Alert archive / New Mexico / Red Flag Warnings in 2011

Red Flag Warning 49, NWS El Paso, TX

May 23, 20118 counties in New Mexico; El Paso County, Hudspeth County, Texas

NWS El Paso, TX issued this red flag warning at May 23, 2011, 8:17 PM MDT for 8 counties in New Mexico; El Paso County, Hudspeth County, Texas. It took effect at May 24, 2011, 12:00 PM MDT. It was in force for 10 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 23, 2011, 8:17 PM MDT (02:17 UTC)
In effect from
May 24, 2011, 12:00 PM MDT
Expired
May 24, 2011, 10:00 PM MDT
In force
10 hr
Issued by
NWS El Paso, TX

Counties Catron County, NM, Doña Ana County, NM, Grant County, NM, Hidalgo County, NM, Lincoln County, NM, Luna County, NM, Otero County, NM, Sierra County, NM, El Paso County, TX, Hudspeth County, TX

The radar

The El Paso radar (KEPZ), 84 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:17 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

Santa Teresa, NM (KEPZ), launched 00:00Z, 2.3 hours before the alert went out and 84 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, Santa Teresa, NM at 00:00Z on 2011-05-24Temperature 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, Santa Teresa, NM at 00:00Z on 2011-05-24The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 7 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
5830 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
44 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
7 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
123 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.

885 
WWUS84 KEPZ 240217
RFWEPZ

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EL PASO TX/SANTA TERESA NM
817 PM MDT MON MAY 23 2011

...CRITICAL FIRE CONDITIONS WILL RETURN TUESDAY TO SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO
AND FAR WEST TEXAS...

.AN INCREASE IN 20-FOOT WINDS IS EXPECTED AREA WIDE ON TUESDAY...AS A
SERIES OF FAST MOVING UPPER LEVEL SHORTWAVE DISTURBANCES CROSS THE 
REGION. WINDS ALOFT WILL STRENGTHEN OVER SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO AND
WEST TEXAS AS A RESULT. THE ATMOSPHERE FAVORS EFFICIENT MIX DOWN
OF THESE WINDS TO THE SURFACE. APPROACH OF THESE WAVES WILL ALSO
GENERATE SURFACE LOW PRESSURE TO OUR NORTHEAST OVER SOUTHWEST 
KANSAS...WHICH WILL ASSIST IN GENERATING GUSTY WINDS TUESDAY
AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

NMZ110>113-TXZ055-056-241345-
/O.CAN.KEPZ.FW.W.0048.000000T0000Z-110524T0300Z/
/O.UPG.KEPZ.FW.A.0045.110524T1900Z-110525T0400Z/
/O.NEW.KEPZ.FW.W.0049.110524T1800Z-110525T0400Z/
SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS-SOUTHWEST DESERTS AND LOWLANDS-
SOUTH CENTRAL LOWLANDS AND SOUTHERN RIO GRANDE VALLEY-
CAPITAN AND SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS-EL PASO-HUDSPETH-
817 PM MDT MON MAY 23 2011

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TO 10 PM MDT TUESDAY FOR
STRONG WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES 055...056...
110...111...112 AND 113...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN EL PASO TX/SANTA TERESA HAS
ISSUED A RED FLAG WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TO 10 PM
MDT TUESDAY. THE FIRE WEATHER WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 110 SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS. 
  FIRE WEATHER ZONE 111 SOUTHWEST DESERTS AND LOWLANDS. FIRE 
  WEATHER ZONE 112 SOUTH CENTRAL LOWLANDS AND SOUTHERN RIO 
  GRANDE VALLEY. FIRE WEATHER ZONE 113 CAPITAN AND SACRAMENTO 
  MOUNTAINS. FIRE WEATHER ZONE 055 EL PASO...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 
  056 HUDSPETH. 

* WIND...20-FOOT WINDS WEST-SOUTHWEST 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS OF
  45 MPH OR HIGHER IN THE AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY EVENING.

