Alert archive / Alabama / Red Flag Warnings in 2012

Red Flag Warning 11, NWS Birmingham, AL

February 26, 201223 counties in Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this red flag warning at Feb 26, 2012, 11:31 AM CST for 23 counties in Alabama. 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
Feb 26, 2012, 11:31 AM CST (17:31 UTC)
Expired
Feb 26, 2012, 5:00 PM CST
In force
5 hr
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
All 23 counties

Bibb County, AL, Blount County, AL, Calhoun County, AL, Chambers County, AL, Cherokee County, AL, Chilton County, AL, Clay County, AL, Cleburne County, AL, Coosa County, AL, Etowah County, AL, Fayette County, AL, Jefferson County, AL, Lamar County, AL, Marion County, AL, Pickens County, AL, Randolph County, AL, Shelby County, AL, St. Clair County, AL, Talladega County, AL, Tallapoosa County, AL, Tuscaloosa County, AL, Walker County, AL, Winston County, AL

The radar

The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 41 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:31 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

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 12:00Z, 5.5 hours before the alert went out and 40 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, Birmingham, AL at 12:00Z on 2012-02-26Temperature 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, Birmingham, AL at 12:00Z on 2012-02-26The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 24 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
2670 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
27 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
24 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
202 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.

382 
WWUS84 KBMX 261731
RFWBMX

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1131 AM CST SUN FEB 26 2012

...DRY CONDITIONS EXPECTED FOR NORTH CENTRAL ALABAMA TODAY...

.SURFACE DEW POINTS WILL MIX OUT DRIER ACROSS NORTHERN AREAS THIS
AFTERNOON WHILE SOUTHEAST SURFACE FLOW SLOWLY INCREASES THE LOW
LEVEL MOISTURE. STILL THINK WE CAN SQUEEZE OUT 4 HOURS OF RELATIVE
HUMIDITY VALUES BELOW 25 PERCENT IN NORTHERN AREAS.

ALZ011>015-017>029-034>038-262200-
/O.NEW.KBMX.FW.W.0011.120226T1731Z-120226T2200Z/
MARION-LAMAR-FAYETTE-WINSTON-WALKER-BLOUNT-ETOWAH-CALHOUN-
CHEROKEE-CLEBURNE-PICKENS-TUSCALOOSA-JEFFERSON-SHELBY-ST. CLAIR-
TALLADEGA-CLAY-RANDOLPH-BIBB-CHILTON-COOSA-TALLAPOOSA-CHAMBERS-
1131 AM CST SUN FEB 26 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM CST THIS AFTERNOON FOR
DRY CONDITIONS...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM CST THIS AFTERNOON. 

* WINDS...SOUTHEAST 5 TO 10 MPH.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AS LOW AS 16 TO 18 PERCENT.

* IMPACTS...A DRY AIRMASS WILL RESULT IN CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER
  CONDITIONS. OUTDOOR BURNING IS NOT RECOMMENDED.

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. 

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THE FIRE CONDITIONS...PLEASE
CONTACT THE ALABAMA FORESTRY COMMISSION AT
WWW.FORESTRY.ALABAMA.GOV.

&&

$$
2 follow-up statements
038 
WWUS84 KBMX 262111
RFWBMX

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
311 PM CST SUN FEB 26 2012

...DRY CONDITIONS EXPECTED FOR NORTH CENTRAL ALABAMA TODAY...

.SURFACE DEW POINTS WILL MIX OUT DRIER ACROSS NORTHERN AREAS THIS
AFTERNOON WHILE SOUTHEAST SURFACE FLOW SLOWLY INCREASES THE LOW
LEVEL MOISTURE. STILL THINK WE CAN SQUEEZE OUT 4 HOURS OF
RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES BELOW 25 PERCENT IN NORTHERN AREAS.

ALZ011>015-017>029-034>038-262300-
/O.EXT.KBMX.FW.W.0011.000000T0000Z-120226T2300Z/
MARION-LAMAR-FAYETTE-WINSTON-WALKER-BLOUNT-ETOWAH-CALHOUN-
CHEROKEE-CLEBURNE-PICKENS-TUSCALOOSA-JEFFERSON-SHELBY-ST. CLAIR-
TALLADEGA-CLAY-RANDOLPH-BIBB-CHILTON-COOSA-TALLAPOOSA-CHAMBERS-
311 PM CST SUN FEB 26 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 PM CST THIS AFTERNOON
FOR DRY CONDITIONS...

THE RED FLAG WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 PM CST THIS
AFTERNOON. 

* WINDS...SOUTHEAST AROUND 5 MPH.

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

* IMPACTS...A DRY AIRMASS WILL RESULT IN CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER 
  CONDITIONS. OUTDOOR BURNING IS NOT RECOMMENDED. 

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.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THE FIRE CONDITIONS...PLEASE
CONTACT THE ALABAMA FORESTRY COMMISSION AT
WWW.FORESTRY.ALABAMA.GOV.

&&

$$
225 
WWUS84 KBMX 262115
RFWBMX

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
315 PM CST SUN FEB 26 2012

...DRY CONDITIONS EXPECTED FOR NORTH CENTRAL ALABAMA TODAY...

.SURFACE DEW POINTS WILL MIX OUT DRIER ACROSS NORTHERN AREAS THIS
AFTERNOON WHILE SOUTHEAST SURFACE FLOW SLOWLY INCREASES THE LOW
LEVEL MOISTURE. STILL THINK WE CAN SQUEEZE OUT 4 HOURS OF
RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES BELOW 25 PERCENT IN NORTHERN AREAS.

ALZ011>015-017>029-034>038-262300-
/O.CON.KBMX.FW.W.0011.000000T0000Z-120226T2300Z/
MARION-LAMAR-FAYETTE-WINSTON-WALKER-BLOUNT-ETOWAH-CALHOUN-
CHEROKEE-CLEBURNE-PICKENS-TUSCALOOSA-JEFFERSON-SHELBY-ST. CLAIR-
TALLADEGA-CLAY-RANDOLPH-BIBB-CHILTON-COOSA-TALLAPOOSA-CHAMBERS-
315 PM CST SUN FEB 26 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 PM CST THIS
AFTERNOON FOR DRY CONDITIONS...

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

* WINDS...SOUTHEAST AROUND 5 MPH.

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

* IMPACTS...A DRY AIRMASS WILL RESULT IN CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER 
  CONDITIONS. OUTDOOR BURNING IS NOT RECOMMENDED. 

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.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THE FIRE CONDITIONS...PLEASE
CONTACT THE ALABAMA FORESTRY COMMISSION AT
WWW.FORESTRY.ALABAMA.GOV.

&&

$$

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in Alabama, 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.