Alert archive / Minnesota / Red Flag Warnings in 2012

Red Flag Warning 5, NWS Twin Cities, MN

April 9, 201214 counties in Minnesota

NWS Twin Cities, MN issued this red flag warning at Apr 9, 2012, 4:00 AM CDT for 14 counties in Minnesota. It took effect at Apr 9, 2012, 1:00 PM CDT. 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
Apr 9, 2012, 4:00 AM CDT (09:00 UTC)
In effect from
Apr 9, 2012, 1:00 PM CDT
Expired
Apr 9, 2012, 8:00 PM CDT
In force
7 hr
Issued by
NWS Twin Cities, MN

Counties Blue Earth County, MN, Brown County, MN, Chippewa County, MN, Faribault County, MN, Freeborn County, MN, Lac qui Parle County, MN, Martin County, MN, Nicollet County, MN, Redwood County, MN, Renville County, MN, Steele County, MN, Waseca County, MN, Watonwan County, MN, Yellow Medicine County, MN

The radar

The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 104 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 09:03 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

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 00:00Z, 9.0 hours before the alert went out and 102 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, Minneapolis, MN at 00:00Z on 2012-04-09Temperature 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, Minneapolis, MN at 00:00Z on 2012-04-09The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 29 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
3359 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
46 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
29 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
93 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.

455 
WWUS83 KMPX 090900
RFWMPX

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
400 AM CDT MON APR 9 2012

...ANOTHER DAY OF DANGEROUS WILDFIRE CONDITIONS..MAINLY ACROSS
PARTS OF SOUTHERN INTO WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...

.TODAY MARKS AN UNPRECEDENTED FOURTH CONSECUTIVE DAY OF RED FLAG
WARNINGS FOR AT LEAST PORTIONS OF THE AREA. TEMPERATURES WILL BE
AROUND 10 DEGREES COLDER THAN YESTERDAY...BUT RELATIVE HUMIDITY
THIS AFTERNOON WILL DIP TO AROUND 25 PERCENT IN MUCH OF SOUTHERN
AND WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA. NORTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE BEHIND A
COLD FRONT WHICH WILL DROP ACROSS THE AREA EARLY THIS MORNING. BY
NOON WINDS WILL BE AROUND 20 MPH WITH GUSTS AROUND 30 MPH. RED
FLAG WARNINGS ARE POSTED THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING FOR
AREAS ROUGHLY SOUTH OF A LINE FROM MONTEVIDEO TO OWATONNA.

MNZ054-056-064-065-073>075-082>085-091>093-091700-
/O.UPG.KMPX.FW.A.0004.120409T1800Z-120410T0100Z/
/O.NEW.KMPX.FW.W.0005.120409T1800Z-120410T0100Z/
LAC QUI PARLE-CHIPPEWA-YELLOW MEDICINE-RENVILLE-REDWOOD-BROWN-
NICOLLET-WATONWAN-BLUE EARTH-WASECA-STEELE-MARTIN-FARIBAULT-
FREEBORN-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...MADISON...MONTEVIDEO...GRANITE FALLS...
OLIVIA...REDWOOD FALLS...NEW ULM...ST. PETER...ST. JAMES...
MANKATO...WASECA...OWATONNA...FAIRMONT...BLUE EARTH...ALBERT LEA
400 AM CDT MON APR 9 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 8 PM
CDT THIS EVENING FOR STRONG WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR 
MUCH OF SOUTHERN INTO WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN HAS ISSUED
A RED FLAG WARNING FOR STRONG WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE
HUMIDITY...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 8 PM CDT
THIS EVENING. THE FIRE WEATHER WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 054 LAC QUI PARLE...FIRE 
  WEATHER ZONE 056 CHIPPEWA...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 064 YELLOW 
  MEDICINE...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 065 RENVILLE...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 
  073 REDWOOD...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 074 BROWN...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 
  075 NICOLLET...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 082 WATONWAN...FIRE WEATHER 
  ZONE 083 BLUE EARTH...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 084 WASECA...FIRE 
  WEATHER ZONE 085 STEELE...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 091 MARTIN...FIRE 
  WEATHER ZONE 092 FARIBAULT AND FIRE WEATHER ZONE 093 FREEBORN.

* WINDS...NORTHWEST INCREASING TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS OF 30 TO 35
  MPH.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AROUND 25 PERCENT.

* IMPACTS...THE COMBINATION OF LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...STRONG
  WINDS AND DRY FUELS WILL CREATE DANGEROUS FIRE WEATHER
  CONDITIONS THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING.

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.

&&

$$
BAP
1 follow-up statement
517 
WWUS83 KMPX 091637
RFWMPX

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
1137 AM CDT MON APR 9 2012

...ANOTHER DAY OF DANGEROUS WILDFIRE CONDITIONS..MAINLY ACROSS
PARTS OF SOUTHERN INTO WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...

.TODAY MARKS AN UNPRECEDENTED FOURTH CONSECUTIVE DAY OF RED FLAG
WARNINGS FOR AT LEAST PORTIONS OF THE AREA. TEMPERATURES WILL BE
AROUND 10 DEGREES COLDER THAN YESTERDAY...BUT RELATIVE HUMIDITY
THIS AFTERNOON WILL DIP TO AROUND 25 PERCENT IN MUCH OF SOUTHERN
AND WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA. NORTHWEST WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH WILL
BE COMMON OVER SOUTHERN MINNESOTA. RED FLAG WARNINGS ARE POSTED
THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING FOR AREAS ROUGHLY SOUTH OF A LINE
FROM MONTEVIDEO TO OWATONNA.

MNZ054-056-064-065-073>075-082>085-091>093-100100-
/O.CON.KMPX.FW.W.0005.120409T1800Z-120410T0100Z/
LAC QUI PARLE-CHIPPEWA-YELLOW MEDICINE-RENVILLE-REDWOOD-BROWN-
NICOLLET-WATONWAN-BLUE EARTH-WASECA-STEELE-MARTIN-FARIBAULT-
FREEBORN-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...MADISON...MONTEVIDEO...GRANITE FALLS...
OLIVIA...REDWOOD FALLS...NEW ULM...ST. PETER...ST. JAMES...
MANKATO...WASECA...OWATONNA...FAIRMONT...BLUE EARTH...ALBERT LEA
1137 AM CDT MON APR 9 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM CDT THIS EVENING
FOR STRONG WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR MUCH OF SOUTHERN
INTO WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 054 LAC QUI PARLE...FIRE 
  WEATHER ZONE 056 CHIPPEWA...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 064 YELLOW 
  MEDICINE...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 065 RENVILLE...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 
  073 REDWOOD...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 074 BROWN...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 
  075 NICOLLET...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 082 WATONWAN...FIRE WEATHER 
  ZONE 083 BLUE EARTH...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 084 WASECA...FIRE 
  WEATHER ZONE 085 STEELE...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 091 MARTIN...FIRE 
  WEATHER ZONE 092 FARIBAULT AND FIRE WEATHER ZONE 093 FREEBORN.

* WINDS...NORTHWEST 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO NEAR 35 MPH.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AROUND 25 PERCENT.

* IMPACTS...THE COMBINATION OF LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...STRONG 
  WINDS AND DRY FUELS WILL CREATE DANGEROUS FIRE WEATHER 
  CONDITIONS THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. 

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.

&&

$$

The office that day

Everything else NWS Twin Cities, MN issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 9, 2:37 AM CDTFreeze WarningMPXAnoka, Benton, Blue Earth, Brown, Carver, Chippewa and 36 more31 hr

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in Minnesota, 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.