Alert archive / Texas / Red Flag Warnings in 2009

Red Flag Warning 20, NWS Amarillo, TX

April 4, 200920 counties in Texas; Beaver County, Cimarron County, Texas County, Oklahoma

NWS Amarillo, TX issued this red flag warning at Apr 4, 2009, 3:18 AM CDT for 20 counties in Texas; Beaver County, Cimarron County, Texas County, Oklahoma. It took effect at Apr 4, 2009, 10:00 AM CDT. It was in force for 11 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
Apr 4, 2009, 3:18 AM CDT (08:18 UTC)
In effect from
Apr 4, 2009, 10:00 AM CDT
Expired
Apr 4, 2009, 9:00 PM CDT
In force
11 hr
Issued by
NWS Amarillo, TX
All 23 counties

Beaver County, OK, Cimarron County, OK, Texas County, OK, Armstrong County, TX, Carson County, TX, Collingsworth County, TX, Dallam County, TX, Deaf Smith County, TX, Donley County, TX, Gray County, TX, Hansford County, TX, Hartley County, TX, Hemphill County, TX, Hutchinson County, TX, Lipscomb County, TX, Moore County, TX, Ochiltree County, TX, Oldham County, TX, Potter County, TX, Randall County, TX, Roberts County, TX, Sherman County, TX, Wheeler County, TX

The radar

The Amarillo radar (KAMA), 66 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 08:19 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

Amarillo Airport, TX (KAMA), launched 00:00Z, 8.3 hours before the alert went out and 66 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, Amarillo Airport, TX at 00:00Z on 2009-04-04Temperature 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°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Amarillo Airport, TX at 00:00Z on 2009-04-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 6 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
4274 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
45 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
6 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
2 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this red flag warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Amarillo, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before this red flag warning went out at Apr 3, 10:19 PM CDT, 4 hours 59 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 3, 10:19 PM CDT, 4 hours 59 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
1019 PM CDT FRI APR 3 2009

.AVIATION...
VFR CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST...ALTHOUGH INCREASING MID AND HIGH LEVEL
CLOUDINESS CAN BE EXPECTED SATURDAY INTO SATURDAY EVENING. SOUTH TO
SOUTHWEST WINDS 15 TO 25 KNOTS WITH HIGHER GUSTS TONIGHT WILL BECOME
MORE WESTERLY SATURDAY AFTER 15Z AND INCREASE TO AROUND 30 TO 40
KNOTS WITH HIGHER GUSTS. A COLD FRONT WILL SHIFT THE WINDS TO THE
NORTH BETWEEN 22Z SATURDAY AND 02Z SUNDAY...WITH SPEEDS DECREASING TO
AROUND 15 TO 25 KNOTS WITH HIGHER GUSTS SATURDAY EVENING AFTER THE
PASSAGE OF THE FRONT.

SCHNEIDER

&&

.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 639 PM CDT FRI APR 3 2009/

AVIATION...
VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL THROUGH SATURDAY. SKIES WILL REMAIN
GENERALLY CLEAR TONIGHT...WITH SOME SCATTERED TO POSSIBLY BROKEN HIGH
LEVEL CLOUDINESS SATURDAY. SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST WINDS 20 TO 30 KNOTS
WITH HIGHER GUSTS TONIGHT WILL BECOME WESTERLY 25 TO 35 KNOTS WITH
HIGHER GUSTS SATURDAY. A PRE-FRONTAL SURFACE TROUGH WILL PUSH THROUGH
THE TAF SITES BY THE END OF THE TAF PERIOD SATURDAY AFTERNOON
SHIFTING THE WINDS TO THE NORTHWEST.

SCHNEIDER

PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 259 PM CDT FRI APR 3 2009/

DISCUSSION...
CENTER OF THE SURFACE LOW AS OF THE LATEST SURFACE ANALYSIS WAS OVER
SOUTHEASTERN COLORADO. AS THE LOW SLIDES FURTHER TO THE EAST...EXPECT
WINDS TO DIMINISH ONLY SLIGHTLY THIS EVENING. THE PRESSURE
GRADIENT...AND THUS WINDS SHOULD BEGIN TO INCREASE YET AGAIN SHORTLY
BEFORE 12Z. WITH THE LARGEST MID LEVEL HEIGHT GRADIENT EXPECTED
BETWEEN 12Z AND 18Z ACROSS THE WESTERN AMA CWA...EXPECT THE LARGEST
GRADIENT WINDS TO OCCUR AT THIS TIME. THE MODELS SHOW THE FRONT
PUSHING THROUGH THE REGION BETWEEN 18Z AND 06Z. BUT CONSIDERING THE
HEIGHT AND PRESSURE RISES BEHIND THE FRONT...BELIEVE THAT THE FRONT
WILL TRAVERSE THE REGION FASTER THAN 12 HOURS. THEREFORE...BELIEVE
THE COLD FRONT WILL PUSH THROUGH THE REGION BETWEEN 18Z AND 03Z. WITH
THE FRONT PUSHING THROUGH DURING PEAK HEATING...THERE IS A SECOND
CHANCE FOR HIGH WINDS...SPECIFICALLY HIGH WIND GUSTS...ALONG AND JUST
BEHIND THE FRONT. HAVE EXPANDED THE HIGH WIND WATCH TO INCLUDE THE
WESTERN AND CENTRAL TEXAS PANHANDLE AND ALL OF THE OKLAHOMA
PANHANDLE. ALSO EXTENDED THE TIME FRAME OF THE HIGH WIND WATCH TO
START AT 12Z AND CONTINUE THROUGH 02Z.

