Alert archive / Iowa / Red Flag Warnings in 2012

Red Flag Warning 1, NWS La Crosse, WI

March 10, 20128 counties in Iowa; 7 counties in Minnesota

NWS La Crosse, WI issued this red flag warning at Mar 10, 2012, 5:06 AM CST for 8 counties in Iowa; 7 counties in Minnesota. It took effect at Mar 10, 2012, 12:00 PM CST. It was in force for 6 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
Mar 10, 2012, 5:06 AM CST (11:06 UTC)
In effect from
Mar 10, 2012, 12:00 PM CST
Expired
Mar 10, 2012, 6:00 PM CST
In force
6 hr
Issued by
NWS La Crosse, WI

Counties Allamakee County, IA, Chickasaw County, IA, Clayton County, IA, Fayette County, IA, Floyd County, IA, Howard County, IA, Mitchell County, IA, Winneshiek County, IA, Dodge County, MN, Fillmore County, MN, Houston County, MN, Mower County, MN, Olmsted County, MN, Wabasha County, MN, Winona County, MN

The radar

The La Crosse radar (KARX), 85 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 11:03 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

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 00:00Z, 11.1 hours before the alert went out and 190 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, Minneapolis, MN at 00:00Z on 2012-03-10Temperature 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, Minneapolis, MN at 00:00Z on 2012-03-10The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 282 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
2306 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
66 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
282 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
667 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.

653 
WWUS83 KARX 101106
RFWARX

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
506 AM CST SAT MAR 10 2012

...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS TODAY...

.THE COMBINATION OF STRONG WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY WILL
LEAD TO CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS TODAY. WINDS WILL BE
STRONG THROUGHOUT THE DAY WITH SUSTAINED WINDS OF 17 TO 25 KNOTS
AND GUSTS UP TO 40 KNOTS AT TIMES. DEW POINTS WILL DROP THIS
AFTERNOON AND CAUSE RELATIVE HUMIDITY TO FALL INTO THE 15 TO 25
PERCENT RANGE. THESE CONDITIONS WILL IMPROVE TONIGHT AS WINDS
SUBSIDE AND DEW POINTS INCREASE.

IAZ008>011-018-019-029-030-MNZ079-086>088-094>096-101915-
/O.NEW.KARX.FW.W.0001.120310T1800Z-120311T0000Z/
MITCHELL-HOWARD-WINNESHIEK-ALLAMAKEE-FLOYD-CHICKASAW-FAYETTE-
CLAYTON-WABASHA-DODGE-OLMSTED-WINONA-MOWER-FILLMORE-HOUSTON-
506 AM CST SAT MAR 10 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 6 PM CST THIS
EVENING FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR SOUTHEAST 
MINNESOTA AND NORTHEAST IOWA...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LA CROSSE HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...WHICH IS IN
EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 6 PM CST THIS EVENING.

* AFFECTED AREA...SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA AND NORTHEAST IOWA.

* WINDS...SOUTHWEST 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AS LOW AS 15 TO 20 PERCENT.

* TEMPERATURES...IN THE MID 60S.

* IMPACTS...FIRES COULD START VERY EASILY AND SPREAD AT A VERY
  FAST RATE.

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.

&&

$$

HALBACH
2 follow-up statements
447 
WWUS83 KARX 101754
RFWARX

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
1154 AM CST SAT MAR 10 2012

...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS TODAY...

.STRONG WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON WILL
LEAD TO CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS. SUSTAINED SOUTHWEST
WINDS IN THE 20 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 40 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED
THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON ALONG WITH RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES
BOTTOMING OUT IN THE 15 TO 20 PERCENT RANGE. LOOK FOR CONDITIONS
TO IMPROVE THIS EVENING AS THE WINDS SUBSIDE AND RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES
RECOVER.

IAZ008>011-018-019-029-030-MNZ079-086>088-094>096-110000-
/O.CON.KARX.FW.W.0001.120310T1800Z-120311T0000Z/
MITCHELL-HOWARD-WINNESHIEK-ALLAMAKEE-FLOYD-CHICKASAW-FAYETTE-
CLAYTON-WABASHA-DODGE-OLMSTED-WINONA-MOWER-FILLMORE-HOUSTON-
1154 AM CST SAT MAR 10 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS EVENING
FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA 
AND NORTHEAST IOWA...

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

* AFFECTED AREA...SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA AND NORTHEAST IOWA.

* WINDS...SOUTHWEST 20 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AS LOW AS 15 TO 20 PERCENT.

* TEMPERATURES...IN THE MIDDLE 60S.

* IMPACTS...FIRES COULD START VERY EASILY AND SPREAD AT A VERY 
  FAST RATE. 

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.

&&

$$

DAS
237 
WWUS83 KARX 102356
RFWARX

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
556 PM CST SAT MAR 10 2012

...FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS IMPROVING...

.WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO DIMINISH THROUGH THE EARLY EVENING HOURS AS
RELATIVE HUMIDITIES RISE. THUS THE RED FLAG WARNING WILL BE
ALLOWED TO EXPIRE AT 6 PM.

IAZ008>011-018-019-029-030-MNZ079-086>088-094>096-110100-
/O.EXP.KARX.FW.W.0001.000000T0000Z-120311T0000Z/
MITCHELL-HOWARD-WINNESHIEK-ALLAMAKEE-FLOYD-CHICKASAW-FAYETTE-
CLAYTON-WABASHA-DODGE-OLMSTED-WINONA-MOWER-FILLMORE-HOUSTON-
556 PM CST SAT MAR 10 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 6 PM CST THIS EVENING FOR 
   SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA AND NORTHEAST IOWA.

THE RED FLAG WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 6 PM CST THIS EVENING. 

WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO DIMINISH EARLY THIS EVENING WITH RELATIVE 
HUMIDITIES RISING. THUS THE RED FLAG WARNING WILL BE ALLOWED TO 
EXPIRE AT 6 PM.

$$

RABERDING

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in Iowa, 2012Red Flag Warnings in Minnesota, 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.