Alert archive / Colorado / Red Flag Warnings in 2012

Red Flag Warning 36, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

October 23, 2012Elbert County, Lincoln County, Colorado

NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this red flag warning at Oct 23, 2012, 3:34 AM MDT for Elbert County, Lincoln County, Colorado. It took effect at Oct 23, 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
Oct 23, 2012, 3:34 AM MDT (09:34 UTC)
In effect from
Oct 23, 2012, 12:00 PM MDT
Expired
Oct 23, 2012, 6:00 PM MDT
In force
6 hr
Issued by
NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

Counties Elbert County, CO, Lincoln County, CO

The radar

The Pueblo radar (KPUX), 81 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 09:40 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

Denver, CO (KDNR), launched 00:00Z, 9.6 hours before the alert went out and 96 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 2012-10-23Temperature 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 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 2012-10-23The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 161 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
2744 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
61 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
161 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
398 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.

729 
WWUS85 KBOU 230934
RFWBOU

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
334 AM MDT TUE OCT 23 2012

...DRY AND BREEZY CONDITIONS THIS AFTERNOON...

.INCREASING SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WILL BRING DRY AND BREEZY
CONDITIONS TO PARTS OF EASTERN COLORADO THIS AFTERNOON.

COZ246-247-231745-
/O.UPG.KBOU.FW.A.0016.121023T1800Z-121024T0000Z/
/O.NEW.KBOU.FW.W.0036.121023T1800Z-121024T0000Z/
NORTH AND NORTHEAST ELBERT COUNTY BELOW 6000 FEET/NORTH LINCOLN
COUNTY-
SOUTHEAST ELBERT COUNTY BELOW 6000 FEET/SOUTH LINCOLN COUNTY-
334 AM MDT TUE OCT 23 2012

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

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. THE FIRE WEATHER WATCH
IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONES 246 AND 247.

* TIMING...FROM NOON UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING.

* WINDS...SOUTHWEST 10 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH.

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

* IMPACTS...GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES WILL COMBINE 
  WITH DRY FUELS TO INCREASE THE POTENTIAL FOR RAPID FIRE 
  GROWTH. 

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.

&&

$$
2 follow-up statements
694 
WWUS85 KBOU 231659
RFWBOU

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
1059 AM MDT TUE OCT 23 2012

...DRY AND BREEZY CONDITIONS THIS AFTERNOON...

.INCREASING SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WILL BRING DRY AND BREEZY
CONDITIONS TO PARTS OF EASTERN COLORADO THIS AFTERNOON.

COZ246-247-240000-
/O.CON.KBOU.FW.W.0036.121023T1800Z-121024T0000Z/
NORTH AND NORTHEAST ELBERT COUNTY BELOW 6000 FEET/NORTH LINCOLN
COUNTY-
SOUTHEAST ELBERT COUNTY BELOW 6000 FEET/SOUTH LINCOLN COUNTY-
1059 AM MDT TUE OCT 23 2012

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

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONES 246 AND 247.

* TIMING...FROM NOON UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING.

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

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

* IMPACTS...GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES WILL COMBINE 
  WITH DRY FUELS TO INCREASE THE POTENTIAL FOR RAPID FIRE 
  GROWTH. 

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.

&&

$$
689 
WWUS85 KBOU 240002
RFWBOU

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
602 PM MDT TUE OCT 23 2012

...DRY AND BREEZY CONDITIONS DIMINISHING...

.TEMPERATURES DROPPING THIS EVENING WILL ALLOW HUMIDITY LEVELS TO
CLIMB AS WIND SPEEDS ALSO DECREASE. THE THREAT OF DANGEROUS FIRE
WEATHER BEHAVIOR OVER EASTERN ELBERT AND LINCOLN COUNTIES HAS COME
TO AN END. 

COZ246-247-240115-
/O.EXP.KBOU.FW.W.0036.000000T0000Z-121024T0000Z/
NORTH AND NORTHEAST ELBERT COUNTY BELOW 6000 FEET/NORTH LINCOLN
COUNTY-
SOUTHEAST ELBERT COUNTY BELOW 6000 FEET/SOUTH LINCOLN COUNTY-
602 PM MDT TUE OCT 23 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING EXPIRED AT 6 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR WIND AND
LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR THE EAST CENTRAL PLAINS...

$$

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.