Alert archive / South Carolina / Red Flag Warnings in 2012

Red Flag Warning 1, NWS Columbia, SC

February 11, 201216 counties in South Carolina; 5 counties in Georgia

NWS Columbia, SC issued this red flag warning at Feb 11, 2012, 4:04 AM EST for 16 counties in South Carolina; 5 counties in Georgia. It took effect at Feb 11, 2012, 12:00 PM EST. 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
Feb 11, 2012, 4:04 AM EST (09:04 UTC)
In effect from
Feb 11, 2012, 12:00 PM EST
Expired
Feb 11, 2012, 6:00 PM EST
In force
6 hr
Issued by
NWS Columbia, SC
All 21 counties

Burke County, GA, Columbia County, GA, Lincoln County, GA, McDuffie County, GA, Richmond County, GA, Aiken County, SC, Bamberg County, SC, Barnwell County, SC, Calhoun County, SC, Chesterfield County, SC, Clarendon County, SC, Edgefield County, SC, Fairfield County, SC, Kershaw County, SC, Lee County, SC, Lexington County, SC, McCormick County, SC, Newberry County, SC, Richland County, SC, Saluda County, SC, Sumter County, SC

The radar

The Columbia radar (KCAE), 28 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 09:08 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

Charleston AFB, SC (KCHS), launched 00:00Z, 9.1 hours before the alert went out and 162 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, Charleston AFB, SC at 00:00Z on 2012-02-11Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 4 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, Charleston AFB, SC at 00:00Z on 2012-02-11The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 130 square meters per square second.1939587897117136Sfc1 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
4 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-57 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
693 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
67 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
130 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
282 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.

131 
WWUS82 KCAE 110904
RFWCAE

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
404 AM EST SAT FEB 11 2012

...FIRE WEATHER WARNING FOR THE MIDLANDS OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND THE
CENTRAL SAVANNAH RIVER AREA OF GEORGIA SATURDAY AFTERNOON...

.WINDY CONDITIONS COMBINED WITH CRITICAL RELATIVE HUMIDITY LEVELS
WILL CREATE AN ENHANCED RISK OF WILDFIRES AND ADVERSE FIRE
BEHAVIOR SATURDAY AFTERNOON.

GAZ040-063>065-077-SCZ015-016-018-020>022-025>031-035>038-041-
111715-
/O.UPG.KCAE.FW.A.0001.120211T1700Z-120211T2300Z/
/O.NEW.KCAE.FW.W.0001.120211T1700Z-120211T2300Z/
LINCOLN-MCDUFFIE-COLUMBIA-RICHMOND-BURKE-LANCASTER-CHESTERFIELD-
MCCORMICK-NEWBERRY-FAIRFIELD-KERSHAW-EDGEFIELD-SALUDA-LEXINGTON-
RICHLAND-LEE-AIKEN-SUMTER-BARNWELL-ORANGEBURG-CALHOUN-CLARENDON-
BAMBERG-
404 AM EST SAT FEB 11 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 6 PM EST THIS
EVENING...

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

* AFFECTED AREA...MIDLANDS OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND THE CENTRAL 
  SAVANNAH RIVER AREA OF GEORGIA. 

* WINDS...WEST TO NORTHWEST 20 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 35 MPH.

* TIMING...FROM 12 PM TO 6 PM EST SATURDAY.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AS LOW AS 20 TO 24 PERCENT.

* TEMPERATURES...HIGHS MOSTLY IN THE LOWER AND MIDDLE 50S.

* IMPACTS...ANY FIRES MAY QUICKLY SPREAD AND GROW OUT OF 
  CONTROL. FIRES MAY ALSO EASILY IGNITE DUE TO SPARKS AND 
  DISCARDED SMOKING MATERIAL. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS
ARE EITHER OCCURRING NOW...OR WILL SHORTLY. A COMBINATION OF
STRONG WINDS...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AND WARM TEMPERATURES WILL
CREATE EXPLOSIVE FIRE GROWTH POTENTIAL.

&&

$$
1 follow-up statement
059 
WWUS82 KCAE 111240
RFWCAE

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC
740 AM EST SAT FEB 11 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING FOR CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA AND THE CENTRAL
SAVANNAH RIVER AREA OF GEORGIA THIS AFTERNOON...

.WINDY CONDITIONS COMBINED WITH CRITICAL RELATIVE HUMIDITY LEVELS
WILL CREATE AN ENHANCED RISK OF WILDFIRES AND ADVERSE FIRE
BEHAVIOR THIS AFTERNOON.

GAZ040-063>065-077-SCZ015-016-018-020>022-025>031-035>038-041-
112300-
/O.CON.KCAE.FW.W.0001.120211T1700Z-120211T2300Z/
LINCOLN-MCDUFFIE-COLUMBIA-RICHMOND-BURKE-LANCASTER-CHESTERFIELD-
MCCORMICK-NEWBERRY-FAIRFIELD-KERSHAW-EDGEFIELD-SALUDA-LEXINGTON-
RICHLAND-LEE-AIKEN-SUMTER-BARNWELL-ORANGEBURG-CALHOUN-CLARENDON-
BAMBERG-
740 AM EST SAT FEB 11 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 6 PM EST
THIS EVENING...

A RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 6 PM THIS
EVENING.

* AFFECTED AREA...CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA AND THE CENTRAL SAVANNAH
  RIVER AREA OF GEORGIA.

* WINDS...NORTHWEST 20 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 35 MPH.

* TIMING...FROM NOON TO 6 PM TODAY.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AS LOW AS 20 TO 24 PERCENT.

* TEMPERATURES...HIGHS IN THE LOWER TO MIDDLE 50S.

* IMPACTS...ANY FIRES MAY QUICKLY SPREAD AND GROW OUT OF 
  CONTROL. FIRES MAY ALSO EASILY IGNITE DUE TO SPARKS AND 
  DISCARDED SMOKING MATERIAL. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS
ARE EITHER OCCURRING NOW...OR WILL SHORTLY. A COMBINATION OF
STRONG WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES WILL CREATE EXPLOSIVE
FIRE GROWTH POTENTIAL.

&&

$$

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in South Carolina, 2012Red Flag Warnings in Georgia, 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.