Alert archive / Texas / Red Flag Warnings in 2012

Red Flag Warning 3, NWS Brownsville, TX

February 17, 20128 counties in Texas

NWS Brownsville, TX issued this red flag warning at Feb 17, 2012, 5:19 AM CST for 8 counties in Texas. It took effect at Feb 18, 2012, 12:00 PM CST. It was in force for . 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 17, 2012, 5:19 AM CST (11:19 UTC)
In effect from
Feb 18, 2012, 12:00 PM CST
Expired
Feb 17, 2012, 9:56 AM CST
In force
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 11:20 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, 11.3 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 00:00Z on 2012-02-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 23 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 00:00Z on 2012-02-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 29 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
23 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-197 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
808 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
43 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
29 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
43 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

041 
WWUS84 KBRO 171119
RFWBRO

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
519 AM CST FRI FEB 17 2012

...VERY STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS WILL DEVELOP ACROSS THE RIO GRANDE
VALLEY SATURDAY...

.A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY SATURDAY MORNING.
THE PASSAGE OF THIS FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL RESULT IN STRONG TO VERY STRONG
NORTHWEST WINDS ACROSS THE AREA LATE SATURDAY MORNING THROUGH
EARLY SATURDAY AFTERNOON. THE COMBINATION OF DRIER
CONDITIONS...VERY GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS AND FALLING RELATIVE
HUMIDITY VALUES WILL RESULT IN AN ENHANCED RISK OF WILDFIRE GROWTH
AND SPREAD FOR SATURDAY AFTERNOON. AFTER SATURDAY...THE SURFACE
WINDS WILL WEAKEN AND WILL BECOME MORE NORTH TO NORTHEAST SATURDAY NIGHT
AND SUNDAY.

TXZ248>257-171930-
/O.NEW.KBRO.FW.W.0003.120218T1800Z-120219T0000Z/
ZAPATA-JIM HOGG-BROOKS-KENEDY-STARR-HIDALGO-INLAND WILLACY-
INLAND CAMERON-COASTAL WILLACY-COASTAL CAMERON-
519 AM CST FRI FEB 17 2012

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

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

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

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

* HUMIDITY...THE RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES ACROSS MOST OF THE RIO
  GRANDE VALLEY WILL FALL INTO THE 20 TO 30 PERCENT RANGE WITH
  VALUES OF 25 TO 35 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.

&&

$$

CASTILLO
1 follow-up statement
070 
WWUS84 KBRO 171556
RFWBRO

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
956 AM CST FRI FEB 17 2012

...STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE THREAT OF FIRE GROWTH AND
SPREAD...

.STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS ARE LIKELY SATURDAY BEHIND A COLD FRONT...
HOWEVER RAINFALL AND HIGHER HUMIDITY VALUES WILL KEEP THE THREAT
BELOW RED FLAG WARNING CRITERIA.

TXZ248>257-171700-
/O.CAN.KBRO.FW.W.0003.120218T1800Z-120219T0000Z/
ZAPATA-JIM HOGG-BROOKS-KENEDY-STARR-HIDALGO-INLAND WILLACY-
INLAND CAMERON-COASTAL WILLACY-COASTAL CAMERON-
956 AM CST FRI FEB 17 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IS CANCELLED FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES 248...249...
250...251...252...253...254...255...256 AND 257...

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

AFTER REEVALUATION...IN ADDITION TO WETTING RAINS...RELATIVE
HUMIDITY VALUES WILL LIKELY BE TOO HIGH TO MEET RED FLAG WARNING
CRITERIA WITH HIGH CONFIDENCE. HAVE THEREFORE CANCELLED THE RED
FLAG WARNING.

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 17, 12:34 AM CSTAreal Flood AdvisoryBROCameron116 min
Feb 17, 1:27 AM CSTSpecial Marine WarningBRO63 min
Feb 17, 4:01 AM CSTGale WatchBRO23 hr
Feb 17, 4:21 AM CSTWind AdvisoryBROBrooks, Cameron, Hidalgo, Jim Hogg, Kenedy, Starr and 2 more38 hr
Feb 17, 6:21 AM CSTSmall Craft Advisory for Hazardous SeasBRO9 hr
Feb 17, 9:22 AM CSTSmall Craft AdvisoryBRO7 hr
Feb 17, 9:22 AM CSTSmall Craft AdvisoryBRO7 hr
Feb 17, 9:22 AM CSTSmall Craft Advisory for WindsBRO7 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.