Alert archive / Florida / Red Flag Warnings in 2008

Red Flag Warning 13, NWS Tampa Bay, FL

February 13, 20086 counties in Florida

NWS Tampa Bay, FL issued this red flag warning at Feb 13, 2008, 1:24 PM EST for 6 counties in Florida. It took effect at Feb 13, 2008, 9:17 PM EST. It was in force for 21 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
Feb 13, 2008, 1:24 PM EST (18:24 UTC)
In effect from
Feb 13, 2008, 9:17 PM EST
Expired
Feb 14, 2008, 6:00 PM EST
In force
21 hr
Issued by
NWS Tampa Bay, FL

Counties DeSoto County, FL, Hardee County, FL, Highlands County, FL, Pinellas County, FL, Polk County, FL, Sumter County, FL

The radar

The Tampa radar (KTBW), 49 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:27 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

Tampa Bay, FL (KTBW), launched 12:00Z, 6.4 hours before the alert went out and 49 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, Tampa Bay, FL at 12:00Z on 2008-02-13Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 110 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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, Tampa Bay, FL at 12:00Z on 2008-02-13The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 21 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
110 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-55 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
744 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
55 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
21 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
71 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WWUS82 KTBW 131824
RFWTBW

RED FLAG WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
124 PM EST WED FEB 13 2008

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM THURSDAY MORNING THROUGH THURSDAY
AFTERNOON FOR MOST OF WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA FOR LONG DURATIONS OF LOW
HUMIDITIES...

FLZ039-042-043-048>052-055>057-060-061-141230-
/O.UPG.KTBW.FW.A.0012.080214T1600Z-080214T2300Z/
/O.NEW.KTBW.FW.W.0013.080214T1600Z-080214T2300Z/
LEVY-CITRUS-SUMTER-HERNANDO-PASCO-PINELLAS-HILLSBOROUGH-POLK-
MANATEE-HARDEE-HIGHLANDS-SARASOTA-DE SOTO-
124 PM EST WED FEB 13 2008

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM TO 6 PM EST THURSDAY FOR
4 OR MORE HOURS OF RELATIVE HUMIDITIES BELOW 35 PERCENT...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL HAS
ISSUED A RED FLAG WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM TO 6 PM
EST THURSDAY. THE FIRE WEATHER WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT. 

A COLD FRONT WILL PUSH THROUGH THE AREA TODAY WITH HIGH PRESSURE
BUILDING INTO THE AREA BEHIND IT TONIGHT...BRINGING COOLER AND
DRIER AIR. THE DRIER AIR WILL ALLOW AFTERNOON HUMIDITIES TO FALL
INTO THE UPPER 10S IN SPOTS OVER THE NATURE COAST AND INTO THE
UPPER 20 PERCENT RANGE DOWN INTO CENTRAL FLORIDA. 

A RED FLAG WARNING IS ISSUED WHEN VERY FAVORABLE CONDITIONS FOR
THE SPREAD OF WILDFIRE ARE OCCURRING NOW...OR WILL OCCUR WITHIN
24 HOURS.

$$
2 follow-up statements
000 
WWUS82 KTBW 140217
RFWTBW

RED FLAG WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
917 PM EST WED FEB 13 2008

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM THURSDAY MORNING THROUGH
THURSDAY AFTERNOON FOR LONG DURATIONS OF RELATIVE HUMIDITIES BELOW
35 PERCENT FOR MUCH OF WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA...

FLZ062-065-142300-
/O.EXA.KTBW.FW.W.0013.080214T1600Z-080214T2300Z/
CHARLOTTE-LEE-
917 PM EST WED FEB 13 2008

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM TO 6 PM EST THURSDAY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL HAS
ISSUED A RED FLAG WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM TO 6 PM
EST THURSDAY. 

