Alert archive / Alabama / Red Flag Warnings in 2012

Red Flag Warning 2, NWS Huntsville, AL

January 3, 201211 counties in Alabama

NWS Huntsville, AL issued this red flag warning at Jan 3, 2012, 2:27 AM CST for 11 counties in Alabama. It took effect at Jan 3, 2012, 12:00 PM CST. It was in force for 4 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
Jan 3, 2012, 2:27 AM CST (08:27 UTC)
In effect from
Jan 3, 2012, 12:00 PM CST
Expired
Jan 3, 2012, 4:21 PM CST
In force
4 hr
Issued by
NWS Huntsville, AL

Counties Colbert County, AL, Cullman County, AL, DeKalb County, AL, Franklin County, AL, Jackson County, AL, Lauderdale County, AL, Lawrence County, AL, Limestone County, AL, Madison County, AL, Marshall County, AL, Morgan County, AL

The radar

The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 85 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 08:27 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

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 8.5 hours before the alert went out and 156 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, Birmingham, AL at 00:00Z on 2012-01-03Temperature 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, Birmingham, AL at 00:00Z on 2012-01-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 74 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
2491 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
114 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
74 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
190 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.

872 
WWUS84 KHUN 030827
RFWHUN

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
227 AM CST TUE JAN 3 2012

ALZ001>010-016-032300-
/O.UPG.KHUN.FW.A.0001.120103T1800Z-120103T2300Z/
/O.NEW.KHUN.FW.W.0002.120103T1800Z-120103T2300Z/
LAUDERDALE-COLBERT-FRANKLIN AL-LAWRENCE-LIMESTONE-MADISON-MORGAN-
MARSHALL-JACKSON-DEKALB-CULLMAN-
227 AM CST TUE JAN 3 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 5 PM CST THIS
AFTERNOON FOR LOW HUMIDITY VALUES INCLUDING ALL OF NORTHERN ALABAMA...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HUNTSVILLE HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 5 PM CST THIS
AFTERNOON. 

* AFFECTED AREA: LAUDERDALE...COLBERT...FRANKLIN AL...
  LAWRENCE...LIMESTONE...MADISON...MORGAN...MARSHALL... 
  JACKSON...DEKALB...AND CULLMAN COUNTIES. 

* TIMING: FROM NOON UNTIL 5 PM CST TODAY.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY: MINIMUM RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES WILL FALL TO OR
  BELOW 25 PERCENT FOR 4 HOURS THIS AFTERNOON.

* IMPACTS: THE VERY DRY AIRMASS IN PLACE ACROSS THE REGION WILL
  RESULT IN CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS. GUSTY NORTHWESTERLY
  WINDS WILL SUBSIDE THROUGH THE DAY...BUT STRONGER WINDS WILL
  REMAIN IN THE HIGHER ELEVATION AREAS OF NORTHEASTERN ALABAMA AND
  SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE...ELEVATING THE FIRE DANGER FOR BOTH LOW
  HUMIDITY AND STRONG WINDS IN THESE AREAS.

&&

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS
ARE EITHER OCCURRING NOW...OR WILL SHORTLY. LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY
OVER A PROLONGED PERIOD WILL INCREASE FIRE GROWTH POTENTIAL.

&&

$$

12
1 follow-up statement
596 
WWUS84 KHUN 032221
RFWHUN

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
421 PM CST TUE JAN 3 2012


ALZ001>010-016-032330-
/O.CAN.KHUN.FW.W.0002.000000T0000Z-120103T2300Z/
LAUDERDALE-COLBERT-FRANKLIN AL-LAWRENCE-LIMESTONE-MADISON-MORGAN-
MARSHALL-JACKSON-DEKALB-CULLMAN-
421 PM CST TUE JAN 3 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IS CANCELLED FOR NORTH ALABAMA...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HUNTSVILLE HAS CANCELLED THE RED
FLAG WARNING. 

RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES WILL GENERALLY REMAIN AT OR ABOVE 25 PERCENT
FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE AFTERNOON...THUS...THE RED FLAG WARNING IS
CANCELLED.

$$

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in Alabama, 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.