Alert archive / Texas / Red Flag Warnings in 2012

Red Flag Warning 1, NWS Brownsville, TX

January 12, 20127 counties in Texas

NWS Brownsville, TX issued this red flag warning at Jan 12, 2012, 2:16 AM CST for 7 counties in Texas. It took effect at Jan 12, 2012, 8:22 AM CST. It was in force for 8 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
Jan 12, 2012, 2:16 AM CST (08:16 UTC)
In effect from
Jan 12, 2012, 8:22 AM CST
Expired
Jan 12, 2012, 4:00 PM CST
In force
8 hr
Issued by
NWS Brownsville, TX

Counties Brooks County, TX, Cameron County, TX, Hidalgo County, TX, Jim Hogg County, TX, Kenedy County, TX, Starr County, TX, Willacy County, TX

The radar

The Brownsville radar (KBRO), 105 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 08:15 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

Brownsville Intl, TX (KBRO), launched 00:00Z, 8.3 hours before the alert went out and 108 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, Brownsville Intl, TX at 00:00Z on 2012-01-12Temperature 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, Brownsville Intl, TX at 00:00Z on 2012-01-12The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 141 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
2596 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
54 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
141 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
247 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.

282 
WWUS84 KBRO 120816
RFWBRO

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
216 AM CST THU JAN 12 2012

...A COLD FRONT WILL BRING AN ENHANCED RISK OF WILDFIRE GROWTH AND
SPREAD TODAY...

.NORTH WINDS AT 20 FEET WILL PEAK AT AROUND NOON TODAY BETWEEN 15
AND 20 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 25 MPH FOR THE INLAND AREAS...BUT THE
DRIEST AIR WILL NOT BECOME ESTABLISHED UNTIL MID AFTERNOON...JUST
WHEN 20 FOOT WINDS BEGIN DECREASING. THE RELEVANT WEATHER ELEMENTS
WILL THUS BE SLIGHTLY OUT OF PHASE. MEETING THE CRITERIA FOR A RED
FLAG WARNING WILL BE MARGINAL INLAND...BUT WILL BE JUSTIFIABLE
NEAR THE COAST WHERE STRONGER WINDS OF NEAR 25 MPH AT 20 FEET WILL
PREVAIL INTO EARLY AFTERNOON WHILE RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES
DECREASE.

TXZ251-254>257-122100-
/O.NEW.KBRO.FW.W.0001.120112T1500Z-120112T2100Z/
KENEDY-INLAND WILLACY-INLAND CAMERON-COASTAL WILLACY-
COASTAL CAMERON-
216 AM CST THU JAN 12 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 9 AM THIS MORNING TO 3 PM CST
THIS AFTERNOON FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER
ZONES 251...254...255...256 AND 257...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BROWNSVILLE HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 9 AM THIS MORNING TO 3 PM CST
THIS AFTERNOON. 

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONES 251...254...255...256 AND 
  257. 

* WIND...SUSTAINED 20 FOOT NORTH WINDS OF 25 MPH FOR AT LEAST 2
  HOURS.

* HUMIDITY...BELOW 45 PERCENT FOR AT LEAST 2 HOURS.

* IMPACTS...ANY FIRES THAT DEVELOP WILL LIKELY SPREAD RAPIDLY. 
  OUTDOOR BURNING IS NOT RECOMMENDED.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE
OCCURRING NOW...OR WILL SHORTLY.  IN GENERAL...THESE CONDITIONS
INCLUDE SUSTAINED 20 FOOT WINDS OF 25 MPH OR GREATER...HUMIDITY
RANGING FROM BELOW 25 PERCENT IN ZAPATA COUNTY TO BELOW
45 PERCENT ALONG THE COAST...EACH LASTING FOR 2 HOURS OR MORE...
AND CURED FUELS.  HUMIDITY BELOW 25 PERCENT IN MOST AREAS WILL
TRIGGER FIRE DANGER AT LOWER WIND SPEEDS.  DETAILED DECISION
TABLES ARE FOUND AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/RGV/?N=MAPCOLORS#FIRE.

