Alert archive / Texas / Red Flag Warnings in 2012

Red Flag Warning 2, NWS Brownsville, TX

January 25, 20128 counties in Texas

NWS Brownsville, TX issued this red flag warning at Jan 25, 2012, 2:23 PM CST for 8 counties in Texas. It took effect at Jan 26, 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
Jan 25, 2012, 2:23 PM CST (20:23 UTC)
In effect from
Jan 26, 2012, 12:00 PM CST
Expired
Jan 26, 2012, 6:00 PM CST
In force
6 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, Zapata County, TX

The radar

The Brownsville radar (KBRO), 118 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:24 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 12:00Z, 8.4 hours before the alert went out and 120 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 12:00Z on 2012-01-25Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1617 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, Brownsville Intl, TX at 12:00Z on 2012-01-25The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 252 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
1617 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-200 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
464 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
252 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
511 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
2.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

205 
WWUS84 KBRO 252023
RFWBRO

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
223 PM CST WED JAN 25 2012

...STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS WILL DEVELOP ACROSS THE RIO GRANDE
VALLEY THURSDAY...

.A STRONG COLD FRONT MOVED ACROSS DEEP SOUTH TEXAS THIS MORNING
AND THIS AFTERNOON. THE PASSAGE OF THIS SYSTEM WILL RESULT IN
MODERATE TO STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS ACROSS DEEP SOUTH TEXAS
THROUGHOUT THE REST OF TODAY...TONIGHT AND THURSDAY. THE
COMBINATION OF THE DRY CONDITIONS...GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS AND
FALLING RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES WILL RESULT IN AN ENHANCED RISK
OF WILDFIRE GROWTH AND SPREAD FOR THURSDAY AFTERNOON. AFTER
THURSDAY THE SURFACE WINDS WILL WEAKEN SOME AND WILL BECOME MORE 
NORTHEASTERLY THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY. 

TXZ248>255-260430-
/O.UPG.KBRO.FW.A.0002.120126T1800Z-120127T0000Z/
/O.NEW.KBRO.FW.W.0002.120126T1800Z-120127T0000Z/
ZAPATA-JIM HOGG-BROOKS-KENEDY-STARR-HIDALGO-INLAND WILLACY-
INLAND CAMERON-
223 PM CST WED JAN 25 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TO 6 PM CST THURSDAY FOR
GUSTY WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES 248...249...
250...251...252...253...254 AND 255...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BROWNSVILLE HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TO 6 PM CST THURSDAY. THE
FIRE WEATHER WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT. 

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONES 248...249...250...251...
  252...253...254 AND 255.

* TIMING...THE WINDS WILL INCREASE FROM THE NORTHWEST THURSDAY AS
  RELATIVE HUMIDITY LEVELS FALL THURSDAY AFTERNOON.

* WIND...THE 20 FOOT WINDS WILL BLOW FROM THE NORTHWEST AT 20 TO
  25 MPH WITH SOME HIGHER GUSTS.

* HUMIDITY...THE RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES ACROSS MOST OF DEEP
  SOUTH TEXAS WILL FALL INTO THE 15 TO 25 PERCENT RANGE WITH
  VALUES OF 20 TO 30 PERCENT LIKELY CLOSER TO THE COASTLINE.

* 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.

&&

$$

TXZ256-257-260430-
/O.NEW.KBRO.FW.W.0002.120126T1800Z-120127T0000Z/
COASTAL WILLACY-COASTAL CAMERON-
223 PM CST WED JAN 25 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TO 6 PM CST THURSDAY FOR
GUSTY WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES 256 AND 257...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BROWNSVILLE HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TO 6 PM CST THURSDAY. 

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONES 256 AND 257. 

* TIMING...THE WINDS WILL INCREASE FROM THE NORTHWEST THURSDAY AS
  RELATIVE HUMIDITY LEVELS FALL THURSDAY AFTERNOON.

* WIND...THE 20 FOOT WINDS WILL BLOW FROM THE NORTHWEST AT 20 TO
  25 MPH WITH SOME HIGHER GUSTS.

* HUMIDITY...THE RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES CLOSE TO THE COASTLINE
  WILL FALL INTO THE 20 TO 30 PERCENT LIKELY CLOSER TO THE
  COASTLINE.

* 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
171 
WWUS84 KBRO 261459
RFWBRO

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
859 AM CST THU JAN 26 2012

...GREATLY ENHANCED RISK OF WILDFIRE GROWTH AND SPREAD TODAY...

.A STRONG COLD FRONT MOVED THROUGH DEEP SOUTH TEXAS AND THE RIO
GRANDE VALLEY YESTERDAY. MODERATE TO STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS WILL
DEVELOP TODAY IN THE WAKE OF THE COLD FRONT. THESE WINDS WILL
COMBINE WITH ABUNDANT CURED FUELS AND FALLING RELATIVE HUMIDITY
VALUES TO PRODUCE A GREATLY ENHANCED RISK OF WILDFIRE GROWTH AND
SPREAD FOR THIS AFTERNOON. 

TXZ248>257-270000-
/O.CON.KBRO.FW.W.0002.120126T1800Z-120127T0000Z/
ZAPATA-JIM HOGG-BROOKS-KENEDY-STARR-HIDALGO-INLAND WILLACY-
INLAND CAMERON-COASTAL WILLACY-COASTAL CAMERON-
859 AM CST THU JAN 26 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 6 PM CST
THIS EVENING FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER
ZONES 248...249...250...251...252...253...254...255...256 AND
257...

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONES 248...249...250...251... 
  252...253...254...255...256 AND 257. 

* TIMING...RED FLAG WARNING CONDITIONS WILL BEGIN TO DEVELOP LATE
  THIS MORNING AND WILL BE FULLY IN PLACE FOR THE AFTERNOON HOURS
  OF TODAY. 

* WIND...NORTHWEST WINDS AROUND 15 MPH WITH FREQUENT GUSTS UP TO
  20 MPH WILL PREVAIL AT THE 20-FOOT LEVEL. 

* HUMIDITY...RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES WILL DECREASE TO BETWEEN 20
  AND 25 PERCENT AS THE DAY PROGRESSES. 

* IMPACTS...ANY WILDFIRE ACTIVITY THAT INITIATES WILL LIKELY
  SPREAD RAPIDLY AND WILL BE DIFFICULT TO CONTROL. OUTDOOR BURNING
  SHOULD NOT BE CONDUCTED...ESPECIALLY DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS. 

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.

&&

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jan 25, 5:19 AM CSTFire Weather WatchBROBrooks, Cameron, Hidalgo, Jim Hogg, Kenedy, Starr and 2 more9 hr
Jan 25, 5:30 AM CSTWind AdvisoryBROCameron, Kenedy, Willacy4 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.