Alert archive / Colorado / Red Flag Warnings in 2012

Red Flag Warning 26, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

August 15, 20127 counties in Colorado

NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this red flag warning at Aug 15, 2012, 3:07 AM MDT for 7 counties in Colorado. It took effect at Aug 15, 2012, 12:00 PM MDT. 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
Aug 15, 2012, 3:07 AM MDT (09:07 UTC)
In effect from
Aug 15, 2012, 12:00 PM MDT
Expired
Aug 15, 2012, 6:02 PM MDT
In force
6 hr
Issued by
NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

Counties Larimer County, CO, Logan County, CO, Morgan County, CO, Phillips County, CO, Sedgwick County, CO, Washington County, CO, Weld County, CO

The radar

The Denver radar (KFTG), 119 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 09:08 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

Denver, CO (KDEN), launched 00:00Z, 9.1 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, Denver, CO at 00:00Z on 2012-08-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 233 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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, Denver, CO at 00:00Z on 2012-08-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -19 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
233 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-33 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
3619 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
27 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-19 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
76 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.

610 
WWUS85 KBOU 150907
RFWBOU

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
307 AM MDT WED AUG 15 2012

...DRY AND BREEZY THIS AFTERNOON ON THE NORTHEAST PLAINS...

.A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS NORTHEASTERN COLORADO THIS
AFTERNOON. IT WILL BE HOT AND DRY AHEAD OF THE FRONT AT
MIDDAY...THEN THE WIND WILL SHIFT TO THE NORTH WITH GUSTY WINDS.
BY LATE AFTERNOON IT WILL BE COOLER WITH HIGHER HUMIDITIES...BUT
THE FIRE DANGER WILL BE ELEVATED DURING THE WINDY PERIOD AS THE
FRONT MOVES THROUGH.

COZ238-242>244-248>251-151800-
/O.NEW.KBOU.FW.W.0026.120815T1800Z-120816T0000Z/
LARIMER COUNTY BELOW 6000 FEET/NORTHWEST WELD COUNTY-
NORTHEAST WELD COUNTY-CENTRAL AND SOUTH WELD COUNTY-MORGAN COUNTY-
LOGAN COUNTY-WASHINGTON COUNTY-SEDGWICK COUNTY-PHILLIPS COUNTY-
307 AM MDT WED AUG 15 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 6 PM MDT THIS
EVENING FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR THE NORTHEAST 
PLAINS OF COLORADO...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DENVER HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...WHICH IS IN EFFECT
FROM NOON TODAY TO 6 PM MDT THIS EVENING.

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONES 238...242...243...244... 
  248...249...250 AND 251.

* TIMING...HOT AND DRY CONDITIONS WILL DEVELOP BY MIDDAY WITH
  GUSTY NORTH WINDS DEVELOPING DURING THE AFTERNOON.

* WINDS...NORTH 10 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 35 MPH.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AS LOW AS 13 PERCENT.

* IMPACTS...FIRES WILL START MORE EASILY TODAY AND WILL SPREAD
  RAPIDLY DUE TO THE DRY FUELS AND STRONG WINDS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS
ARE EITHER OCCURRING OR IMMINENT. PLEASE ADVISE THE APPROPRIATE
OFFICIALS AND FIRE CREWS IN THE FIELD OF THIS RED FLAG WARNING.

&&

$$

GIMMESTAD
2 follow-up statements
586 
WWUS85 KBOU 151758
RFWBOU

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
1158 AM MDT WED AUG 15 2012

...DRY AND BREEZY THIS AFTERNOON ON THE NORTHEAST PLAINS...

.GUSTY NORTH WINDS BEHIND COLD FRONT MOVING ACROSS NORTHEASTERN
COLORADO THIS AFTERNOON WILL COMBINE WITH THE HOT AND DRY DAY TO
ELEVATE FIRE DANGER. BY LATE AFTERNOON IT WILL BE COOLER WITH
HIGHER HUMIDITIES...BUT THE FIRE DANGER WILL BE ELEVATED DURING
THE WINDY PERIOD AS THE FRONT MOVES THROUGH.

COZ238-242>244-248>251-160000-
/O.CON.KBOU.FW.W.0026.120815T1800Z-120816T0000Z/
LARIMER COUNTY BELOW 6000 FEET/NORTHWEST WELD COUNTY-
NORTHEAST WELD COUNTY-CENTRAL AND SOUTH WELD COUNTY-MORGAN COUNTY-
LOGAN COUNTY-WASHINGTON COUNTY-SEDGWICK COUNTY-PHILLIPS COUNTY-
1158 AM MDT WED AUG 15 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM MDT THIS EVENING
FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR THE NORTHEAST PLAINS OF
COLORADO...

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONES 238...242...243...244... 
  248...249...250 AND 251.

* TIMING...THE FRONT IS CURRENTLY ON THE COLORADO AND WYOMING
  BORDER AND WILL MOVE SOUTH THROUGH THE REST OF THE AREA THROUGH
  LATE AFTERNOON.

* WINDS...NORTH 10 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 35 MPH.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AS LOW AS 13 PERCENT.

* IMPACTS...FIRES WILL START MORE EASILY TODAY AND WILL SPREAD 
  RAPIDLY DUE TO THE DRY FUELS AND STRONG WINDS. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS
ARE EITHER OCCURRING OR IMMINENT. PLEASE ADVISE THE APPROPRIATE
OFFICIALS AND FIRE CREWS IN THE FIELD OF THIS RED FLAG WARNING.

&&

$$
503 
WWUS85 KBOU 160002
RFWBOU

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
602 PM MDT WED AUG 15 2012


COZ238-242>244-248>251-160115-
/O.CAN.KBOU.FW.W.0026.000000T0000Z-120816T0000Z/
LARIMER COUNTY BELOW 6000 FEET/NORTHWEST WELD COUNTY-
NORTHEAST WELD COUNTY-CENTRAL AND SOUTH WELD COUNTY-MORGAN COUNTY-
LOGAN COUNTY-WASHINGTON COUNTY-SEDGWICK COUNTY-PHILLIPS COUNTY-
602 PM MDT WED AUG 15 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IS CANCELLED FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE
HUMIDITY FOR...

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

A COLD FRONT HAS MOVED INTO NORTHEAST COLORADO WITH COOLER
TEMPERATURES AND HIGHER RELATIVE HUMIDITIES. THE THREAT OF
DANGEROUS FIRE BEHAVIORS HAS DIMINISHED. GUSTY NORTHEAST WINDS ARE
EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THIS EVENING...BUT TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE
DROPPING AND HUMIDITY LEVELS WILL ALSO CONTINUE INCREASING. 

$$

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in Colorado, 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.