Alert archive / North Carolina / Red Flag Warnings in 2011

Red Flag Warning 3, NWS Blacksburg, VA

March 23, 20119 counties in North Carolina

NWS Blacksburg, VA issued this red flag warning at Mar 23, 2011, 4:11 AM EDT for 9 counties in North Carolina. It took effect at Mar 23, 2011, 9:00 AM EDT. It was in force for 10 hr. 9 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Mar 23, 2011, 4:11 AM EDT (08:11 UTC)
In effect from
Mar 23, 2011, 9:00 AM EDT
Expired
Mar 23, 2011, 6:43 PM EDT
In force
10 hr
Issued by
NWS Blacksburg, VA

Counties Alleghany County, NC, Ashe County, NC, Caswell County, NC, Rockingham County, NC, Stokes County, NC, Surry County, NC, Watauga County, NC, Wilkes County, NC, Yadkin County, NC

The radar

The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 84 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 08:09 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.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Mar 23, 5:30 PM EDTHAIL 11 Nnw Boone, NC
Mar 23, 5:46 PM EDTTSTM WND DMG3 Ne Elkville, NCPOWER LINES DOWN
Mar 23, 6:00 PM EDTTSTM WND DMGMount Airy, NCNUMEROUS TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN
Mar 23, 6:03 PM EDTTSTM WND DMG5 Wnw Danbury, NCTREE DOWN
Mar 23, 6:06 PM EDTTSTM WND DMG2 N Francisco, NCTREE DOWN NEAR COLLINSTOWN ROAD AND ELECTRIC PLANT ROAD
Mar 23, 6:14 PM EDTTSTM WND DMG2 Nne Danbury, NCTREE DOWN NEAR SEVEN ISLAND ROAD AND DAMASCAS ROAD
Mar 23, 6:18 PM EDTTSTM WND DMGStoneville, NCPOWERLINES REPORTED DOWN IN THE COMMUNITY OF STONEVILLE.
Mar 23, 6:27 PM EDTTSTM WND DMG6 Wsw Walnut Cove, NCTREE DOWN ALONG HIGHWAY 8
Mar 23, 6:40 PM EDTTSTM WND DMG2 Nne Reidsville, NCRADIO TOWER FELL OVER ON POWER LINES AND A BUILDING ON MADISON STREET NEAR BUSINESS U.S. 29

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The nearest sounding before it

Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC (KGSO), launched 00:00Z, 8.2 hours before the alert went out and 77 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 2011-03-23Temperature 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, Greensboro/Hi Pt, NC at 00:00Z on 2011-03-23The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 110 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
2057 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
43 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
110 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
186 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.

021 
WWUS81 KRNK 230811
RFWRNK

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
411 AM EDT WED MAR 23 2011

NCZ001>006-018>020-231615-
/O.UPG.KRNK.FW.A.0003.110323T1300Z-110324T0000Z/
/O.NEW.KRNK.FW.W.0003.110323T1300Z-110324T0000Z/
ASHE-ALLEGHANY NC-SURRY-STOKES-ROCKINGHAM-CASWELL-WATAUGA-WILKES-
YADKIN-
411 AM EDT WED MAR 23 2011

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 9 AM THIS MORNING TO 8 PM EDT
THIS EVENING...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 9 AM THIS MORNING TO 8 PM EDT
THIS EVENING. THE FIRE WEATHER WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT. 

* TIMING...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE LATE
  THIS MORNING UNTIL EARLY THIS EVENING.

* WIND...SOUTHWEST WINDS INCREASING 15 TO 20 MPH...WITH GUSTS UP
  TO 30 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON.

* HUMIDITY...DROPPING TO AROUND 30 PERCENT IN THE AFTERNOON.

* TEMPERATURES: HIGH TEMPERATURES FROM THE MID 70S IN THE
  MOUNTAINS...TO THE LOWER OR MID 80S IN THE PIEDMONT.

* IMPACTS...LACK OF RAINFALL HAS ALLOWED FUEL MOISTURES TO DRY OUT
  ACROSS NORTH CAROLINA. THE COMBINATION OF STRONG WINDS AND LOWER
  HUMIDITY WILL LIKELY CREATE RED FLAG CONDITIONS. ALSO...SOME
  THUNDERSTORMS LATE IN THE DAY WILL CREATE ERRATIC WIND
  BEHAVIOR...ESPECIALLY IN THE MOUNTAINS. ANY FIRES THAT 
  OCCUR ARE LIKELY TO QUICKLY SPREAD OUT OF CONTROL.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

&&

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.

&&

$$
2 follow-up statements
688 
WWUS81 KRNK 231724
RFWRNK

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
124 PM EDT WED MAR 23 2011

NCZ001>006-018>020-240000-
/O.CON.KRNK.FW.W.0003.000000T0000Z-110324T0000Z/
ASHE-ALLEGHANY NC-SURRY-STOKES-ROCKINGHAM-CASWELL-WATAUGA-WILKES-
YADKIN-
124 PM EDT WED MAR 23 2011

...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.

* TIMING...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE LATE  
THIS MORNING UNTIL EARLY THIS EVENING.

* WIND...SOUTHWEST WINDS INCREASING 15 TO 20 MPH...WITH GUSTS UP 
 TO 30 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON.

* HUMIDITY...DROPPING TO AROUND 30 PERCENT IN THE AFTERNOON.

* TEMPERATURES: HIGH TEMPERATURES FROM THE MID 70S IN THE  
MOUNTAINS...TO THE LOWER OR MID 80S IN THE PIEDMONT.

* IMPACTS...LACK OF RAINFALL HAS ALLOWED FUEL MOISTURES TO DRY
OUT   ACROSS NORTH CAROLINA. THE COMBINATION OF STRONG WINDS AND
LOWER   HUMIDITY WILL LIKELY CREATE RED FLAG CONDITIONS. ALSO...
SOME   THUNDERSTORMS LATE IN THE DAY WILL CREATE ERRATIC WIND  
BEHAVIOR...ESPECIALLY IN THE MOUNTAINS. ANY FIRES THAT   OCCUR
ARE LIKELY TO QUICKLY SPREAD OUT OF CONTROL.

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.

&&

$$
184 
WWUS81 KRNK 232243
RFWRNK

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
643 PM EDT WED MAR 23 2011

...THE RED FLAG WARNING IS CANCELLED FOR THE MOUNTAINS AND
FOOTHILLS OF NORTH CAROLINA AS WELL AS THE UPPER PIEDMONT
REGION...

NCZ001>006-018>020-232345-
/O.CAN.KRNK.FW.W.0003.000000T0000Z-110324T0000Z/
ASHE-ALLEGHANY NC-SURRY-STOKES-ROCKINGHAM-CASWELL-WATAUGA-WILKES-
YADKIN-
643 PM EDT WED MAR 23 2011

...RED FLAG WARNING IS CANCELLED...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG HAS CANCELLED THE RED
FLAG WARNING FOR THEIR AREA. 

A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN HAS MOVED ACROSS THE
MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS OF NORTH CAROLINA...AS WELL AS THE
PIEDMONT REGION. THIS HEAVY RAIN...ALONG WITH FALLING TEMPERATURES
AND RISING RELATIVE HUMIDITIES...WILL END RED FLAG CONDITIONS
ACROSS THIS AREA.

$$

16

The office that day

Everything else NWS Blacksburg, VA issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 23, 5:18 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRNKAlleghany, Ashe, Watauga, Wilkes57 min
Mar 23, 5:36 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRNKAlleghany, Stokes, Surry, Wilkes, Yadkin54 min
Mar 23, 6:32 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningRNKCaswell, Rockingham58 min

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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.