THE LEADING EDGE OF COOLER AND DRIER AIR HAS REACHED THE FORT
MYERS AREA AND WILL CONTINUE TO PUSH SOUTHEASTWARD. RELATIVE
HUMIDITIES WILL DROP TO CRITICAL LEVELS BY LATE MORNING OR EARLY
AFTERNOON ON THURSDAY...WITH THE LOWEST READINGS OF AROUND 28
PERCENT OCCURRING IN THE AFTERNOON. RIGHT NOW...IT APPEARS MOST
AREAS WILL SEE BETWEEN 4 AND 6 HOURS OF RELATIVE HUMIDITIES BELOW
35 PERCENT.

A RED FLAG WARNING IS ISSUED WHEN VERY FAVORABLE CONDITIONS FOR
THE SPREAD OF WILDFIRE ARE OCCURRING NOW...OR WILL OCCUR WITHIN
24 HOURS.

$$

FLZ039-042-043-048>052-055>057-060-061-142300-
/O.CON.KTBW.FW.W.0013.080214T1600Z-080214T2300Z/
LEVY-CITRUS-SUMTER-HERNANDO-PASCO-PINELLAS-HILLSBOROUGH-POLK-
MANATEE-HARDEE-HIGHLANDS-SARASOTA-DE SOTO-
917 PM EST WED FEB 13 2008

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM TO 6 PM EST
THURSDAY...

A RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM TO 6 PM EST
THURSDAY. 

COOLER AND DRIER AIR WILL CONTINUE TO FILTER INTO THE REGION
TONIGHT. THIS DRY AIR WILL REMAIN WITH US THROUGH THE DAY
THURSDAY...RESULTING IN 4 TO 6 HOURS OF RELATIVE HUMIDITIES BELOW
35 PERCENT. THE LOWEST READINGS WILL OCCUR IN THE AFTERNOON...AND
COULD APPROACH 20 PERCENT...ESPECIALLY NORTH OF THE TAMPA BAY
AREA. 

A RED FLAG WARNING IS ISSUED WHEN VERY FAVORABLE CONDITIONS FOR
THE SPREAD OF WILDFIRE ARE OCCURRING NOW...OR WILL OCCUR WITHIN
24 HOURS.

$$
000 
WWUS82 KTBW 142311
RFWTBW

RED FLAG WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
611 PM EST THU FEB 14 2008

...RED FLAG WARNINGS HAVE EXPIRED...

.AS THE SUN SETS...TEMPERATURES ARE BEGINNING TO FALL...WHICH IS
RESULTING IN RAPIDLY RISING RELATIVE HUMIDITIES.

FLZ039-042-043-048>052-055>057-060>062-065-150015-
/O.EXP.KTBW.FW.W.0013.000000T0000Z-080214T2300Z/
LEVY-CITRUS-SUMTER-HERNANDO-PASCO-PINELLAS-HILLSBOROUGH-POLK-
MANATEE-HARDEE-HIGHLANDS-SARASOTA-DE SOTO-CHARLOTTE-LEE-
611 PM EST THU FEB 14 2008

...RED FLAG WARNING HAS EXPIRED...

THE RED FLAG WARNING IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT. 

ALTHOUGH A FEW LOCATIONS CONTINUE TO HAVE RELATIVE HUMIDITIES
BELOW 35 PERCENT...THIS WILL QUICKLY END AS TEMPERATURES DROP OFF
QUICKLY WITH THE LOSS OF THE DAYS HEATING.

$$

The office that day

Everything else NWS Tampa Bay, FL issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 12, 8:37 PM ESTSpecial Weather StatementTBWCharlotte23 min
Feb 13, 4:09 AM ESTFire Weather WatchTBWDeSoto, Hardee, Highlands, Pinellas, Polk, Sumter9 hr
Feb 13, 7:11 AM ESTSpecial Marine WarningTBW64 min
Feb 13, 8:15 AM ESTSpecial Marine WarningTBW60 min
Feb 13, 8:57 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWLee32 min
Feb 13, 9:00 AM ESTSpecial Marine WarningTBW58 min
Feb 13, 1:20 PM ESTFreeze WarningTBW19 hr

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in Florida, 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.