Alert archive / Minnesota / Red Flag Warnings in 2012

Red Flag Warning 3, NWS Grand Forks, ND

April 8, 20127 counties in Minnesota; 5 counties in North Dakota

NWS Grand Forks, ND issued this red flag warning at Apr 8, 2012, 2:47 AM CDT for 7 counties in Minnesota; 5 counties in North Dakota. It took effect at Apr 8, 2012, 1:00 PM CDT. It was in force for 7 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 8, 2012, 2:47 AM CDT (07:47 UTC)
In effect from
Apr 8, 2012, 1:00 PM CDT
Expired
Apr 8, 2012, 8:00 PM CDT
In force
7 hr
Issued by
NWS Grand Forks, ND

Counties Becker County, MN, Clay County, MN, Grant County, MN, Hubbard County, MN, Otter Tail County, MN, Wadena County, MN, Wilkin County, MN, Barnes County, ND, Cass County, ND, Ransom County, ND, Richland County, ND, Sargent County, ND

The radar

The Fargo/Grand Forks radar (KMVX), 124 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 07:51 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

Aberdeen, SD (KABR), launched 00:00Z, 7.8 hours before the alert went out and 239 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, Aberdeen, SD at 00:00Z on 2012-04-08Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Aberdeen, SD at 00:00Z on 2012-04-08The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
2838 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
26 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-1 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-2 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.

039 
WWUS83 KFGF 080747
RFWFGF

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS ND
247 AM CDT SUN APR 8 2012

...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON...

.HAZARDOUS FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE FORECAST ACROSS PARTS OF
SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA INTO WEST CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA
THIS AFTERNOON. WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO STRENGTHEN
TO 25 TO 35 MPH...WITH SOME GUSTS APPROACHING 45 MPH. IN
ADDITION...AFTERNOON RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES WILL FALL TO AS LOW
AS 20 PERCENT. THE STRONG WINDS COMBINED WITH LOW HUMIDITIES AND
VERY DRY FUELS WILL LEAD TO CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS THIS
AFTERNOON.

MNZ029>031-040-NDZ049-052-053-082115-
/O.UPG.KFGF.FW.A.0002.120408T1800Z-120409T0100Z/
/O.NEW.KFGF.FW.W.0003.120408T1800Z-120409T0100Z/
WILKIN-WEST OTTER TAIL-EAST OTTER TAIL-GRANT-RANSOM-SARGENT-
RICHLAND-
247 AM CDT SUN APR 8 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 8 PM
CDT THIS EVENING FOR STRONG WINDS LOW HUMIDITIES ACROSS PARTS OF 
SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA AND WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND FORKS HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING FOR STRONG WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITIES...WHICH IS IN EFFECT
FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 8 PM CDT THIS EVENING. THE FIRE
WEATHER WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.

* AFFECTED AREA...IN MINNESOTA...FIRE WEATHER ZONES 029...030... 
  031 AND 040. IN NORTH DAKOTA...FIRE WEATHER ZONES 049...052 
  AND 053.

* WINDS...NORTHWEST 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 45 MPH DURING
  THE AFTERNOON.

* TIMING...DEVELOPING DURING THE EARLY AFTERNOON AND CONTINUING 
  INTO THE EARLY EVENING. 

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AS LOW AS 20 PERCENT DURING THE AFTERNOON.

* TEMPERATURES...AFTERNOON HIGHS IN THE MID 50S.

* IMPACTS...ANY FIRES THAT DEVELOP WILL SPREAD RAPIDLY. OUTDOOR 
  BURNING IS RESTRICTED. 

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.

&&

$$

MNZ003-024-027-028-032-NDZ038-039-082115-
/O.NEW.KFGF.FW.W.0003.120408T1800Z-120409T0100Z/
CLAY-HUBBARD-WEST BECKER-EAST BECKER-WADENA-BARNES-CASS-
247 AM CDT SUN APR 8 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 8 PM
CDT THIS EVENING FOR STRONG WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITIES ACROSS
PARTS OF SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA INTO WEST CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST
MINNESOTA...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND FORKS HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING FOR STRONG WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITIES...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM
THIS AFTERNOON TO 8 PM CDT THIS EVENING.

* AFFECTED AREA...IN MINNESOTA...FIRE WEATHER ZONES 003...024... 
  027...028 AND 032. IN NORTH DAKOTA...FIRE WEATHER ZONES 038 
  AND 039.

* WINDS...NORTHWEST 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 45 MPH.

* TIMING...DEVELOPING DURING THE EARLY AFTERNOON AND CONTINUING 
  INTO THE EARLY EVENING.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AS LOW AS 20 PERCENT DURING THE AFTERNOON.

* TEMPERATURES...AFTERNOON HIGHS IN THE LOW TO MID 50S.

* IMPACTS...ANY FIRES THAT DEVELOP WILL SPREAD RAPIDLY. OUTDOOR 
  BURNING IS RESTRICTED.

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.

&&

$$

JAM
1 follow-up statement
490 
WWUS83 KFGF 090052
RFWFGF

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS ND
752 PM CDT SUN APR 8 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 8 PM CDT...

.COOLING TEMPERATURES ARE RESULTING IN HUMIDITIES RISING
ABOVE CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS. WHILE CURRENT HUMIDITIES OF
25 PER CENT TO 3O PER CENT ARE STILL NEAR CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER
CONDITIONS...THEY WILL QUICKLY RISE TO THE 30 PER CENT TO 40
PER CENT RANGE OVER THE NEXT HOUR. THIS COUPLED WITH DIMINISHING
WINDS HAVE DECREASED THE THREAT. THE RED FLAG WARNING WILL BE
ALLOWED TO EXPIRE AT 8 PM CDT.

MNZ003-024-027>032-040-NDZ038-039-049-052-053-090200-
/O.EXP.KFGF.FW.W.0003.000000T0000Z-120409T0100Z/
CLAY-HUBBARD-WEST BECKER-EAST BECKER-WILKIN-WEST OTTER TAIL-
EAST OTTER TAIL-WADENA-GRANT-BARNES-CASS-RANSOM-SARGENT-RICHLAND-
752 PM CDT SUN APR 8 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 8 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR
STRONG WINDS LOW HUMIDITIES ACROSS PARTS OF SOUTHEAST NORTH
DAKOTA AND WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...

COOLING TEMPERATURES WILL RESULT IN INCREASING HUMIDITIES...
AND WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO DIMINISH THIS EVENING. THE THREAT FOR
CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS HAS ENDED.

$$
12

The office that day

Everything else NWS Grand Forks, ND issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 8, 3:00 AM CDTWind AdvisoryFGFBecker, Clay, Clearwater, Grant, Kittson, Mahnomen and 8 more17 hr

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in Minnesota, 2012Red Flag Warnings in North Dakota, 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.