT SUN MAR 23 2008

...FIRE WEATHER WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM CDT THIS
AFTERNOON THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON...
...FIRE WEATHER WATCH IN EFFECT MONDAY AFTERNOON...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A FIRE
WEATHER WATCH...WHICH IS IN EFFECT MONDAY AFTERNOON. A FIRE
WEATHER WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON
THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON. 

LOCATIONS INCLUDED IN THE FIRE WEATHER WATCH FOR SUNDAY ARE
GENERALLY NORTH OF A LINE FROM REFORM TO BIRMINGHAM TO TALLADEGA
TO WEDOWEE. ALL OF CENTRAL ALABAMA IS INCLUDED IN THE FIRE WEATHER
WATCH FOR MONDAY AFTERNOON.

A FIRE WEATHER WATCH MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS
ARE FORECAST TO OCCUR. LISTEN FOR LATER FORECASTS AND POSSIBLE
RED FLAG WARNINGS.

$$
1 follow-up statement
000 
WWUS84 KBMX 232310
RFWBMX

RED FLAG WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
610 PM CDT SUN MAR 23 2008

...DRY AIRMASS LIKELY TO CREATE A HIGH FIRE DANGER AGAIN ON
MONDAY...

.A COMBINATION OF A DRY AIRMASS AND TEMPERATURES IN THE 50S
WILL RESULT IN RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES FALLING BELOW 25 PERCENT
FOR MUCH OF THE AFTERNOON ON MONDAY. TUESDAY AFTERNOON WILL ALSO
BE DRY...WITH WARMER TEMPERATURES... RESULTING IN ANOTHER HIGH
FIRE DANGER POSSIBILITY.

ALZ022>025-027>050-241100-
/O.EXP.KBMX.FW.W.0013.000000T0000Z-080323T2300Z/
/O.CON.KBMX.FW.A.0010.080324T1800Z-080324T2300Z/
PICKENS-TUSCALOOSA-JEFFERSON-SHELBY-TALLADEGA-CLAY-RANDOLPH-
SUMTER-GREENE-HALE-PERRY-BIBB-CHILTON-COOSA-TALLAPOOSA-CHAMBERS-
MARENGO-DALLAS-AUTAUGA-LOWNDES-ELMORE-MONTGOMERY-MACON-BULLOCK-
LEE-RUSSELL-PIKE-BARBOUR-
610 PM CDT SUN MAR 23 2008

...FIRE WEATHER WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT MONDAY AFTERNOON...
...RED FLAG WARNING HAS EXPIRED...

THE RED FLAG WARNING IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT. A FIRE WEATHER WATCH
REMAINS IN EFFECT MONDAY AFTERNOON. 

DRY CONDITIONS WILL RESULT IN LOW AFTERNOON HUMIDITY WITH VALUES LIKELY
FALLING BELOW 25 PERCENT FOR SEVERAL HOURS ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA
ON MONDAY AFTERNOON.

A FIRE WEATHER WATCH MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS
ARE FORECAST TO OCCUR. LISTEN FOR LATER FORECASTS AND POSSIBLE
RED FLAG WARNINGS.

$$

ALZ011>015-017>021-026-241100-
/O.EXP.KBMX.FW.A.0009.000000T0000Z-080323T2300Z/
/O.CON.KBMX.FW.A.0010.080324T1800Z-080324T2300Z/
MARION-LAMAR-FAYETTE-WINSTON-WALKER-BLOUNT-ETOWAH-CALHOUN-
CHEROKEE-CLEBURNE-ST. CLAIR-
610 PM CDT SUN MAR 23 2008

...FIRE WEATHER WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT MONDAY AFTERNOON...
...FIRE WEATHER WATCH HAS EXPIRED...

TODAYS FIRE WEATHER WATCH HAS EXPIRED. A FIRE WEATHER WATCH
REMAINS IN EFFECT MONDAY AFTERNOON.

DRY CONDITIONS WILL RESULT IN LOW AFTERNOON HUMIDITY WITH VALUES LIKELY
FALLING BELOW 25 PERCENT FOR SEVERAL HOURS ACROSS CENTRAL ALABAMA
ON MONDAY AFTERNOON.

A FIRE WEATHER WATCH MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS
ARE FORECAST TO OCCUR. LISTEN FOR LATER FORECASTS AND POSSIBLE
RED FLAG WARNINGS.

$$

The office that day

Everything else NWS Birmingham, AL issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 23, 3:28 AM CDTFreeze WarningBMXAutauga, Barbour, Bibb, Blount, Bullock, Calhoun and 33 more20 hr
Mar 23, 5:08 AM CDTFire Weather WatchBMXAutauga, Barbour, Bibb, Blount, Bullock, Calhoun and 33 more37 hr

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in Alabama, 2008Every red flag warning in 2008

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.