Alert archive / Michigan / Red Flag Warnings in 2012

Red Flag Warning 1, NWS Gaylord, MI

May 11, 201221 counties in Michigan

NWS Gaylord, MI issued this red flag warning at May 11, 2012, 4:22 PM EDT for 21 counties in Michigan. It was in force for 4 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 11, 2012, 4:22 PM EDT (20:22 UTC)
Expired
May 11, 2012, 8:00 PM EDT
In force
4 hr
Issued by
NWS Gaylord, MI
All 21 counties

Alcona County, MI, Alpena County, MI, Antrim County, MI, Arenac County, MI, Benzie County, MI, Cheboygan County, MI, Crawford County, MI, Emmet County, MI, Gladwin County, MI, Grand Traverse County, MI, Iosco County, MI, Kalkaska County, MI, Manistee County, MI, Missaukee County, MI, Montmorency County, MI, Ogemaw County, MI, Oscoda County, MI, Otsego County, MI, Presque Isle County, MI, Roscommon County, MI, Wexford County, MI

The radar

The NCL Michigan radar (KAPX), 25 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:27 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

Alpena, MI (KAPX), launched 12:00Z, 8.4 hours before the alert went out and 179 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, Alpena, MI at 12:00Z on 2012-05-11Temperature 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, Alpena, MI at 12:00Z on 2012-05-11The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 223 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
2138 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
38 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
223 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
229 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.

127 
WWUS83 KAPX 112022
RFWAPX

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GAYLORD MI
422 PM EDT FRI MAY 11 2012

...FIRE WEATHER WATCH THIS AFTERNOON FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW
AFTERNOON HUMIDITIES...

.AS SFC HIGH PRESSURE CONTINUES TO SHIFT EAST...WINDS HAVE TURNED 
MORE OUT OF THE SOUTHWEST AND THE GRADIENT HAS TIGHTENED BACK UP.
NORTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN...INCLUDING THE MANISTEE NATIONAL FOREST
HAVE BEEN SEEING ALL FIRE WEATHER CRITERIA MET FOR RED FLAG
CONDITIONS...WHILE NORTHEAST LOWER...INCLUDING THE HURON NATIONAL
FOREST...IS ON THE VERGE OF ECLIPSING THE WIND CRITERIA. AS A
RESULT...A RED FLAG WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR AT LEAST A COUPLE
HOURS OF THE LATE AFTERNOON FOR ALL OF NORTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN.

MIZ016>019-021>036-041-042-120000-
/O.UPG.KAPX.FW.A.0001.000000T0000Z-120512T0200Z/
/O.NEW.KAPX.FW.W.0001.120511T2022Z-120512T0000Z/
EMMET-CHEBOYGAN-PRESQUE ISLE-CHARLEVOIX-ANTRIM-OTSEGO-MONTMORENCY-
ALPENA-BENZIE-GRAND TRAVERSE-KALKASKA-CRAWFORD-OSCODA-ALCONA-
MANISTEE-WEXFORD-MISSAUKEE-ROSCOMMON-OGEMAW-IOSCO-GLADWIN-ARENAC-
422 PM EDT FRI MAY 11 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING FOR 
WARM TEMPERATURES...LOW HUMIDITY AND GUSTY WINDS FOR NORTHERN
LOWER MICHIGAN...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GAYLORD HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING FOR WARM TEMPERATURES...LOW HUMIDITY AND GUSTY 
WINDS...WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING. THE FIRE
WEATHER WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 016 EMMET...FIRE WEATHER 
  ZONE 017 CHEBOYGAN...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 018 PRESQUE ISLE...FIRE 
  WEATHER ZONE 019 CHARLEVOIX...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 021 ANTRIM...
  FIRE WEATHER ZONE 022 OTSEGO...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 023 
  MONTMORENCY...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 024 ALPENA...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 
  025 BENZIE...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 026 GRAND TRAVERSE...FIRE 
  WEATHER ZONE 027 KALKASKA...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 028 CRAWFORD...
  FIRE WEATHER ZONE 029 OSCODA...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 030 ALCONA...
  FIRE WEATHER ZONE 031 MANISTEE...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 032 
  WEXFORD...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 033 MISSAUKEE...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 
  034 ROSCOMMON...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 035 OGEMAW...FIRE WEATHER 
  ZONE 036 IOSCO...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 041 GLADWIN AND FIRE 
  WEATHER ZONE 042 ARENAC.

* WINDS...SOUTHWEST 10 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS AROUND 25 MPH.

* TIMING...THROUGH 8PM.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AS LOW AS 17 PERCENT.

* TEMPERATURES...AROUND 75 DEGREES.


PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A RED FLAG WARNING IS ISSUED WHEN CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER
CONDITIONS ARE EITHER OCCURRING NOW...OR ARE IMMINENT. A
COMBINATION OF STRONG WINDS...VERY LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...WARM
TEMPERATURES...AND DRY FUELS WILL CREATE DANGEROUS FIRE
CONDITIONS. PERSONS ARE URGED TO BE CAREFUL WITH ANY ACTIVITIES
THAT COULD POTENTIALLY LEAD TO A FIRES. CAMPFIRES...OUTDOOR
GRILLS...SMOKING MATERIALS...CHAIN SAWS...AND ALL-TERRAIN
VEHICLES ALL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO THROW A SPARK AND IGNITE A
DANGEROUS AND POTENTIALLY DESTRUCTIVE FIRE.

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

&&

$$

SMD
1 follow-up statement
431 
WWUS83 KAPX 120000
RFWAPX

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GAYLORD MI
800 PM EDT FRI MAY 11 2012


MIZ016>019-021>036-041-042-120100-
/O.CAN.KAPX.FW.W.0001.000000T0000Z-120512T0000Z/
EMMET-CHEBOYGAN-PRESQUE ISLE-CHARLEVOIX-ANTRIM-OTSEGO-MONTMORENCY-
ALPENA-BENZIE-GRAND TRAVERSE-KALKASKA-CRAWFORD-OSCODA-ALCONA-
MANISTEE-WEXFORD-MISSAUKEE-ROSCOMMON-OGEMAW-IOSCO-GLADWIN-ARENAC-
800 PM EDT FRI MAY 11 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IS CANCELLED FOR NORTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GAYLORD HAS CANCELLED THE RED
FLAG WARNING.

TEMPERATURES AND WINDS HAVE DROPPED BACK BELOW RED FLAG CRITERIA
ACROSS MOST OF NORTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN. RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES
IN MANY AREAS REMAIN ON THE LOWER SIDE...UNDER 30 PERCENT...BUT
WILL REBOUND BACK ABOVE 50 PERCENT BY AROUND MIDNIGHT. 

$$

ADAM

The office that day

Everything else NWS Gaylord, MI issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 11, 11:53 AM EDTFire Weather WatchAPXAlcona, Alpena, Antrim, Arenac, Benzie, Cheboygan and 15 more4 hr

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in Michigan, 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.