Alert archive / New Mexico / Red Flag Warnings in 2012

Red Flag Warning 1, NWS Albuquerque, NM

January 15, 2012Harding County, San Miguel County, Union County, New Mexico

NWS Albuquerque, NM issued this red flag warning at Jan 15, 2012, 7:35 AM MST for Harding County, San Miguel County, Union County, New Mexico. It took effect at Jan 15, 2012, 12:00 PM MST. It was in force for 5 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
Jan 15, 2012, 7:35 AM MST (14:35 UTC)
In effect from
Jan 15, 2012, 12:00 PM MST
Expired
Jan 15, 2012, 5:00 PM MST
In force
5 hr
Issued by
NWS Albuquerque, NM

Counties Harding County, NM, San Miguel County, NM, Union County, NM

The radar

The Cannon AFB radar (KFDX), 150 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 14:40 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

Amarillo Airport, TX (KAMA), launched 12:00Z, 2.6 hours before the alert went out and 225 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, Amarillo Airport, TX at 12:00Z on 2012-01-15Temperature 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, Amarillo Airport, TX at 12:00Z on 2012-01-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -41 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
3746 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
18 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-41 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
30 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.

299 
WWUS85 KABQ 151435
RFWABQ

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM
735 AM MST SUN JAN 15 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING THIS AFTERNOON FOR PORTIONS OF THE NORTHEAST
AND EAST CENTRAL PLAINS DUE TO STRONG WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITY...

.A COUPLE OF SIGNIFICANT MID AND UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE
DISTURBANCES IN A MODERATELY MOIST FLOW ALOFT WILL APPROACH THE
STATE FROM THE WEST OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS. WINDS WILL INCREASE AS
A RESULT AND COMBINE WITH LOW HUMIDITY TO PRODUCE 3 TO 5 HOURS OF
CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE EASTERN
PLAINS THIS AFTERNOON. TEMPERATURES IN THE WATCH AREA WILL RANGE
BETWEEN 10 AND 17 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL WITH A HAINES OF 5. 

NMZ104-108-152230-
/O.UPG.KABQ.FW.A.0001.120115T2000Z-120116T0000Z/
/O.NEW.KABQ.FW.W.0001.120115T1900Z-120116T0000Z/
NEW MEXICO FIRE WEATHER ZONE 104
NORTHEAST PLAINS/EASTERN KIOWA AND RITA BLANCA GRASSLANDS/ABZ-TNZ-
NEW MEXICO FIRE WEATHER ZONE 108
EAST CENTRAL PLAINS/WESTERN KIOWA GRASSLANDS BLM/ABZ-SNZ-
735 AM MST SUN JAN 15 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 5 PM MST THIS
AFTERNOON...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ALBUQUERQUE HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 5 PM MST THIS
AFTERNOON. THE FIRE WEATHER WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT. 

* AREA AND TIMING...NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL PLAINS FAVORING 
  THE INTERSTATE 40 CORRIDOR BETWEEN SANTA ROSA AND THE TEXAS 
  STATE LINE THIS AFTERNOON. 

* 20 FOOT WINDS...SUSTAINED WEST/SOUTHWEST 18 TO 28 MPH.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...MINIMUM VALUES BETWEEN 10 TO 15 PCT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

PLEASE ADVISE THE APPROPRIATE OFFICIALS OR FIRE CREWS IN THE
FIELD OF THIS RED FLAG WARNING.

&&

$$

43
1 follow-up statement
708 
WWUS85 KABQ 151955
RFWABQ

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM
1255 PM MST SUN JAN 15 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING THROUGH 5 PM FOR PORTIONS OF THE NORTHEAST
AND EAST CENTRAL PLAINS DUE TO STRONG WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITY...

.RED FLAG CONDITIONS ARE ALREADY BEING MET ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE
EASTERN PLAINS AND WILL CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS. MOST
CRITICAL AREA WILL BE FOUND NORTH AND SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 40
BETWEEN SANTA ROSA AND THE TEXAS STATE LINE. 

NMZ104-108-160000-
/O.CON.KABQ.FW.W.0001.000000T0000Z-120116T0000Z/
NEW MEXICO FIRE WEATHER ZONE 104
NORTHEAST PLAINS/EASTERN KIOWA AND RITA BLANCA GRASSLANDS/ABZ-TNZ-
NEW MEXICO FIRE WEATHER ZONE 108
EAST CENTRAL PLAINS/WESTERN KIOWA GRASSLANDS BLM/ABZ-SNZ-
1255 PM MST SUN JAN 15 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 PM MST THIS
AFTERNOON...

A RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 PM MST THIS
AFTERNOON. 

* AREA AND TIMING...NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL PLAINS FAVORING 
  THE INTERSTATE 40 CORRIDOR BETWEEN SANTA ROSA AND THE TEXAS 
  STATE LINE THIS AFTERNOON. 

* 20 FOOT WINDS...SUSTAINED WEST/SOUTHWEST 20 TO 30 MPH.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...MINIMUM VALUES BETWEEN 9 TO 15 PCT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

PLEASE ADVISE THE APPROPRIATE OFFICIALS OR FIRE CREWS IN THE
FIELD OF THIS RED FLAG WARNING.

&&

$$
50

The office that day

Everything else NWS Albuquerque, NM issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jan 15, 4:44 AM MSTWinter Weather AdvisoryABQ42 hr
Jan 15, 3:00 PM MSTWind AdvisoryABQ29 hr

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in New Mexico, 2012Every red flag warning in 2012

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.