&&

$$
1 follow-up statement
141 
WWUS84 KBRO 121422
RFWBRO

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
822 AM CST THU JAN 12 2012

...STRONG NORTH WINDS AND DROPPING HUMIDITY CONTINUE AN ENHANCED
RISK OF WILDFIRE GROWTH AND SPREAD TODAY...

.20 FOOT WINDS WILL PEAK FROM THE NORTH THROUGH AROUND NOON TODAY BETWEEN
20 AND 25 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 30 MPH FOR THE INLAND AREAS...AS DRIER
AIR BEGINS ESTABLISHING ITSELF LATE THIS MORNING. THIS WILL
PROVIDE AT LEAST A FEW HOURS OF CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS
AS RELATIVE HUMIDITIES DROP AND WINDS REMAIN STRONG AND GUSTY FROM
THE NORTH. 

TXZ249-250-252-253-122200-
/O.EXB.KBRO.FW.W.0001.120112T1422Z-120112T2200Z/
JIM HOGG-BROOKS-STARR-HIDALGO-
822 AM CST THU JAN 12 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM CST THIS AFTERNOON FOR
GUSTY WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES 249...250...
252 AND 253...

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

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONES 249...250...252 AND 253. 

* WIND...SUSTAINED 20 FOOT NORTH WINDS OF 25 MPH FOR AT LEAST 2 
  HOURS.

* HUMIDITY...BELOW 45 PERCENT FOR AT LEAST 2 HOURS.

* IMPACTS...ANY FIRES THAT DEVELOP WILL LIKELY SPREAD RAPIDLY. 
  OUTDOOR BURNING IS NOT RECOMMENDED.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE
OCCURRING NOW...OR WILL SHORTLY.  IN GENERAL...THESE CONDITIONS
INCLUDE SUSTAINED 20 FOOT WINDS OF 25 MPH OR GREATER...HUMIDITY
RANGING FROM BELOW 25 PERCENT IN ZAPATA COUNTY TO BELOW
45 PERCENT ALONG THE COAST...EACH LASTING FOR 2 HOURS OR MORE...
AND CURED FUELS.  HUMIDITY BELOW 25 PERCENT IN MOST AREAS WILL
TRIGGER FIRE DANGER AT LOWER WIND SPEEDS.  DETAILED DECISION
TABLES ARE FOUND AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/RGV/?N=MAPCOLORS#FIRE.

&&

$$

TXZ251-254>257-122200-
/O.EXT.KBRO.FW.W.0001.120112T1422Z-120112T2200Z/
KENEDY-INLAND WILLACY-INLAND CAMERON-COASTAL WILLACY-
COASTAL CAMERON-
822 AM CST THU JAN 12 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM CST THIS AFTERNOON
FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES 251...
254...255...256 AND 257...

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONES 251...254...255...256 AND 
  257. 

* WIND...SUSTAINED 20 FOOT NORTH WINDS OF 25 MPH FOR AT LEAST 2 
  HOURS.

* HUMIDITY...BELOW 45 PERCENT FOR AT LEAST 2 HOURS.

* IMPACTS...ANY FIRES THAT DEVELOP WILL LIKELY SPREAD RAPIDLY. 
  OUTDOOR BURNING IS NOT RECOMMENDED.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE
OCCURRING NOW...OR WILL SHORTLY.  IN GENERAL...THESE CONDITIONS
INCLUDE SUSTAINED 20 FOOT WINDS OF 25 MPH OR GREATER...HUMIDITY
RANGING FROM BELOW 25 PERCENT IN ZAPATA COUNTY TO BELOW
45 PERCENT ALONG THE COAST...EACH LASTING FOR 2 HOURS OR MORE...
AND CURED FUELS.  HUMIDITY BELOW 25 PERCENT IN MOST AREAS WILL
TRIGGER FIRE DANGER AT LOWER WIND SPEEDS.  DETAILED DECISION
TABLES ARE FOUND AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/RGV/?N=MAPCOLORS#FIRE.

&&

$$

GIBBS

The office that day

Everything else NWS Brownsville, TX issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jan 11, 9:11 PM CSTSmall Craft AdvisoryBRO31 hr
Jan 12, 12:53 PM CSTFreeze WarningBROBrooks, Hidalgo, Jim Hogg, Kenedy, Starr, Willacy and 1 more20 hr

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in Texas, 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.