A SHORTWAVE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE IS EXPECTED TO BUILD IN BEHIND THIS
UPPER LEVEL LOW...RESULTING IN A WARMING TREND MONDAY INTO TUESDAY.
THE NEXT LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL AFFECT THE REGION ON WEDNESDAY.
THE MID WEEK LOW HAS A VERY SIMILAR TRACK TO THE LOW CURRENTLY IN THE
AREA. THEREFORE EXPECT AT LEAST A BREEZY DAY ON WEDNESDAY...WINDS MAY
EVEN APPROACH ADVISORY CRITERIA. THE 12Z MODELS CONTINUED THE TRENDS
OF POSSIBLE PRECIPITATION ALONG THE NORTHERN TEXAS PANHANDLE AND THE
OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE...MAINLY WEDNESDAY NIGHT BUT COULD LAST INTO
THURSDAY MORNING. CONSIDERING HOW POORLY MODELS HANDLED PRECIP WITH
THE CURRENT SYSTEM...DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH CONFIDENCE TO GO ANY HIGHER
THAN SLIGHT CHANCE POPS FOR THOSE AREAS...WITH UNMENTIONABLE POPS FOR
THE REST OF THE REGION.

INTO THE EXTENDED...ANOTHER SHORTWAVE RIDGE FOLLOWS THE MID WEEK
SYSTEM...ALLOWING YET ANOTHER WARMING TREND FOR THE END OF THE WORK
WEEK.

SJOHNSON

FIRE WEATHER...
NEAR CRITICAL TO CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS
THE REGION TOMORROW. AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS OF 30
TO 40 MPH ARE POSSIBLE TOMORROW MORNING INTO TOMORROW AFTERNOON. THE
COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO PUSH THROUGH THE REGION TOMORROW
AFTERNOON. WITH THE COLD FRONT...EXPECT AN ABRUPT SHIFT TO NORTH AND
NORTHWEST WINDS AND COULD SEE HIGH WIND GUSTS WITH AND JUST BEHIND
THE FRONT. LOOKING AHEAD...ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE
POSSIBLE AGAIN WEDNESDAY AS SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 25
TO 35 MPH AHEAD OF THE NEXT COLD FRONT.

SJOHNSON

&&

.AMA WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
TX...FIRE WEATHER WATCH FROM SATURDAY MORNING THROUGH SATURDAY
     EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: ARMSTRONG...CARSON...
     COLLINGSWORTH...DALLAM...DEAF SMITH...DONLEY...GRAY...
     HANSFORD...HARTLEY...HEMPHILL...HUTCHINSON...LIPSCOMB...
     MOORE...OCHILTREE...OLDHAM...POTTER...RANDALL...ROBERTS...
     SHERMAN...WHEELER.

     HIGH WIND WATCH FROM 7 AM CDT SATURDAY THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING
     FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: ARMSTRONG...CARSON...DALLAM...DEAF
     SMITH...HANSFORD...HARTLEY...HUTCHINSON...MOORE...OLDHAM...
     POTTER...RANDALL...SHERMAN.

OK...HIGH WIND WATCH FROM 7 AM CDT SATURDAY THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING
     FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: BEAVER...CIMARRON...TEXAS.

&&

11/14
Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 3, 9:08 PM CDT, 6 hours 10 minutes before
TEXAS/OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
908 PM CDT FRI APR 3 2009

OKZ001>003-TXZ001>020-041100-
ARMSTRONG-BEAVER-CARSON-CIMARRON-COLLINGSWORTH-DALLAM-DEAF SMITH-
DONLEY-GRAY-HANSFORD-HARTLEY-HEMPHILL-HUTCHINSON-LIPSCOMB-MOORE-
OCHILTREE-OLDHAM-POTTER-RANDALL-ROBERTS-SHERMAN-TEXAS-WHEELER-
908 PM CDT FRI APR 3 2009

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA
PANHANDLES.

.DAY ONE...

CAUTION IS ADVISED ON AREA LAKES TONIGHT DUE TO SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST
WINDS OF 15 TO 30 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS WHICH WILL RESULT IN BREEZY
TO WINDY CONDITIONS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

ELEVATED TO CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED AGAIN
ON SATURDAY DUE TO STRONG WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES. A FIRE
WEATHER WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR ALL OF THE TEXAS PANHANDLE.

WEST WINDS WILL BE VERY STRONG ON SATURDAY...WITH WIND GUSTS EXPECTED
TO APPROACH 60 MPH AT TIMES...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE OKLAHOMA
PANHANDLE AND THE WESTERN TWO THIRDS OF THE TEXAS PANHANDLE. A HIGH
WIND WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THIS AREA. A WIND ADVISORY WILL LIKELY BE
REQUIRED ELSEWHERE.

ON WEDNESDAY...ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS WILL BE POSSIBLE
ACROSS ALL OF THE PANHANDLES AS DRY SOUTHWEST WINDS INCREASE.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME.

SCHNEIDER/COCKRELL

The office that day

Everything else NWS Amarillo, TX issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 4, 2:32 AM CDTHigh Wind WarningAMAArmstrong, Carson, Collingsworth, Dallam, Deaf Smith, Donley and 14 more18 hr
Apr 4, 2:32 AM CDTWind AdvisoryAMACollingsworth, Donley, Gray, Hemphill, Wheeler9 hr
Apr 4, 12:14 PM CDTDust Storm WarningAMAArmstrong, Carson, Dallam, Deaf Smith, Hartley, Moore and 3 more4 hr

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in Texas, 2009Red Flag Warnings in Oklahoma, 2009Every red flag warning in 2009

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.