Alert archive / Kansas / Red Flag Warnings in 2012

Red Flag Warning 3, NWS Wichita, KS

February 26, 20124 counties in Kansas

NWS Wichita, KS issued this red flag warning at Feb 26, 2012, 2:40 AM CST for 4 counties in Kansas. It took effect at Feb 26, 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
Feb 26, 2012, 2:40 AM CST (08:40 UTC)
In effect from
Feb 26, 2012, 12:00 PM CST
Expired
Feb 26, 2012, 5:02 PM CST
In force
5 hr
Issued by
NWS Wichita, KS

Counties Barton County, KS, Ellsworth County, KS, Lincoln County, KS, Russell County, KS

The radar

The Wichita radar (KICT), 155 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 08:42 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

Dodge City, (KDDC), launched 00:00Z, 8.7 hours before the alert went out and 167 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, Dodge City, at 00:00Z on 2012-02-26Temperature 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, Dodge City, at 00:00Z on 2012-02-26The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 205 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
3672 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
46 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
205 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
483 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.

744 
WWUS83 KICT 260840
RFWICT

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
240 AM CST SUN FEB 26 2012


KSZ032-033-047-048-262300-
/O.NEW.KICT.FW.W.0003.120226T1800Z-120226T2300Z/
RUSSELL-LINCOLN-BARTON-ELLSWORTH-
240 AM CST SUN FEB 26 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 5 PM CST THIS
AFTERNOON FOR EXTREME GRASSLAND FIRE DANGER FOR FIRE WEATHER
ZONES 032...033...047 AND 048...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WICHITA HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING FOR EXTREME GRASSLAND FIRE DANGER...WHICH IS IN EFFECT
FROM NOON TODAY TO 5 PM CST THIS AFTERNOON. 

* TIMING...GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS WILL COMBINE WITH VERY DRY AIR
  THIS AFTERNOON...WHICH WILL ELEVATE THE GRASSLAND FIRE DANGER
  RISK.

* EXTREME GRASSLAND FIRE DANGER...IS FORECAST.

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

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AS LOW AS 21 PERCENT.

* IMPACTS...ANY FIRES THAT DEVELOP WILL LIKELY SPREAD RAPIDLY 
  AND BECOME VERY DIFFICULT TO CONTROL. 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 ADVISE THE APPROPRIATE OFFICIALS OR FIRE CREWS IN THE
FIELD OF THIS FIRE WEATHER PRODUCT.

&&

$$

JAKUB
1 follow-up statement
454 
WWUS83 KICT 262302
RFWICT

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
502 PM CST SUN FEB 26 2012

...THE RED FLAG WARNING FOR THE WESTERN PART OF CENTRAL KANSAS...

KSZ032-033-047-048-270015-
/O.CAN.KICT.FW.W.0003.000000T0000Z-120226T2300Z/
RUSSELL-LINCOLN-BARTON-ELLSWORTH-
502 PM CST SUN FEB 26 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IS CANCELLED FOR EXTREME GRASSLAND FIRE DANGER
FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES 032...033...047 AND 048...

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

HOWEVER...THE AIRMASS REMAINS VERY DRY AND WITH NORTHWEST WINDS OF
15 TO 20 MPH A VERY HIGH FIRE DANGER IS STILL POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY
IN RUSSELL AND BARTON COUNTIES.

$$

ES

The office that day

Everything else NWS Wichita, KS issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 25, 11:22 PM CSTWind AdvisoryICTBarton, Ellsworth, Harper, Harvey, Kingman, Lincoln and 8 more3 hr

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in Kansas, 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.