Alert archive / South Carolina / Red Flag Warnings in 2012

Red Flag Warning 1, NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

February 11, 20126 counties in Georgia; 8 counties in South Carolina

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued this red flag warning at Feb 11, 2012, 4:33 AM EST for 6 counties in Georgia; 8 counties in South Carolina. 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, 4:33 AM EST (09:33 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 Greenville-Spartanburg, SC

Counties Elbert County, GA, Franklin County, GA, Habersham County, GA, Hart County, GA, Rabun County, GA, Stephens County, GA, Abbeville County, SC, Anderson County, SC, Cherokee County, SC, Chester County, SC, Greenwood County, SC, Laurens County, SC, Union County, SC, York County, SC

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 42 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 09:33 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

Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA (KFFC), launched 00:00Z, 9.6 hours before the alert went out and 231 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, Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA at 00:00Z on 2012-02-11Temperature 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, Peachtre/Fal Fld, GA at 00:00Z on 2012-02-11The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 39 square meters per square second.1939587897117136156Sfc1 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
1391 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
54 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
39 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
98 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.

391 
WWUS82 KGSP 110933
RFWGSP

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
433 AM EST SAT FEB 11 2012

...A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL CROSS THE AREA TODAY...

.BLUSTERY NORTHWEST WINDS AND LOW AFTERNOON HUMIDITY WILL
DEVELOP IN THE WAKE OF A STRONG COLD FRONT TODAY.

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-SCZ001>014-019-112300-
/O.UPG.KGSP.FW.A.0001.120211T1700Z-120211T2300Z/
/O.NEW.KGSP.FW.W.0001.120211T1700Z-120211T2300Z/
RABUN-HABERSHAM-STEPHENS-FRANKLIN-HART-ELBERT-OCONEE MOUNTAINS-
PICKENS MOUNTAINS-GREENVILLE MOUNTAINS-GREATER OCONEE-
GREATER PICKENS-GREATER GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG-CHEROKEE-YORK-
ANDERSON-ABBEVILLE-LAURENS-UNION SC-CHESTER-GREENWOOD-
433 AM EST SAT FEB 11 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 6 PM EST THIS
EVENING FOR GUSTY WINDS AND DRY CONDITIONS FOR THE UPSTATE OF
SOUTH CAROLINA AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG 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.

* LOCATIONS...THE UPSTATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA.

* TIMING...NOON TO 6 PM TODAY.

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

* HUMIDITY...AS LOW AS 25 PERCENT.

* FUEL MOISTURE...WILL CONTINUE TO DRY AS NO RAINFALL IS EXPECTED
  WITH THE COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE.

* IMPACTS...WILD FIRE POTENTIAL WILL INCREASE THIS AFTERNOON.

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
911 
WWUS82 KGSP 111708
RFWGSP

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1208 PM EST SAT FEB 11 2012

...A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL CROSS THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON...

.BLUSTERY NORTHWEST WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITY WILL DEVELOP IN THE
WAKE OF A STRONG COLD FRONT TODAY.

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-SCZ001>014-019-112300-
/O.CON.KGSP.FW.W.0001.000000T0000Z-120211T2300Z/
RABUN-HABERSHAM-STEPHENS-FRANKLIN-HART-ELBERT-OCONEE MOUNTAINS-
PICKENS MOUNTAINS-GREENVILLE MOUNTAINS-GREATER OCONEE-
GREATER PICKENS-GREATER GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG-CHEROKEE-YORK-
ANDERSON-ABBEVILLE-LAURENS-UNION SC-CHESTER-GREENWOOD-
1208 PM EST SAT FEB 11 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM EST THIS EVENING
FOR GUSTY WINDS AND DRY CONDITIONS FOR THE UPSTATE OF SOUTH
CAROLINA AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA...

A RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM EST THIS EVENING.

* LOCATIONS...THE UPSTATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND NORTHEAST 
  GEORGIA.

* TIMING...NOON TO 6 PM TODAY.

* WINDS...NORTHWEST 15 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH.

* HUMIDITY...RAPIDLY FALLING TO AS LOW AS 22 PERCENT BY MID
  AFTERNOON.

* FUEL MOISTURE...WILL CONTINUE TO DRY AS NO RAINFALL IS 
  EXPECTED WITH THE COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE. 

* IMPACTS...WILD FIRE POTENTIAL WILL INCREASE THIS AFTERNOON.

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.

&&

$$

14

The office that day

Everything else NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, SC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 11, 4:10 AM ESTLake Wind AdvisoryGSPElbert, Franklin, Habersham, Hart, Rabun, Stephens26 hr

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.