Alert archive / North Carolina / Red Flag Warnings in 2011

Red Flag Warning 2, NWS Raleigh, NC

February 19, 201131 counties in North Carolina

NWS Raleigh, NC issued this red flag warning at Feb 19, 2011, 4:02 AM EST for 31 counties in North Carolina. It took effect at Feb 19, 2011, 9:00 AM EST. It was in force for 12 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 19, 2011, 4:02 AM EST (09:02 UTC)
In effect from
Feb 19, 2011, 9:00 AM EST
Expired
Feb 19, 2011, 9:00 PM EST
In force
12 hr
Issued by
NWS Raleigh, NC
All 31 counties

Alamance County, NC, Anson County, NC, Chatham County, NC, Cumberland County, NC, Davidson County, NC, Durham County, NC, Edgecombe County, NC, Forsyth County, NC, Franklin County, NC, Granville County, NC, Guilford County, NC, Halifax County, NC, Harnett County, NC, Hoke County, NC, Johnston County, NC, Lee County, NC, Montgomery County, NC, Moore County, NC, Nash County, NC, Orange County, NC, Person County, NC, Randolph County, NC, Richmond County, NC, Sampson County, NC, Scotland County, NC, Stanly County, NC, Vance County, NC, Wake County, NC, Warren County, NC, Wayne County, NC, Wilson County, NC

The radar

The Raleigh/Durham radar (KRAX), 45 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 08:59 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

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 00:00Z, 9.0 hours before the alert went out and 93 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, Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC at 00:00Z on 2011-02-19Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 3 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, Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC at 00:00Z on 2011-02-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 49 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
3 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-23 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1846 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
58 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
49 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
89 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.

012 
WWUS82 KRAH 190902
RFWRAH

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
402 AM EST SAT FEB 19 2011

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT TODAY...

.WINDY AND DRY CONDITIONS COMBINED WITH DRY FUELS WILL CREATE AN
ENHANCED RISK OF WILDFIRES AND ADVERSE FIRE BEHAVIOR TODAY.

NCZ007>011-021>028-038>043-073>078-083>086-088-089-200200-
/O.UPG.KRAH.FW.A.0002.110219T1400Z-110220T0200Z/
/O.NEW.KRAH.FW.W.0002.110219T1400Z-110220T0200Z/
PERSON-GRANVILLE-VANCE-WARREN-HALIFAX-FORSYTH-GUILFORD-ALAMANCE-
ORANGE-DURHAM-FRANKLIN-NASH-EDGECOMBE-DAVIDSON-RANDOLPH-CHATHAM-
WAKE-JOHNSTON-WILSON-STANLY-MONTGOMERY-MOORE-LEE-HARNETT-WAYNE-
ANSON-RICHMOND-SCOTLAND-HOKE-CUMBERLAND-SAMPSON-
402 AM EST SAT FEB 19 2011

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 9 AM THIS MORNING TO 9 PM EST
THIS EVENING...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RALEIGH HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 9 AM THIS MORNING TO 9 PM EST
THIS EVENING. THE FIRE WEATHER WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT. 

* TIMING: CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS WILL DEVELOP FROM MID
  MORNING THROUGH THIS EVENING.

* WIND: NORTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS
  TO 30 MPH.

* HUMIDITY: RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES WILL DROP BELOW 20 PERCENT
  OVER MUCH OF CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA.

* TEMPERATURES: HIGHS WILL RANGE FROM THE MID 60S TO NEAR 70 FROM
  NORTH TO SOUTH.

* IMPACTS: ANY FIRES THAT OCCUR WILL QUICKLY SPREAD AND GROW OUT
  OF CONTROL. FIRES MAY BE EASILY IGNITED BY SPARKS OR BY
  DISCARDED SMOKING MATERIALS.

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.

&&

$$

SMITH
2 follow-up statements
668 
WWUS82 KRAH 191735 AAA
RFWRAH

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
1235 PM EST SAT FEB 19 2011

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT TODAY...

.WINDY AND DRY CONDITIONS COMBINED WITH DRY FUELS WILL CREATE AN
ENHANCED RISK OF WILDFIRES AND ADVERSE FIRE BEHAVIOR TODAY.

NCZ007>011-021>028-038>043-073>078-083>086-088-089-200200-
/O.CON.KRAH.FW.W.0002.000000T0000Z-110220T0200Z/
PERSON-GRANVILLE-VANCE-WARREN-HALIFAX-FORSYTH-GUILFORD-ALAMANCE-
ORANGE-DURHAM-FRANKLIN-NASH-EDGECOMBE-DAVIDSON-RANDOLPH-CHATHAM-
WAKE-JOHNSTON-WILSON-STANLY-MONTGOMERY-MOORE-LEE-HARNETT-WAYNE-
ANSON-RICHMOND-SCOTLAND-HOKE-CUMBERLAND-SAMPSON-
1235 PM EST SAT FEB 19 2011

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM EST THIS
EVENING...

* TIMING: CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH 9
  PM THIS EVENING.

* WIND: NORTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 15 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS
  UP TO 30 MPH THIS AFTERNOON. WIND GUSTS UP TO 35 MPH WILL BE
  POSSIBLE NORTHEAST OF THE TRIANGLE.

* HUMIDITY: RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES BETWEEN 5 AND 15 PERCENT ARE
  EXPECTED ACROSS ALL OF CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA THIS AFTERNOON.

* TEMPERATURES: HIGHS WILL RANGE FROM THE MID 60S TO NEAR 70
  DEGREES FROM NORTH TO SOUTH.

* IMPACTS: ANY FIRES THAT OCCUR WILL QUICKLY SPREAD AND GROW OUT 
  OF CONTROL. FIRES MAY BE EASILY IGNITED BY SPARKS OR BY 
  DISCARDED SMOKING MATERIALS. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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

$$

VINCENT
606 
WWUS82 KRAH 200204
RFWRAH

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
904 PM EST SAT FEB 19 2011


NCZ007>011-021>028-038>043-073>078-083>086-088-089-200315-
/O.EXP.KRAH.FW.W.0002.000000T0000Z-110220T0200Z/
PERSON-GRANVILLE-VANCE-WARREN-HALIFAX-FORSYTH-GUILFORD-ALAMANCE-
ORANGE-DURHAM-FRANKLIN-NASH-EDGECOMBE-DAVIDSON-RANDOLPH-CHATHAM-
WAKE-JOHNSTON-WILSON-STANLY-MONTGOMERY-MOORE-LEE-HARNETT-WAYNE-
ANSON-RICHMOND-SCOTLAND-HOKE-CUMBERLAND-SAMPSON-
904 PM EST SAT FEB 19 2011

...RED FLAG WARNING HAS EXPIRED...

WINDS THIS EVENING HAVE DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY WITH SUNSET.
THUS... THE RED FLAG WARNING IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.

$$

77

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in North Carolina, 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.