Alert archive / Mississippi / Red Flag Warnings in 2012

Red Flag Warning 5, NWS Memphis, TN

March 4, 20124 states

NWS Memphis, TN issued this red flag warning at Mar 4, 2012, 3:07 AM CST for 4 states. It took effect at Mar 4, 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 4, 2012, 3:07 AM CST (09:07 UTC)
In effect from
Mar 4, 2012, 10:00 AM CST
Expired
Mar 4, 2012, 6:00 PM CST
In force
8 hr
Issued by
NWS Memphis, TN
All 56 counties

Clay County, AR, Craighead County, AR, Crittenden County, AR, Cross County, AR, Greene County, AR, Lawrence County, AR, Lee County, AR, Mississippi County, AR, Phillips County, AR, Poinsett County, AR, Randolph County, AR, St. Francis County, AR, Dunklin County, MO, Pemiscot County, MO, Alcorn County, MS, Benton County, MS, Calhoun County, MS, Chickasaw County, MS, Coahoma County, MS, DeSoto County, MS, Itawamba County, MS, Lafayette County, MS, Lee County, MS, Marshall County, MS, Monroe County, MS, Panola County, MS, Pontotoc County, MS, Prentiss County, MS, Quitman County, MS, Tallahatchie County, MS, Tate County, MS, Tippah County, MS, Tishomingo County, MS, Tunica County, MS, Union County, MS, Yalobusha County, MS, Benton County, TN, Carroll County, TN, Chester County, TN, Crockett County, TN, Decatur County, TN, Dyer County, TN, Fayette County, TN, Gibson County, TN, Hardeman County, TN, Haywood County, TN, Henderson County, TN, Henry County, TN, Lake County, TN, Lauderdale County, TN, Madison County, TN, McNairy County, TN, Obion County, TN, Shelby County, TN, Tipton County, TN, Weakley County, TN

The radar

The Memphis radar (KNQA), 37 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 09:12 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

Little Rock, AR (KLZK), launched 00:00Z, 9.1 hours before the alert went out and 58 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, Little Rock, AR at 00:00Z on 2012-03-04Temperature 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, Little Rock, AR at 00:00Z on 2012-03-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -42 square meters per square second.1939587897117136Sfc1 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
3189 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
51 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-42 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-78 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.

823 
WWUS84 KMEG 040907
RFWMEG

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
307 AM CST SUN MAR 4 2012

...HIGH FIRE DANGER EXPECTED ACROSS THE MID SOUTH TODAY...

.A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL PASS TO THE NORTHEAST OF THE MID
SOUTH INCREASING WINDS ACROSS THE AREA. SUSTAINED 20 FOOT WINDS
ARE EXPECTED BETWEEN 15 AND 20 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. THESE
STRONG WINDS WILL COMBINE WITH RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES BETWEEN 20
AND 25 PERCENT AND DRY VEGETATION TO RESULT IN A HIGH FIRE DANGER
ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA.

ARZ008-009-017-018-026>028-035-036-048-049-058-MOZ113-115-
MSZ001>017-020>024-TNZ001>004-019>022-048>055-088>091-042115-
/O.UPG.KMEG.FW.A.0002.120304T1600Z-120305T0000Z/
/O.NEW.KMEG.FW.W.0005.120304T1600Z-120305T0000Z/
RANDOLPH-CLAY-LAWRENCE-GREENE-CRAIGHEAD-POINSETT-MISSISSIPPI-
CROSS-CRITTENDEN-ST. FRANCIS-LEE AR-PHILLIPS-DUNKLIN-PEMISCOT-
DESOTO-MARSHALL-BENTON MS-TIPPAH-ALCORN-TISHOMINGO-TUNICA-TATE-
PRENTISS-COAHOMA-QUITMAN-PANOLA-LAFAYETTE-UNION-PONTOTOC-LEE MS-
ITAWAMBA-TALLAHATCHIE-YALOBUSHA-CALHOUN-CHICKASAW-MONROE-LAKE-
OBION-WEAKLEY-HENRY-DYER-GIBSON-CARROLL-BENTON TN-LAUDERDALE-
TIPTON-HAYWOOD-CROCKETT-MADISON-CHESTER-HENDERSON-DECATUR-SHELBY-
FAYETTE-HARDEMAN-MCNAIRY-
307 AM CST SUN MAR 4 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM THIS MORNING TO 6 PM CST
THIS EVENING FOR STRONG AND GUSTY WINDS...LOW HUMIDITY...AND LOW
FUEL MOISTURE FOR ALL OF EAST ARKANSAS...WEST TENNESSEE...THE
MISSOURI BOOTHEEL AND NORTH MISSISSIPPI...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM THIS MORNING TO 6 PM CST
THIS EVENING. THE FIRE WEATHER WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT. 

* 20 FOOT WINDS...WEST AT 15 TO 20 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS.

* HUMIDITY...17 TO 25 PERCENT.

* 10 HOUR FUEL MOISTURE...BETWEEN 5 AND 10 PERCENT.

* IMPACTS...ANY FIRES THAT DEVELOP WILL LIKELY 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
289 
WWUS84 KMEG 050019
RFWMEG

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
619 PM CST SUN MAR 4 2012

...REDFLAG WARNING HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO EXPIRE...

.REDFLAG CONDITIONS ARE NO LONGER BEING OBSERVED ACROSS THE
MIDSOUTH AS TEMPERATURES HAVE COOLED ALLOWING RELATIVE HUMIDITIES
TO INCREASE. THEREFORE THE REDFLAG WARNING HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO
EXPIRE.

ARZ008-009-017-018-026>028-035-036-048-049-058-MOZ113-115-
MSZ001>017-020>024-TNZ001>004-019>022-048>055-088>091-050130-
/O.EXP.KMEG.FW.W.0005.000000T0000Z-120305T0000Z/
RANDOLPH-CLAY-LAWRENCE-GREENE-CRAIGHEAD-POINSETT-MISSISSIPPI-
CROSS-CRITTENDEN-ST. FRANCIS-LEE AR-PHILLIPS-DUNKLIN-PEMISCOT-
DESOTO-MARSHALL-BENTON MS-TIPPAH-ALCORN-TISHOMINGO-TUNICA-TATE-
PRENTISS-COAHOMA-QUITMAN-PANOLA-LAFAYETTE-UNION-PONTOTOC-LEE MS-
ITAWAMBA-TALLAHATCHIE-YALOBUSHA-CALHOUN-CHICKASAW-MONROE-LAKE-
OBION-WEAKLEY-HENRY-DYER-GIBSON-CARROLL-BENTON TN-LAUDERDALE-
TIPTON-HAYWOOD-CROCKETT-MADISON-CHESTER-HENDERSON-DECATUR-SHELBY-
FAYETTE-HARDEMAN-MCNAIRY-
619 PM CST SUN MAR 4 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING HAS EXPIRED FOR STRONG AND GUSTY WINDS...LOW
HUMIDITY...AND LOW FUEL MOISTURE FOR THE MIDSOUTH.

$$

JAB

The office that day

Everything else NWS Memphis, TN issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 3, 8:49 PM CSTFire Weather WatchMEGDunklin, Pemiscot60 min
Mar 3, 9:53 PM CSTFire Weather WatchMEGDunklin, Pemiscot5 hr

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in Mississippi, 2012Red Flag Warnings in Tennessee, 2012Red Flag Warnings in Arkansas, 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.