Alert archive / Iowa / Red Flag Warnings in 2012
Red Flag Warning 1, NWS Des Moines, IA
NWS Des Moines, IA issued this red flag warning at Apr 9, 2012, 3:49 AM CDT for 6 counties in Iowa. It took effect at Apr 9, 2012, 1:00 PM CDT. 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
- Apr 9, 2012, 3:49 AM CDT (08:49 UTC)
- In effect from
- Apr 9, 2012, 1:00 PM CDT
- Expired
- Apr 9, 2012, 7:00 PM CDT
- In force
- 6 hr
- Issued by
- NWS Des Moines, IA
Counties Emmet County, IA, Humboldt County, IA, Kossuth County, IA, Palo Alto County, IA, Pocahontas County, IA, Sac County, IA
The radar
The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 151 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 08:50 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
Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 00:00Z, 8.8 hours before the alert went out and 228 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- No buoyant parcel
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 3359 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 46 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 29 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 93 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
681 WWUS83 KDMX 090849 RFWDMX URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 349 AM CDT MON APR 9 2012 ...EXTREME FIRE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON IN NORTHWEST PORTIONS OF CENTRAL IOWA... .HIGH PRESSURE WILL SLIDE INTO IOWA TODAY BRINGING EVEN DRIER AIR INTO NORTHWEST IOWA ALONG WITH AN INCREASING NORTHWEST WIND. WIND SPEEDS AND RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES WILL DROP INTO RED FLAG WARNING CRITERIA THIS AFTERNOON. WHILE GRASSES ARE GREENING UP THEY ARE STILL NOT FULLY GREENED ADDING TO THE THREAT OF EXTREME FIRE CONDITIONS. IAZ004-005-015-023-024-033-091700- /O.NEW.KDMX.FW.W.0001.120409T1800Z-120410T0000Z/ EMMET-KOSSUTH-PALO ALTO-POCAHONTAS-HUMBOLDT-SAC- 349 AM CDT MON APR 9 2012 ...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR EXTREME FIRE CONDITIONS.... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG WARNING FOR EXTREME FIRE CONDITIONS...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING. * SHORT TERM TRENDS...VERY DRY AIR WILL BE MOVING INTO NORTHWEST IOWA TODAY AND THIS COMBINED WITH INCREASING WIND SPEEDS WILL BRING EXTREME FIRE CONDITIONS TO THE WARNING AREA. * WIND...A NORTHWEST WIND WILL INCREASE THROUGH THE MORNING AND BECOME SUSTAINED AT 25 MPH DURING THE AFTERNOON WITH GUSTS AS HIGH AS 35 MPH. * RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AS LOW AS 18 PERCENT. * FUEL...GRASSLANDS ARE NOT YET COMPLETELY MATURE MAY BE DRY IN AREAS. * IMPACTS...ANY FIRES THAT START WILL SPREAD RAPIDLY DUE TO LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...A NORTHWEST WIND ABOVE 25 MPH AND LESS THAN MATURE FUELS. 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. && $$ FAB
2 follow-up statements
623 WWUS83 KDMX 092108 RFWDMX URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 408 PM CDT MON APR 9 2012 ...EXTREME FIRE CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE LATE THIS AFTERNOON IN NORTHWEST PORTIONS OF CENTRAL IOWA... .STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES WILL LEAD TO EXTREME FIRE DANGER FOR THE REST OF THIS AFTERNOON... IAZ004-005-015-023-024-033-100000- /O.CON.KDMX.FW.W.0001.000000T0000Z-120410T0000Z/ EMMET-KOSSUTH-PALO ALTO-POCAHONTAS-HUMBOLDT-SAC- 408 PM CDT MON APR 9 2012 ...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR EXTREME FIRE CONDITIONS.... * SHORT TERM TRENDS...WINDS WILL PERSIST LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE EARLY EVENING BEFORE MIXING DECREASES WITH THE APPROACH OF SUNSET. THE DEEPER MIXING WILL ALSO PRODUCE LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE AFTERNOON. * WIND...SUSTAINED NORTHWEST WINDS AT 20 TO 25 MPH FOR THE LATE AFTERNOON WITH GUSTS AS HIGH AS 35 MPH. * RELATIVE HUMIDITY...VARYING FROM 18 TO 25 PERCENT. * FUEL...GRASSLANDS ARE NOT YET COMPLETELY MATURE MAY BE DRY IN AREAS. * IMPACTS...ANY FIRES THAT START WILL SPREAD RAPIDLY DUE TO LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...A NORTHWEST WIND ABOVE 25 MPH AND LESS THAN MATURE FUELS. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EITHER OCCURRING NOW...OR WILL SHORTLY. A COMBINATION OF STRONG WINDS...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AND WARM TEMPERATURES WILL CREATE EXPLOSIVE FIRE GROWTH POTENTIAL. && $$
772 WWUS83 KDMX 092357 RFWDMX URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA 657 PM CDT MON APR 9 2012 IAZ004-005-015-023-024-033-100100- /O.EXP.KDMX.FW.W.0001.000000T0000Z-120410T0000Z/ EMMET-KOSSUTH-PALO ALTO-POCAHONTAS-HUMBOLDT-SAC- 657 PM CDT MON APR 9 2012 ...RED FLAG WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR EXTREME FIRE CONDITIONS.... WITH SUNSET...WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO DIMINISH AS WELL AS DEW POINTS RISING TO CREATE HIGHER RH VALUES. THEREFORE...THE RED FLAG WARNING WILL BE ALLOWED TO EXPIRE AS THE HAZARDOUS BURNING CONDITIONS HAVE IMPROVED. $$ BEERENDS
The office that day
Everything else NWS Des Moines, IA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 9, 3:51 AM CDT | Freeze Warning | DMX | Adair, Adams, Appanoose, Audubon, Black Hawk, Boone and 45 more | 29 hr |
Nearby
Red Flag Warnings in Iowa, 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.