Alert archive / Texas / Red Flag Warnings in 2012

Red Flag Warning 4, NWS Brownsville, TX

March 3, 20125 counties in Texas

NWS Brownsville, TX issued this red flag warning at Mar 3, 2012, 4:37 AM CST for 5 counties in Texas. It took effect at Mar 3, 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
Mar 3, 2012, 4:37 AM CST (10:37 UTC)
In effect from
Mar 3, 2012, 12:00 PM CST
Expired
Mar 3, 2012, 6:00 PM CST
In force
6 hr
Issued by
NWS Brownsville, TX

Counties Brooks County, TX, Hidalgo County, TX, Jim Hogg County, TX, Starr County, TX, Zapata County, TX

The radar

The Corpus Christi radar (KCRP), 153 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 10:38 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, 10.6 hours before the alert went out and 156 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 2012-03-03Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2005 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 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 2012-03-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -36 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
2005 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-265 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
806 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
56 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-36 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-48 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

416 
WWUS84 KBRO 031037
RFWBRO

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
437 AM CST SAT MAR 3 2012

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

.A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY AROUND 
SUNRISE THIS MORNING. THE PASSAGE OF THIS FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL
RESULT IN STRONG NORTH WINDS ACROSS THE AREA THROUGHOUT TODAY. THE
COMBINATION OF GUSTY NORTH WINDS AND FALLING RELATIVE HUMIDITY
VALUES WILL RESULT IN AN ENHANCED RISK OF WILDFIRE GROWTH AND
SPREAD LATER THIS AFTERNOON. AFTER SUNSET SATURDAY...THE SURFACE
WINDS WILL WEAKEN AND WILL BECOME MORE NORTHEAST TONIGHT AND
SUNDAY.

TXZ251-254>257-031145-
/O.CAN.KBRO.FW.A.0003.120303T1800Z-120304T0000Z/
KENEDY-INLAND WILLACY-INLAND CAMERON-COASTAL WILLACY-
COASTAL CAMERON-
437 AM CST SAT MAR 3 2012

...FIRE WEATHER WATCH IS CANCELLED FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW
HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES 251...254...255...256 AND 257...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BROWNSVILLE HAS CANCELLED THE
FIRE WEATHER WATCH. 

$$

TXZ248>250-252-253-040000-
/O.UPG.KBRO.FW.A.0003.120303T1800Z-120304T0000Z/
/O.NEW.KBRO.FW.W.0004.120303T1800Z-120304T0000Z/
ZAPATA-JIM HOGG-BROOKS-STARR-HIDALGO-
437 AM CST SAT MAR 3 2012

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

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

* TIMING...THE WINDS WILL INCREASE FROM THE NORTH AFTER SUNRISE
  TODAY IN THE WAKE OF A COLD FRONT MOVING THROUGH THE AREA. THE
  STRONG NORTH WINDS WILL LINGER THROUGHOUT THE DAY TODAY
  EVENTUALLY DIMINISH STEADILY AFTER SUNSET SATURDAY EVENING.

* WIND...THE 20 FOOT WINDS AFTER THE FRONT WILL REACH UP NEAR 20 MPH
  WITH SOME GUSTS TO 25 MPH BY THIS AFTERNOON.

* HUMIDITY...THE RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS
  THE WESTERN PORTIONS OF DEEP SOUTH TEXAS WILL FALL INTO THE 20
  TO 25 PERCENT RANGE. 

* IMPACTS...ANY FIRES THAT DEVELOP TODAY WILL COULD SPREAD RAPIDLY
  DUE TO THE COMBINATION OF THE STRONG NORTH WINDS AND FALLING
  RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES. OUTDOOR BURNING IS NOT RECOMMENDED
  TODAY.

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.

&&

$$

SPEECE

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 3, 4:48 AM CSTWind AdvisoryBROBrooks, Cameron, Hidalgo, Jim Hogg, Kenedy, Starr and 2 more4 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.