Alert archive / Minnesota / Red Flag Warnings in 2009

Red Flag Warning 2, NWS La Crosse, WI

April 23, 20096 counties in Wisconsin; 7 counties in Minnesota

NWS La Crosse, WI issued this red flag warning at Apr 23, 2009, 9:51 AM CDT for 6 counties in Wisconsin; 7 counties in Minnesota. It took effect at Apr 23, 2009, 12:00 PM CDT. It was in force for 7 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 23, 2009, 9:51 AM CDT (14:51 UTC)
In effect from
Apr 23, 2009, 12:00 PM CDT
Expired
Apr 23, 2009, 7:00 PM CDT
In force
7 hr
Issued by
NWS La Crosse, WI

Counties Dodge County, MN, Fillmore County, MN, Houston County, MN, Mower County, MN, Olmsted County, MN, Wabasha County, MN, Winona County, MN, Buffalo County, WI, Jackson County, WI, La Crosse County, WI, Monroe County, WI, Trempealeau County, WI, Vernon County, WI

The radar

The La Crosse radar (KARX), 44 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 14:53 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

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 12:00Z, 2.9 hours before the alert went out and 179 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, Minneapolis, MN at 12:00Z on 2009-04-23Temperature 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, Minneapolis, MN at 12:00Z on 2009-04-23The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 847 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
2395 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
40 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
847 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
1063 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 KARX 231451
RFWARX

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
951 AM CDT THU APR 23 2009

...DANGEROUS FIRE CONDITIONS TODAY...

.STRONG SOUTH WINDS OF 15 TO 25 MPH...WITH GUSTS OF 30 TO 35
MPH...ALONG WITH AFTERNOON RELATIVE HUMIDITIES OF 25 TO 30
PERCENT...WILL INCREASE ALREADY CRITICAL FIRE CONDITIONS FOR
PORTIONS OF THE REGION. WITH THE ADDITION OF VERY DRY FUELS...
AND HIGH TEMPERATURES CLIMBING INTO THE 70S...A RED FLAG WARNING
WILL BE ISSUED FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING TO ACCOUNT
FOR THESE DANGEROUS FIRE CONDITIONS.

MNZ079-086>088-094>096-WIZ032>034-041-042-053-232300-
/O.NEW.KARX.FW.W.0002.090423T1700Z-090424T0000Z/
WABASHA-DODGE-OLMSTED-WINONA-MOWER-FILLMORE-HOUSTON-BUFFALO-
TREMPEALEAU-JACKSON-LA CROSSE-MONROE-VERNON-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...ROCHESTER...WINONA...AUSTIN...
BLACK RIVER FALLS...LA CROSSE...SPARTA/TOMAH...VIROQUA
951 AM CDT THU APR 23 2009

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LA CROSSE HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING. 

THE COMBINATION OF GUSTY SOUTH WINDS OF 15 TO 25 MPH...AFTERNOON
HUMIDITIES OF 25 TO 30 PERCENT...VERY DRY FUELS AND HIGH
TEMPERATURES CLIMBING INTO THE 70S...WILL CREATE VERY DANGEROUS
FIRE CONDITIONS THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. 

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.

&&

$$

RIECK
2 follow-up statements
000 
WWUS83 KARX 231952
RFWARX

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
252 PM CDT THU APR 23 2009

...DANGEROUS FIRE CONDITIONS PERSIST INTO THIS EVENING...

.GUSTY SOUTH WINDS...RELATIVE HUMIDITIES OF 25 TO 35
PERCENT...AND VERY DRY FUELS WILL KEEP THE FIRE DANGER HIGH
THROUGH EARLY EVENING. A RED FLAG WARNING WILL CONTINUE INTO EARLY
THIS EVENING FOR PARTS OF SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA AND WESTERN
WISCONSIN TO ACCOUNT FOR THESE DANGEROUS FIRE CONDITIONS.

MNZ079-086>088-094>096-WIZ032>034-041-042-053-240000-
/O.CON.KARX.FW.W.0002.000000T0000Z-090424T0000Z/
WABASHA-DODGE-OLMSTED-WINONA-MOWER-FILLMORE-HOUSTON-BUFFALO-
TREMPEALEAU-JACKSON-LA CROSSE-MONROE-VERNON-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...ROCHESTER...WINONA...AUSTIN...
BLACK RIVER FALLS...LA CROSSE...SPARTA/TOMAH...VIROQUA
252 PM CDT THU APR 23 2009

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM CDT THIS
EVENING...

A RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING.

THE COMBINATION OF GUSTY SOUTH WINDS OF 15 TO 25 MPH...HUMIDITIES
OF 25 TO 35 PERCENT...VERY DRY FUELS AND TEMPERATURES IN THE
70S...WILL CONTINUE VERY DANGEROUS FIRE CONDITIONS INTO EARLY
EVENING.

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.

&&

$$

RIECK
000 
WWUS83 KARX 232359
RFWARX

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
659 PM CDT THU APR 23 2009

...RED FLAG WARNING ALLOWED TO EXPIRE...

.WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO SLOWLY DIMINISH THROUGH THE EVENING AS
RELATIVE HUMIDITIES RISE. THUS THE RED FLAG WARNING IS BEING
ALLOWED TO EXPIRE AT 7 PM.

MNZ079-086>088-094>096-WIZ032>034-041-042-053-240100-
/O.EXP.KARX.FW.W.0002.000000T0000Z-090424T0000Z/
WABASHA-DODGE-OLMSTED-WINONA-MOWER-FILLMORE-HOUSTON-BUFFALO-
TREMPEALEAU-JACKSON-LA CROSSE-MONROE-VERNON-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...ROCHESTER...WINONA...AUSTIN...
BLACK RIVER FALLS...LA CROSSE...SPARTA/TOMAH...VIROQUA
659 PM CDT THU APR 23 2009

...RED FLAG WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING...

THE RED FLAG WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING. 

THE RED FLAG WARNING IS BEING ALLOWED TO EXPIRE AT 7 PM. THE WINDS
WILL CONTINUE TO DIMINISH THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS WITH RELATIVE
HUMIDITIES RISING.

$$

RABERDING

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in Minnesota, 2009Red Flag Warnings in Wisconsin, 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.