Alert archive / California / Red Flag Warnings in 2012

Red Flag Warning 5, NWS Medford, OR

July 21, 2012Modoc County, California

NWS Medford, OR issued this red flag warning at Jul 21, 2012, 8:58 PM PDT for Modoc County, California. It took effect at Jul 22, 2012, 1:00 PM PDT. It was in force for 7 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
Jul 21, 2012, 8:58 PM PDT (03:58 UTC)
In effect from
Jul 22, 2012, 1:00 PM PDT
Expired
Jul 22, 2012, 8:00 PM PDT
In force
7 hr
Issued by
NWS Medford, OR

County Modoc County, CA

The radar

The Medford radar (KMAX), 174 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 04:02 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

Medford/Jackson, OR (KMFR), launched 00:00Z, 4.0 hours before the alert went out and 192 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, Medford/Jackson, OR at 00:00Z on 2012-07-22Temperature 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, Medford/Jackson, OR at 00:00Z on 2012-07-22The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 16 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
2946 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
23 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
16 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
127 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.

406 
WWUS86 KMFR 220358
RFWMFR

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
858 PM PDT SAT JUL 21 2012

.LOW PRESSURE ENTERING THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST SUNDAY WILL CAUSE
WINDS TO INCREASE AND RELATIVE HUMIDITIES TO REMAIN LOW SUNDAY
AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THIS IS COMBINATION WITH VERY DRY FUELS
WILL RESULT IN THE POTENTIAL FOR EXPLOSIVE FIRE GROWTH.

CAZ285-221600-
/O.UPG.KMFR.FW.A.0003.120722T2000Z-120723T0300Z/
/O.NEW.KMFR.FW.W.0005.120722T2000Z-120723T0300Z/
MODOC COUNTY EXCEPT FOR THE SURPRISE VALLEY-
858 PM PDT SAT JUL 21 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM TO 8 PM PDT SUNDAY FOR THE 
COMBINATION OF GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEDFORD HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM TO 8 PM PDT SUNDAY. THE
FIRE WEATHER WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT. 

* AFFECTED AREA: FIRE ZONE 285.

* WIND...SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE AND BECOME WEST SUNDAY 
  AFTERNOON AND EVENING WITH SPEEDS REACHING 15 TO 25 MPH WITH 
  GUSTS 25 TO 35 MPH.

* HUMIDITY...MINIMUM RELATIVE HUMIDITIES SUNDAY AFTERNOON ARE
  LIKELY TO BE IN 8 TO 15 PERCENT RANGE.

* IMPACTS...THESE GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES WILL
  RESULT IN THE POTENTIAL FOR EXPLOSIVE FIRE GROWTH.

* ADDITIONAL INFORMATION...THE HAINES INDEX WILL BE 5 TO 6 ON 
  SUNDAY WHICH IS MODERATE TO HIGH.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS
ARE EITHER OCCURRING NOW...OR WILL SHORTLY. THESE CONDITIONS WILL
CREATE THE POTENTIAL FOR EXPLOSIVE FIRE GROWTH.

&&

$$

BTL

VISIT US AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/MEDFORD
3 follow-up statements
491 
WWUS86 KMFR 221320
RFWMFR

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
620 AM PDT SUN JUL 22 2012

.LOW PRESSURE ENTERING THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST TODAY WILL CAUSE WINDS
TO INCREASE AND RELATIVE HUMIDITIES TO REMAIN LOW THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING. THIS IN COMBINATION WITH VERY DRY FUELS WILL RESULT IN
THE POTENTIAL FOR EXPLOSIVE FIRE GROWTH. WIND SPEEDS AND TEMPERATURES
WILL NOT BE AS HIGH ON MONDAY.

CAZ285-222300-
/O.CON.KMFR.FW.W.0005.120722T2000Z-120723T0300Z/
MODOC COUNTY EXCEPT FOR THE SURPRISE VALLEY-
620 AM PDT SUN JUL 22 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO
8 PM PDT THIS EVENING FOR THE COMBINATION OF GUSTY WINDS AND LOW
RELATIVE HUMIDITIES...

* AFFECTED AREA: FIRE ZONE 285.

* WIND...SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE AND BECOME WEST THIS
  AFTERNOON AND EVENING WITH SPEEDS REACHING 15 TO 25 MPH WITH
  GUSTS OF 25 TO 35 MPH.

* HUMIDITY...MINIMUM RELATIVE HUMIDITIES THIS AFTERNOON ARE FORECAST TO
  BE IN THE RANGE OF 8 TO 15 PERCENT.

* IMPACTS...THESE GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES WILL 
  RESULT IN THE POTENTIAL FOR EXPLOSIVE FIRE GROWTH.

* ADDITIONAL INFORMATION...THE HAINES INDEX WILL BE 5 TO 6 TODAY
  WHICH IS MODERATE TO HIGH.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS
ARE EITHER OCCURRING NOW...OR WILL SHORTLY. THESE CONDITIONS WILL
CREATE THE POTENTIAL FOR EXPLOSIVE FIRE GROWTH.

&&

$$
DW

VISIT US AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/MEDFORD
332 
WWUS86 KMFR 222218
RFWMFR

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
318 PM PDT SUN JUL 22 2012

CAZ285-230300-
/O.CON.KMFR.FW.W.0005.000000T0000Z-120723T0300Z/
MODOC COUNTY EXCEPT FOR THE SURPRISE VALLEY-
318 PM PDT SUN JUL 22 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM PDT THIS EVENING
FOR THE COMBINATION OF GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES...

* AFFECTED AREA: FIRE ZONE 285.

* WIND...SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL CONTINUE AT 15 TO 25 MPH UNTIL 8 PM
  PDT THIS EVENING...WITH GUSTS OF 25 TO 35 MPH.

* HUMIDITY...MINIMUM RELATIVE HUMIDITIES THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY
  EVENING WILL BE IN THE RANGE OF 8 TO 15 PERCENT.

* IMPACTS...THESE GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES WILL 
  RESULT IN THE POTENTIAL FOR EXPLOSIVE FIRE GROWTH.

* ADDITIONAL INFORMATION...THE HAINES INDEX WILL BE 5 TO 6 
  TODAY WHICH IS MODERATE TO HIGH. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS
ARE EITHER OCCURRING NOW...OR WILL SHORTLY. THESE CONDITIONS WILL
CREATE THE POTENTIAL FOR EXPLOSIVE FIRE GROWTH.

&&

$$

/FB
VISIT US AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/MEDFORD
864 
WWUS86 KMFR 230254
RFWMFR

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
754 PM PDT SUN JUL 22 2012


CAZ285-230400-
/O.EXP.KMFR.FW.W.0005.000000T0000Z-120723T0300Z/
MODOC COUNTY EXCEPT FOR THE SURPRISE VALLEY-
754 PM PDT SUN JUL 22 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 8 PM PDT THIS EVENING FOR THE
COMBINATION OF GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES...

THE RED FLAG WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 8 PM PDT THIS EVENING. 

* AFFECTED AREA: FIRE ZONE 285. 

* SUMMARY...WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO DIMINISH AND RELATIVE
  HUMIDITIES WILL CONTINUE TO RISE THIS EVENING SUCH THAT RED FLAG
  WARNING CONDITIONS WILL END BY 8 PM PDT THIS EVENING.

$$

BTL

VISIT US AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/MEDFORD

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in California, 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.