* HUMIDITY...MINIMUM RELATIVE HUMIDITIES WILL RANGE FROM THE
  SINGLE DIGITS LOWER ELEVATIONS...TO THE LOW TEENS IN UPPER
  REACHES OF THE GILA NATIONAL FOREST AND SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS.

* IMPACTS...ANY FIRES THAT DEVELOP WILL LIKELY SPREAD RAPIDLY.
  OUTDOOR BURNING IS NOT RECOMMENDED. CHECK LOCAL LAND MANAGEMENT
  AGENCIES FOR ANY FIRE RESTRICTIONS IN YOUR AREA.


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 EXTREME FIRE GROWTH POTENTIAL.

&&

$$
1 follow-up statement
590 
WWUS84 KEPZ 241306
RFWEPZ

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EL PASO TX/SANTA TERESA NM
706 AM MDT TUE MAY 24 2011

...CRITICAL FIRE CONDITIONS WILL RETURN TUESDAY TO SOUTHERN NEW
MEXICO AND FAR WEST TEXAS...

.AN INCREASE IN 20-FOOT WINDS IS EXPECTED AREA WIDE ON TUESDAY...
AS A SERIES OF FAST MOVING UPPER LEVEL SHORTWAVE DISTURBANCES
CROSS THE REGION. WINDS ALOFT WILL STRENGTHEN OVER SOUTHERN NEW
MEXICO AND WEST TEXAS AS A RESULT. THE ATMOSPHERE FAVORS
EFFICIENT MIX DOWN OF THESE WINDS TO THE SURFACE. APPROACH OF
THESE WAVES WILL ALSO GENERATE SURFACE LOW PRESSURE TO OUR
NORTHEAST OVER SOUTHWEST KANSAS...WHICH WILL ASSIST IN GENERATING
GUSTY WINDS TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

NMZ110>113-TXZ055-056-250400-
/O.CON.KEPZ.FW.W.0049.110524T1800Z-110525T0400Z/
SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS-SOUTHWEST DESERTS AND LOWLANDS-
SOUTH CENTRAL LOWLANDS AND SOUTHERN RIO GRANDE VALLEY-
CAPITAN AND SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS-EL PASO-HUDSPETH-
706 AM MDT TUE MAY 24 2011

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 10 PM
MDT THIS EVENING FOR WINDS OVER 20 MPH AND RELATIVE HUMIDITIES 
UNDER 15 PERCENT FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES 055...056...110...111
 ...112 AND 113...

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 110 SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS. 
  FIRE WEATHER ZONE 111 SOUTHWEST DESERTS AND LOWLANDS. FIRE 
  WEATHER ZONE 112 SOUTH CENTRAL LOWLANDS AND SOUTHERN RIO 
  GRANDE VALLEY. FIRE WEATHER ZONE 113 CAPITAN AND SACRAMENTO 
  MOUNTAINS. FIRE WEATHER ZONE 055 EL PASO...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 
  056 HUDSPETH. 

* WIND...20-FOOT WINDS WEST-SOUTHWEST 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS 
  OF 45 MPH OR HIGHER IN THE AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY EVENING. 

* HUMIDITY...MINIMUM RELATIVE HUMIDITIES WILL RANGE FROM THE 
  SINGLE DIGITS LOWER ELEVATIONS...TO THE LOW TEENS IN UPPER 
  REACHES OF THE GILA NATIONAL FOREST AND SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS.

* IMPACTS...ANY FIRES THAT DEVELOP WILL LIKELY SPREAD RAPIDLY. 
  OUTDOOR BURNING IS NOT RECOMMENDED. CHECK LOCAL LAND 
  MANAGEMENT AGENCIES FOR ANY FIRE RESTRICTIONS IN YOUR AREA.

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 EXTREME FIRE GROWTH POTENTIAL.

&&

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 24, 5:05 AM MDTWind AdvisoryEPZ15 hr

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in New Mexico, 2011Red Flag Warnings in Texas, 2011Every red flag warning in 2011

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.