Alert archive / Texas / Red Flag Warnings in 2011

Red Flag Warning 2, NWS Houston/Galveston, TX

February 28, 201123 counties in Texas

NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued this red flag warning at Feb 28, 2011, 5:36 AM CST for 23 counties in Texas. It took effect at Feb 28, 2011, 10:00 AM CST. 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
Feb 28, 2011, 5:36 AM CST (11:36 UTC)
In effect from
Feb 28, 2011, 10:00 AM CST
Expired
Feb 28, 2011, 6:00 PM CST
In force
8 hr
Issued by
NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
All 23 counties

Austin County, TX, Brazoria County, TX, Brazos County, TX, Burleson County, TX, Chambers County, TX, Colorado County, TX, Fort Bend County, TX, Galveston County, TX, Grimes County, TX, Harris County, TX, Houston County, TX, Jackson County, TX, Liberty County, TX, Madison County, TX, Matagorda County, TX, Montgomery County, TX, Polk County, TX, San Jacinto County, TX, Trinity County, TX, Walker County, TX, Waller County, TX, Washington County, TX, Wharton County, TX

The radar

The Houston radar (KHGX), 91 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 11:36 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

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 00:00Z, 11.6 hours before the alert went out and 242 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, Lake Charles Mun, LA at 00:00Z on 2011-02-28Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 590 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, Lake Charles Mun, LA at 00:00Z on 2011-02-28The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 146 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
590 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-114 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
513 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
49 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
146 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
148 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.2
Supercell composite
2.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

793 
WWUS84 KHGX 281136
RFWHGX

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
536 AM CST MON FEB 28 2011

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM THIS MORNING TO 6 PM CST
THIS EVENING...

.A MUCH DRIER AIRMASS WILL BE MOVING INTO SOUTHEAST TEXAS TODAY IN
THE WAKE OF THE OVERNIGHT COLD FRONT. THE COMBINATION OF ABUNDANT
SUNSHINE...WARM TEMPERATURES...LOW HUMIDITIES...AND GUSTY
NORTHWEST WINDS HAS RESULTED IN THE ISSUANCE OF THE RED FLAG
WARNING OVER SOUTHEAST TEXAS TODAY.

TXZ163-164-176>179-195>200-210>214-226-227-235>238-281945-
/O.UPG.KHGX.FW.A.0001.110228T1600Z-110301T0000Z/
/O.NEW.KHGX.FW.W.0002.110228T1600Z-110301T0000Z/
AUSTIN-BRAZORIA-BRAZOS-BURLESON-CHAMBERS-COLORADO-FORT BEND-
GALVESTON-GRIMES-HARRIS-HOUSTON-JACKSON-LIBERTY-MADISON-MATAGORDA-
MONTGOMERY-POLK-SAN JACINTO-TRINITY-WALKER-WALLER-WASHINGTON-
WHARTON-
536 AM CST MON FEB 28 2011

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM THIS MORNING TO 6 PM CST
THIS EVENING...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HOUSTON/GALVESTON HAS ISSUED A
RED FLAG WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM THIS MORNING TO
6 PM CST THIS EVENING. THE FIRE WEATHER WATCH IS NO LONGER IN
EFFECT. 

THE COMBINATION OF ABUNDANT SUNSHINE...WARM TEMPERATURES...LOW
HUMIDITIES...AND GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS ALONG WITH VERY LOW FUEL
MOISTURE LEVELS WILL RESULT IN AN ELEVATED FIRE DANGER TODAY. A
COLD FRONT THAT MOVED ACROSS THE AREA OVERNIGHT HAS USHERED IN A
MUCH DRIER AIRMASS. HUMIDITY LEVELS ARE EXPECTED TO DROP BELOW 30
PERCENT BETWEEN 10 AND 11 AM AND BOTTOM OUT IN THE 15 TO 25
PERCENT RANGE THIS AFTERNOON. NORTHWEST WINDS OF 10 TO 20 MPH ARE
EXPECTED WITH GUSTS AROUND 25 MPH AT TIMES. HUMIDITY VALUES WILL
RECOVER ABOVE 30 PERCENT AND WINDS WILL DIMINISH AROUND SUNSET.

&&

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.

&&

$$
1 follow-up statement
154 
WWUS84 KHGX 282225
RFWHGX

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
425 PM CST MON FEB 28 2011

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHERN HALF OF SOUTHEAST
TEXAS UNTIL 6 PM CST...

.THE COMBINATION OF ABUNDANT SUNSHINE...WARM TEMPERATURES...LOW
HUMIDITIES...AND GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS HAS RESULTED IN THE
CONTINUATION OF THE RED FLAG WARNING FOR THE SOUTHERN HALF OF 
SOUTHEAST TEXAS THIS AFTERNOON.

TXZ163-164-176>179-195>199-210>212-282330-
/O.CAN.KHGX.FW.W.0002.000000T0000Z-110301T0000Z/
AUSTIN-BRAZOS-BURLESON-COLORADO-GRIMES-HOUSTON-MADISON-MONTGOMERY-
POLK-SAN JACINTO-TRINITY-WALKER-WALLER-WASHINGTON-
425 PM CST MON FEB 28 2011

...RED FLAG WARNING IS CANCELLED...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HOUSTON/GALVESTON HAS CANCELLED
THE RED FLAG WARNING. 

COOLER TEMPERATURES HAVE SPREAD INTO THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON
ALLOWING HUMIDITY LEVELS TO RECOVER ABOVE 30 PERCENT. AS A
RESULT...THE RED FLAG WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

$$

TXZ200-213-214-226-227-235>238-010000-
/O.CON.KHGX.FW.W.0002.000000T0000Z-110301T0000Z/
BRAZORIA-CHAMBERS-FORT BEND-GALVESTON-HARRIS-JACKSON-LIBERTY-
MATAGORDA-WHARTON-
425 PM CST MON FEB 28 2011

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS
EVENING...

A RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS EVENING.

THE COMBINATION OF ABUNDANT SUNSHINE...WARM TEMPERATURES...LOW
HUMIDITIES...AND GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS ALONG WITH VERY LOW FUEL
MOISTURE LEVELS IS RESULTING IN A HIGH FIRE DANGER. HUMIDITY
LEVELS ARE CURRENTLY RUNNING IN THE 15 TO 25 PERCENT RANGE. NORTHWEST
WINDS OF 10 TO 20 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH GUSTS AROUND 25 MPH AT
TIMES. HUMIDITY VALUES WILL RECOVER ABOVE 30 PERCENT AND WINDS
WILL DIMINISH AROUND SUNSET.

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.

&&

$$

Nearby

Red 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.