Alert archive / Arizona / Red Flag Warnings in 2012

Red Flag Warning 2, NWS Flagstaff, AZ

March 17, 2012Apache County, Coconino County, Navajo County, Arizona

NWS Flagstaff, AZ issued this red flag warning at Mar 17, 2012, 5:22 AM MST for Apache County, Coconino County, Navajo County, Arizona. It took effect at Mar 17, 2012, 11:00 AM MST. 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
Mar 17, 2012, 5:22 AM MST (12:22 UTC)
In effect from
Mar 17, 2012, 11:00 AM MST
Expired
Mar 17, 2012, 6:03 PM MST
In force
7 hr
Issued by
NWS Flagstaff, AZ

Counties Apache County, AZ, Coconino County, AZ, Navajo County, AZ

The radar

The Flagstaff radar (KFSX), 124 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 12:20 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

Flgstf/Belemont, AZ (KFGZ), launched 12:00Z, 0.4 hours before the alert went out and 121 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, Flgstf/Belemont, AZ at 12:00Z on 2012-03-17Temperature 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 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Flgstf/Belemont, AZ at 12:00Z on 2012-03-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 335 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1976 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
335 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
372 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.

292 
WWUS85 KFGZ 171222
RFWFGZ

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ
522 AM MST SAT MAR 17 2012

AZZ110>114-140-172030-
/O.NEW.KFGZ.FW.W.0002.120317T1800Z-120318T0200Z/
CHINLE VALLEY (FIRE WEATHER ZONE 110)-
CHUSKA MOUNTAINS AND DEFIANCE PLATEAU (FIRE WEATHER ZONE 111)-
LITTLE COLORADO RIVER VALLEY IN COCONINO COUNTY (FIRE WEATHER
ZONE 112)-
LITTLE COLORADO RIVER VALLEY IN NAVAJO COUNTY (FIRE WEATHER ZONE
113)-
LITTLE COLORADO RIVER VALLEY IN APACHE COUNTY (FIRE WEATHER ZONE
114)-
NORTHEAST PLATEAUS AND MESAS SOUTH OF HWY 264 (FIRE WEATHER ZONE
140)-
522 AM MST SAT MAR 17 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 7 PM MST
THIS EVENING FOR PORTIONS OF NAVAJO AND APACHE COUNTIES DUE TO 
STRONG WINDS...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES AND A HIGH FIRE DANGER...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN FLAGSTAFF HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 7 PM MST
THIS EVENING. 

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONES 110...111...112...113... 
  114 AND 140. 

* 20 FOOT WIND...SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST WINDS 15-30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO
  45 MPH WILL DEVELOP LATE THIS MORNING AND CONTINUE THROUGH EARLY
  THIS EVENING. 

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...VALUES WILL DROP TO BETWEEN 10 AND 15
  PERCENT BY NOON TODAY.

* IMPACTS...ANY FIRES THAT DEVELOP WILL LIKELY SPREAD RAPIDLY. 
  OUTDOOR BURNING IS NOT RECOMMENDED.

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.

PLEASE NOTIFY FIELD CREWS OF THIS RED FLAG WARNING.

&&

$$

41
2 follow-up statements
325 
WWUS85 KFGZ 172211
RFWFGZ

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ
311 PM MST SAT MAR 17 2012

AZZ110>114-140-180200-
/O.CON.KFGZ.FW.W.0002.000000T0000Z-120318T0200Z/
CHINLE VALLEY (FIRE WEATHER ZONE 110)-
CHUSKA MOUNTAINS AND DEFIANCE PLATEAU (FIRE WEATHER ZONE 111)-
LITTLE COLORADO RIVER VALLEY IN COCONINO COUNTY (FIRE WEATHER
ZONE 112)-
LITTLE COLORADO RIVER VALLEY IN NAVAJO COUNTY (FIRE WEATHER ZONE
113)-
LITTLE COLORADO RIVER VALLEY IN APACHE COUNTY (FIRE WEATHER ZONE
114)-
NORTHEAST PLATEAUS AND MESAS SOUTH OF HWY 264 (FIRE WEATHER ZONE
140)-
311 PM MST SAT MAR 17 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM MST THIS EVENING
FOR PORTIONS OF NAVAJO AND APACHE COUNTIES DUE TO STRONG WINDS
AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES...

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONES 110...111...112...113... 
  114 AND 140. 

* 20 FOOT WIND...SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST WINDS 15-25 MPH WITH GUSTS UP
  TO 40 MPH WILL CONTINUE THROUGH EARLY THIS EVENING.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...10 AND 15 PERCENT THROUGH EARLY EVENING.

* IMPACTS...ANY FIRES THAT DEVELOP WILL LIKELY SPREAD RAPIDLY. 
  OUTDOOR BURNING IS NOT RECOMMENDED.

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.

PLEASE NOTIFY FIELD CREWS OF THIS RED FLAG WARNING.

&&

$$
438 
WWUS85 KFGZ 180103
RFWFGZ

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ
603 PM MST SAT MAR 17 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING CANCELED FOR STRONG WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE
HUMIDITIES FOR EASTERN ARIZONA...

AZZ110>114-140-180215-
/O.CAN.KFGZ.FW.W.0002.000000T0000Z-120318T0200Z/
CHINLE VALLEY (FIRE WEATHER ZONE 110)-
CHUSKA MOUNTAINS AND DEFIANCE PLATEAU (FIRE WEATHER ZONE 111)-
LITTLE COLORADO RIVER VALLEY IN COCONINO COUNTY (FIRE WEATHER
ZONE 112)-
LITTLE COLORADO RIVER VALLEY IN NAVAJO COUNTY (FIRE WEATHER ZONE
113)-
LITTLE COLORADO RIVER VALLEY IN APACHE COUNTY (FIRE WEATHER ZONE
114)-
NORTHEAST PLATEAUS AND MESAS SOUTH OF HWY 264 (FIRE WEATHER ZONE
140)-
603 PM MST SAT MAR 17 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IS CANCELED FOR STRONG WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE
HUMIDITIES FOR EASTERN ARIZONA...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN FLAGSTAFF HAS CANCELED THE RED
FLAG WARNING. 

ALTHOUGH WINDS WILL REMAIN STRONG AND GUSTY THIS EVENING...HUMIDITIES
HAVE INCREASED AND WILL REMAIN ABOVE CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER
THRESHOLDS.

$$

The office that day

Everything else NWS Flagstaff, AZ issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 17, 2:52 PM MSTWinter Weather AdvisoryFGZApache, Coconino, Navajo12 hr

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in Arizona, 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.