Alert archive / Alabama / Red Flag Warnings in 2012

Red Flag Warning 13, NWS Mobile, AL

March 4, 201210 counties in Alabama; 5 counties in Mississippi

NWS Mobile, AL issued this red flag warning at Mar 4, 2012, 7:30 AM CST for 10 counties in Alabama; 5 counties in Mississippi. It took effect at Mar 4, 2012, 11:00 AM CST. 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
Mar 4, 2012, 7:30 AM CST (13:30 UTC)
In effect from
Mar 4, 2012, 11:00 AM CST
Expired
Mar 4, 2012, 6:00 PM CST
In force
7 hr
Issued by
NWS Mobile, AL

Counties Butler County, AL, Choctaw County, AL, Clarke County, AL, Conecuh County, AL, Covington County, AL, Crenshaw County, AL, Escambia County, AL, Monroe County, AL, Washington County, AL, Wilcox County, AL, George County, MS, Greene County, MS, Perry County, MS, Stone County, MS, Wayne County, MS

The radar

The Mobile radar (KMOB), 96 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 13:32 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 12:00Z, 1.5 hours before the alert went out and 215 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 12:00Z 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, Birmingham, AL at 12:00Z on 2012-03-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -286 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
2481 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
60 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-286 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-269 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.

462 
WWUS84 KMOB 041330
RFWMOB

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
730 AM CST SUN MAR 4 2012

...A RED FLAG WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING UNTIL
6 PM THIS EVENING FOR ALL OF SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI...SOUTHWEST AND
SOUTH CENTRAL ALABAMA...AND THE NORTHWEST FLORIDA PANHANDLE DUE TO
EXPECTED CRITICALLY LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY AND STRONG 20 FOOT WINDS...

.MUCH DRIER AIR IS FILTERING INTO THE REGION TODAY IN THE WAKE OF A
COLD FRONT. RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES ARE FORECAST TO DROP BELOW 25
PERCENT THIS AFTERNOON...WITH SUSTAINED 20 FOOT WINDS NEAR 15 MPH
WITH FREQUENT HIGHER GUSTS EXPECTED.

ALZ051>064-FLZ001>006-MSZ067-075-076-078-079-050000-
/O.UPG.KMOB.FW.A.0010.120304T1700Z-120305T0000Z/
/O.NEW.KMOB.FW.W.0013.120304T1700Z-120305T0000Z/
CHOCTAW-WASHINGTON-CLARKE-WILCOX-MONROE-CONECUH-BUTLER-CRENSHAW-
ESCAMBIA-COVINGTON-UPPER MOBILE-UPPER BALDWIN-LOWER MOBILE-
LOWER BALDWIN-INLAND ESCAMBIA-COASTAL ESCAMBIA-INLAND SANTA ROSA-
COASTAL SANTA ROSA-INLAND OKALOOSA-COASTAL OKALOOSA-WAYNE-PERRY-
GREENE-STONE-GEORGE-
730 AM CST SUN MAR 4 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 6 PM CST
THIS EVENING FOR CRITICALLY LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY AND STRONG 20 FOOT WINDS...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 6 PM CST
THIS EVENING. THE FIRE WEATHER WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT. 

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY: 20 TO 25 PERCENT.

* WINDS: SUSTAINED NORTHWEST AROUND 15 MPH WITH FREQUENT HIGHER
  GUSTS OF 20 TO 25 MPH. 

* DISPERSIONS: 70 TO 90.

* 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 LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AND DRY FUELS WILL
CREATE RAPID FIRE GROWTH POTENTIAL.

&&

$$
1 follow-up statement
657 
WWUS84 KMOB 041954
RFWMOB

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
154 PM CST SUN MAR 4 2012

...A RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING FOR
ALL OF SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI...SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL
ALABAMA...AND THE NORTHWEST FLORIDA PANHANDLE DUE TO CRITICALLY LOW
RELATIVE HUMIDITY AND STRONG 20 FOOT WINDS...

.RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES HAVE DROPPED INTO THE 18 TO 22 PERCENT
RANGE THIS AFTERNOON WITH 20 FOOT SUSTAINED WINDS NEAR 15 MPH. 
LOW HUMIDITY AND GUSTY WINDS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE REST OF THE
AFTERNOON. 

ALZ051>064-FLZ001>006-MSZ067-075-076-078-079-050000-
/O.CON.KMOB.FW.W.0013.000000T0000Z-120305T0000Z/
CHOCTAW-WASHINGTON-CLARKE-WILCOX-MONROE-CONECUH-BUTLER-CRENSHAW-
ESCAMBIA-COVINGTON-UPPER MOBILE-UPPER BALDWIN-LOWER MOBILE-
LOWER BALDWIN-INLAND ESCAMBIA-COASTAL ESCAMBIA-INLAND SANTA ROSA-
COASTAL SANTA ROSA-INLAND OKALOOSA-COASTAL OKALOOSA-WAYNE-PERRY-
GREENE-STONE-GEORGE-
154 PM CST SUN MAR 4 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS EVENING
FOR ALL OF SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI...SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL
ALABAMA...AND THE NORTHWEST FLORIDA PANHANDLE DUE TO CRITICALLY LOW
RELATIVE HUMIDITY AND STRONG 20 FOOT WINDS...

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY: 18 TO 22 PERCENT.

* WINDS: SUSTAINED NORTHWEST AROUND 15 MPH WITH FREQUENT HIGHER 
  GUSTS OF 20 TO 25 MPH.

* DISPERSIONS: 70 TO 90.

* 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 LOW
RELATIVE HUMIDITY AND STRONG WINDS WILL CREATE RAPID FIRE GROWTH
POTENTIAL.

&&

$$

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in Alabama, 2012Red Flag Warnings in Mississippi, 2012Red Flag Warnings in Florida, 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.