Alert archive / Michigan / Red Flag Warnings in 2009

Red Flag Warning 4, NWS Gaylord, MI

May 21, 200911 counties in Michigan

NWS Gaylord, MI issued this red flag warning at May 21, 2009, 10:48 AM EDT for 11 counties in Michigan. It took effect at May 21, 2009, 11:00 AM EDT. It was in force for 8 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
May 21, 2009, 10:48 AM EDT (14:48 UTC)
In effect from
May 21, 2009, 11:00 AM EDT
Expired
May 21, 2009, 6:44 PM EDT
In force
8 hr
Issued by
NWS Gaylord, MI

Counties Alcona County, MI, Alpena County, MI, Arenac County, MI, Crawford County, MI, Gladwin County, MI, Iosco County, MI, Montmorency County, MI, Ogemaw County, MI, Oscoda County, MI, Presque Isle County, MI, Roscommon County, MI

The radar

The NCL Michigan radar (KAPX), 67 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 14:52 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

Alpena, MI (KAPX), launched 12:00Z, 2.8 hours before the alert went out and 136 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, Alpena, MI at 12:00Z on 2009-05-21Temperature 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, Alpena, MI at 12:00Z on 2009-05-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 131 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
1918 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
33 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
131 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
149 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 
WWUS83 KAPX 211448
RFWAPX

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GAYLORD MI
1048 AM EDT THU MAY 21 2009

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FOR NORTHEAST LOWER MICHIGAN...

.DISCUSSION...A COLD FRONT WILL SLIP INTO NORTHWEST LOWER
MICHIGAN THIS AFTERNOON...AND PUSH THROUGH THE REST OF NORTHERN
LOWER MICHIGAN EARLY THIS EVENING. THIS SYSTEM WILL BRING SOME
SHOWERS THROUGH THE REGION. HOWEVER...NO SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL IS
EXPECTED.

AHEAD OF THE FRONT TODAY...GUSTY SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL PERSIST
ACROSS ALL OF NORTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN. IN ADDITION...
TEMPERATURES ACROSS NORTHEAST LOWER MICHIGAN INCLUDING THE HURON
NATIONAL FOREST WILL WARM INTO THE LOWER 80S. THIS WILL RESULT IN
MINIMUM AFTERNOON RELATIVE HUMIDITY READINGS DIPPING TO AROUND OR
JUST BELOW 25 PERCENT.

MIZ018-023-024-028>030-034>036-041-042-220000-
/O.UPG.KAPX.FW.A.0003.000000T0000Z-090522T0000Z/
/O.NEW.KAPX.FW.W.0004.090521T1500Z-090522T0000Z/
PRESQUE ISLE-MONTMORENCY-ALPENA-CRAWFORD-OSCODA-ALCONA-ROSCOMMON-
OGEMAW-IOSCO-GLADWIN-ARENAC-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...ROGERS CITY...ATLANTA...ALPENA...
GRAYLING...MIO...HARRISVILLE...HOUGHTON LAKE...WEST BRANCH...
TAWAS CITY...GLADWIN...STANDISH
1048 AM EDT THU MAY 21 2009

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GAYLORD HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING. THE
FIRE WEATHER WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT. 

THE RED FLAG WARNING INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING FIRE WEATHER ZONES:
IN MICHIGAN...18...23...24...28...29...30...34...35...36
...41...42.

A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH NORTHEAST LOWER MICHIGAN LATE THIS
AFTERNOON AND EARLY THIS EVENING. AHEAD OF THE FRONT...GUSTY WINDS
AND WARM TEMPERATURES WILL BE FOUND AGAIN TODAY. MINIMUM AFTERNOON
RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES ARE EXPECTED DROP TO CRITICAL READINGS AROUND
25 PERCENT...WITH LOCAL HUMIDITY VALUES AS LOW AS 20 PERCENT IN
PORTIONS OF THE HURON NATIONAL FOREST. THIS WILL RESULT IN
POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS INTO THE AFTERNOON
HOURS. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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

&&

$$

LAWRENCE
2 follow-up statements
000 
WWUS83 KAPX 211946
RFWAPX

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GAYLORD MI
346 PM EDT THU MAY 21 2009

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FOR NORTHEAST LOWER MICHIGAN...

