Alert archive / Minnesota / Red Flag Warnings in 2012

Red Flag Warning 6, NWS Grand Forks, ND

May 14, 20129 counties in Minnesota

NWS Grand Forks, ND issued this red flag warning at May 14, 2012, 4:04 AM CDT for 9 counties in Minnesota. It took effect at May 14, 2012, 12:00 PM CDT. It was in force for 8 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
May 14, 2012, 4:04 AM CDT (09:04 UTC)
In effect from
May 14, 2012, 12:00 PM CDT
Expired
May 14, 2012, 8:00 PM CDT
In force
8 hr
Issued by
NWS Grand Forks, ND

Counties Beltrami County, MN, Clearwater County, MN, Kittson County, MN, Lake of the Woods County, MN, Marshall County, MN, Pennington County, MN, Polk County, MN, Red Lake County, MN, Roseau County, MN

The radar

The Fargo/Grand Forks radar (KMVX), 134 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 09:10 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

International Fa, MN (KINL), launched 00:00Z, 9.1 hours before the alert went out and 193 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, International Fa, MN at 00:00Z on 2012-05-14Temperature 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, International Fa, MN at 00:00Z on 2012-05-14The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 114 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
3608 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
39 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
114 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
130 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.

045 
WWUS83 KFGF 140904
RFWFGF

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS ND
404 AM CDT MON MAY 14 2012

...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON
AND EARLY EVENING...

.HAZARDOUS FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THIS
AFTERNOON ACROSS PARTS OF NORTHWEST MINNESOTA. WEST WINDS ARE
FORECAST TO INCREASE TO AROUND 10 TO 20 MPH...WITH SOME GUSTS AS
HIGH AS 25 MPH. RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES ARE EXPECTED TO FALL BETWEEN
15 AND 20 PERCENT. WITH VERY DRY FUELS IN PLACE ACROSS THE
REGION...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO BE
REACHED.

MNZ001-004>009-013>017-141800-
/O.UPG.KFGF.FW.A.0004.120514T1700Z-120515T0000Z/
/O.NEW.KFGF.FW.W.0006.120514T1700Z-120515T0100Z/
WEST POLK-KITTSON-ROSEAU-LAKE OF THE WOODS-WEST MARSHALL-
EAST MARSHALL-NORTH BELTRAMI-PENNINGTON-RED LAKE-EAST POLK-
NORTH CLEARWATER-SOUTH BELTRAMI-
404 AM CDT MON MAY 14 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 8 PM CDT THIS
EVENING FOR WINDS...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES...AND VERY DRY FUELS FOR
PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST MINNESOTA...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND FORKS HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING FOR WINDS...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES...AND VERY DRY
FUELS...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 8 PM CDT THIS
EVENING. THE FIRE WEATHER WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.

* AFFECTED AREA...IN MINNESOTA...FIRE WEATHER ZONES 001...004... 
  005...006...007...008...009...013...014...015...016 AND 017.

* WINDS...WEST 10 TO 20 MPH WITH SOME GUSTS UP TO 25 MPH.

* TIMING...NOON UNTIL 7 PM CDT.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AS LOW AS 15 TO 20 PERCENT.

* TEMPERATURES...IN THE UPPER 70S TO LOWER 80S.

* 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
2 follow-up statements
291 
WWUS83 KFGF 142124 AAA
RFWFGF

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS ND
424 PM CDT MON MAY 14 2012

...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON
AND EARLY EVENING...

.HAZARDOUS FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE OCCURRING ACROSS PARTS OF
NORTHWEST MINNESOTA. WEST WINDS ARE FROM 10 TO 20 MPH...WITH SOME
GUSTS AS HIGH AS 25 MPH. RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES ARE BETWEEN 15
AND 20 PERCENT. WITH VERY DRY FUELS IN PLACE ACROSS THE
REGION...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE OCCURRING AT THIS
TIME.

MNZ001-004>009-013>017-150100-
/O.CON.KFGF.FW.W.0006.000000T0000Z-120515T0100Z/
WEST POLK-KITTSON-ROSEAU-LAKE OF THE WOODS-WEST MARSHALL-
EAST MARSHALL-NORTH BELTRAMI-PENNINGTON-RED LAKE-EAST POLK-
NORTH CLEARWATER-SOUTH BELTRAMI-
424 PM CDT MON MAY 14 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM CDT THIS EVENING
FOR WINDS...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES...AND VERY DRY FUELS FOR
PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST MINNESOTA...

* AFFECTED AREA...IN MINNESOTA...FIRE WEATHER ZONES 001...004... 
  005...006...007...008...009...013...014...015...016 AND 017.

* WINDS...WEST 10 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 25 MPH.

* TIMING...NOON UNTIL 8 PM CDT.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AS LOW AS 17 PERCENT.

* TEMPERATURES...IN THE UPPER 70S TO LOWER 80S.

* 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.

&&

$$

HOPKINS
446 
WWUS83 KFGF 150057
RFWFGF

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS ND
757 PM CDT MON MAY 14 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
20 TO 25 PERCENT 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 OR TWO. THE RED FLAG WARNING WILL
BE ALLOWED TO EXPIRE AT 8 PM CDT.

MNZ001-004>009-013>017-150200-
/O.EXP.KFGF.FW.W.0006.000000T0000Z-120515T0100Z/
WEST POLK-KITTSON-ROSEAU-LAKE OF THE WOODS-WEST MARSHALL-
EAST MARSHALL-NORTH BELTRAMI-PENNINGTON-RED LAKE-EAST POLK-
NORTH CLEARWATER-SOUTH BELTRAMI-
757 PM CDT MON MAY 14 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 8 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR
LOW HUMIDITIES FOR NORTHWEST MINNESOTA...

COOLING TEMPERATURES OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS WILL RESULT IN
INCREASING HUMIDITIES. THE THREAT FOR CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER
CONDITIONS HAS ENDED.

$$

HOPKINS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 13, 7:04 PM CDTFire Weather WatchFGFBeltrami, Clearwater, Kittson, Lake of the Woods, Marshall, Pennington and 3 more9 hr

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in Minnesota, 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.