Alert archive / Alabama / Red Flag Warnings in 2012

Red Flag Warning 3, NWS Huntsville, AL

January 30, 201211 counties in Alabama

NWS Huntsville, AL issued this red flag warning at Jan 30, 2012, 3:11 AM CST for 11 counties in Alabama. It took effect at Jan 30, 2012, 12:00 PM CST. It was in force for 5 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 30, 2012, 3:11 AM CST (09:11 UTC)
In effect from
Jan 30, 2012, 12:00 PM CST
Expired
Jan 30, 2012, 4:53 PM CST
In force
5 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 09:17 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, 9.2 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 2012-01-30Temperature 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 2012-01-30The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 26 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
3336 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
57 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
26 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-3 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.

339 
WWUS84 KHUN 300911
RFWHUN

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
311 AM CST MON JAN 30 2012

ALZ001>010-016-301730-
/O.NEW.KHUN.FW.W.0003.120130T1800Z-120130T2300Z/
LAUDERDALE-COLBERT-FRANKLIN AL-LAWRENCE-LIMESTONE-MADISON-MORGAN-
MARSHALL-JACKSON-DEKALB-CULLMAN-
311 AM CST MON JAN 30 2012

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

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY: RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES ARE EXPECTED TO DROP
  BELOW 25 PERCENT FOR AT LEAST FOUR HOURS THIS AFTERNOON.

* IMPACTS: THE VERY DRY AIRMASS IN PLACE ACROSS THE REGION WILL
  RESULT IN CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS.

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.

&&

$$
2 follow-up statements
550 
WWUS84 KHUN 301722
RFWHUN

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
1122 AM CST MON JAN 30 2012

ALZ001>010-016-302300-
/O.CON.KHUN.FW.W.0003.120130T1800Z-120130T2300Z/
LAUDERDALE-COLBERT-FRANKLIN AL-LAWRENCE-LIMESTONE-MADISON-MORGAN-
MARSHALL-JACKSON-DEKALB-CULLMAN-
1122 AM CST MON JAN 30 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 PM CST THIS
AFTERNOON FOR LOW HUMIDITY FOR ALL OF NORTH ALABAMA...

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

* TIMING: FROM NOON TODAY TO 5 PM CST THIS AFTERNOON.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY: RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES ARE EXPECTED TO
  DROP BELOW 25 PERCENT FOR AT LEAST FOUR HOURS THIS AFTERNOON. 

* IMPACTS: THE VERY DRY AIRMASS IN PLACE ACROSS THE REGION WILL 
  RESULT IN CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS.

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.

&&

$$

TT
645 
WWUS84 KHUN 302253
RFWHUN

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
453 PM CST MON JAN 30 2012

ALZ001>010-016-310000-
/O.CAN.KHUN.FW.W.0003.000000T0000Z-120130T2300Z/
LAUDERDALE-COLBERT-FRANKLIN AL-LAWRENCE-LIMESTONE-MADISON-MORGAN-
MARSHALL-JACKSON-DEKALB-CULLMAN-
453 PM CST MON JAN 30 2012

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

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

THOUGH RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES MAY LINGER BELOW 30 PERCENT THROUGH 6
PM CST...VALUES WILL GENERALLY RISE OVERNIGHT AS TEMPERATURES COOL
ACROSS THE AREA...LESSENING THE FIRE WEATHER THREAT.

$$

CA

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.