.DISCUSSION...FIRE DANGER WILL REMAIN ELEVATED EAST OF A 
CADILLAC TO ROGERS CITY LINE THROUGH LATE AFTERNOON DUE TO WARM
TEMPERATURES...GUSTY SOUTHWEST WINDS...AND LOW RELATIVE 
HUMIDITIES. AS THIS COLD FRONT SWEEPS ACROSS NORTHEAST LOWER 
MICHIGAN BETWEEN 4 AND 8 PM...TEMPERATURES WILL DROP INTO THE
70S AND RELATIVE HUMIDITIES WILL RECOVER ABOVE 40 PERCENT.
WINDS WILL ALSO SHIFT TO THE WEST-NORTHWEST AND WILL REMAIN
GUSTY UNTIL EARLY EVENING.

MIZ018-023-024-028>030-034>036-041-042-220000-
/O.CON.KAPX.FW.W.0004.000000T0000Z-090522T0000Z/
PRESQUE ISLE-MONTMORENCY-ALPENA-CRAWFORD-OSCODA-ALCONA-ROSCOMMON-
OGEMAW-IOSCO-GLADWIN-ARENAC-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...ROGERS CITY...ATLANTA...ALPENA...
GRAYLING...MIO...HARRISVILLE...HOUGHTON LAKE...WEST BRANCH...
TAWAS CITY...GLADWIN...STANDISH
346 PM EDT THU MAY 21 2009

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS
EVENING...

A RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING.

A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH NORTHEAST LOWER MICHIGAN LATE THIS
AFTERNOON AND EARLY THIS EVENING. AHEAD OF THE FRONT...GUSTY WINDS
AND WARM TEMPERATURES WILL BE FOUND AGAIN LATE THIS AFTERNOON...
THOUGH CONDITIONS WILL IMPROVE AS THE COLD FRONT CROSSES THE AREA
BETWEEN 4 AND 8 PM. PRIOR TO THAT...RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES WILL
REMAIN IN THE 15 TO 30 PERCENT RANGE...WITH TEMPERATURES IN THE
MID TO UPPER 80S. AFTER THE COLD FRONT PASSES...TEMPERATURES WILL 
DROP INTO THE 70S AND RELATIVE HUMIDITIES WILL CLIMB ABOVE 40 PERCENT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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

&&

$$

JPB
000 
WWUS83 KAPX 212244
RFWAPX

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GAYLORD MI
644 PM EDT THU MAY 21 2009

MIZ018-023-024-028>030-034>036-041-042-212345-
/O.CAN.KAPX.FW.W.0004.000000T0000Z-090522T0000Z/
PRESQUE ISLE-MONTMORENCY-ALPENA-CRAWFORD-OSCODA-ALCONA-ROSCOMMON-
OGEMAW-IOSCO-GLADWIN-ARENAC-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...ROGERS CITY...ATLANTA...ALPENA...
GRAYLING...MIO...HARRISVILLE...HOUGHTON LAKE...WEST BRANCH...
TAWAS CITY...GLADWIN...STANDISH
644 PM EDT THU MAY 21 2009

...RED FLAG WARNING IS CANCELLED...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GAYLORD HAS CANCELLED THE RED
FLAG WARNING. 

THE RED FLAG WARNING INCLUDED THE FOLLOWING FIRE WEATHER ZONES:
IN MICHIGAN...18...23...24...28...29...30...34...35...36
...41...42

A COLD FRONT HAS DROPPED SOUTHWARD ACROSS NORTHERN MICHIGAN WITH
TEMPERATURES COOLING BACK INTO THE 70S AND RELATIVE HUMIDITIES
INCREASING TO ABOVE 25 PERCENT. THUS...THE RED FLAG WARNING HAS
BEEN CANCELLED.

$$

KAS

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in Michigan, 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.