Alert archive / Texas / Red Flag Warnings in 2012

Red Flag Warning 2, NWS Houston/Galveston, TX

March 2, 201223 counties in Texas

NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued this red flag warning at Mar 2, 2012, 1:22 PM CST for 23 counties in Texas. It took effect at Mar 3, 2012, 10:00 AM CST. 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
Mar 2, 2012, 1:22 PM CST (19:22 UTC)
In effect from
Mar 3, 2012, 10:00 AM CST
Expired
Mar 3, 2012, 6:00 PM CST
In force
8 hr
Issued by
NWS Houston/Galveston, TX
All 23 counties

Austin County, TX, Brazoria County, TX, Brazos County, TX, Burleson County, TX, Chambers County, TX, Colorado County, TX, Fort Bend County, TX, Galveston County, TX, Grimes County, TX, Harris County, TX, Houston County, TX, Jackson County, TX, Liberty County, TX, Madison County, TX, Matagorda County, TX, Montgomery County, TX, Polk County, TX, San Jacinto County, TX, Trinity County, TX, Walker County, TX, Waller County, TX, Washington County, TX, Wharton County, TX

The radar

The Houston radar (KHGX), 91 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:26 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

Lake Charles Mun, LA (KLCH), launched 12:00Z, 7.4 hours before the alert went out and 242 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, Lake Charles Mun, LA at 12:00Z on 2012-03-02Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 217 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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, Lake Charles Mun, LA at 12:00Z on 2012-03-02The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 194 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
217 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-176 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
849 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
50 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
194 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
268 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
2.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

327 
WWUS84 KHGX 021922
RFWHGX

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
122 PM CST FRI MAR 2 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS ON SATURDAY...

.A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO SOUTHEAST TEXAS THIS AFTERNOON AND MAKE
IT OFF THE COAST TONIGHT. ON SATURDAY...THE COMBINATION OF MODERATE
TO STRONG NORTH WINDS AND VERY LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES WILL SUPPORT
THE POTENTIAL FOR RAPID FIRE GROWTH.

TXZ163-164-176>179-195>200-210>214-226-227-235>238-040000-
/O.NEW.KHGX.FW.W.0002.120303T1600Z-120304T0000Z/
AUSTIN-BRAZORIA-BRAZOS-BURLESON-CHAMBERS-COLORADO-FORT BEND-
GALVESTON-GRIMES-HARRIS-HOUSTON-JACKSON-LIBERTY-MADISON-MATAGORDA-
MONTGOMERY-POLK-SAN JACINTO-TRINITY-WALKER-WALLER-WASHINGTON-
WHARTON-
122 PM CST FRI MAR 2 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM TO 6 PM CST SATURDAY FOR
ALL OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HOUSTON/GALVESTON HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM TO 6 PM CST SATURDAY.

* AFFECTED COUNTIES... HOUSTON...TRINITY...MADISON...WALKER... 
  SAN JACINTO...POLK...BURLESON...BRAZOS...WASHINGTON... 
  GRIMES...MONTGOMERY...LIBERTY...COLORADO...AUSTIN...WALLER... 
  HARRIS...CHAMBERS...WHARTON...FORT BEND...JACKSON... 
  MATAGORDA...BRAZORIA...GALVESTON. 

* WIND...NORTH AT 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 30 MPH

* HUMIDITY...MINIMUM VALUES OF 23 TO 28 PERCENT INLAND AND 25 TO 35
  PERCENT ALONG THE COAST

* THUNDERSTORMS...NONE EXPECTED

* IMPACTS...ANY FIRES THAT DEVELOP WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO
  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.

&&

$$
1 follow-up statement
658 
WWUS84 KHGX 031206
RFWHGX

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
606 AM CST SAT MAR 3 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS ON
SATURDAY...

.GUSTY NORTH WINDS AND DRY AIR WILL PERSIST ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS
TODAY IN THE WAKE OF A COLD FRONT THAT HAS MOVED THROUGH THE AREA.
THE COMBINATION OF LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES AND GUSTY WINDS WILL
SUPPORT THE POTENTIAL FOR RAPID FIRE GROWTH ACROSS THE REGION.

TXZ163-164-176>179-195>200-210>214-226-227-235>238-032015-
/O.CON.KHGX.FW.W.0002.120303T1600Z-120304T0000Z/
AUSTIN-BRAZORIA-BRAZOS-BURLESON-CHAMBERS-COLORADO-FORT BEND-
GALVESTON-GRIMES-HARRIS-HOUSTON-JACKSON-LIBERTY-MADISON-MATAGORDA-
MONTGOMERY-POLK-SAN JACINTO-TRINITY-WALKER-WALLER-WASHINGTON-
WHARTON-
606 AM CST SAT MAR 3 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM THIS MORNING TO
6 PM CST THIS EVENING FOR ALL OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS...

* AFFECTED COUNTIES... HOUSTON...TRINITY...MADISON...WALKER... 
  SAN JACINTO...POLK...BURLESON...BRAZOS...WASHINGTON... 
  GRIMES... MONTGOMERY...LIBERTY...COLORADO...AUSTIN...WALLER... 
  HARRIS... CHAMBERS...WHARTON...FORT BEND...JACKSON... 
  MATAGORDA... BRAZORIA...GALVESTON. 

* WIND...NORTH AT 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 30 MPH

* HUMIDITY...MINIMUM VALUES OF 20 TO 25 PERCENT INLAND AND 25 TO
  35 PERCENT ALONG THE COAST

* THUNDERSTORMS...NONE EXPECTED

* IMPACTS...ANY FIRES THAT DEVELOP WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO 
  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.

&&

$$

The office that day

Everything else NWS Houston/Galveston, TX issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 1, 11:26 PM CSTMarine Dense Fog AdvisoryHGX9 hr
Mar 2, 2:50 PM CSTSmall Craft AdvisoryHGX33 hr

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in Texas, 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.