Alert archive / Arizona / Red Flag Warnings in 2012

Red Flag Warning 4, NWS Phoenix, AZ

March 17, 2012Gila County, Maricopa County, Pinal County, Arizona

NWS Phoenix, AZ issued this red flag warning at Mar 17, 2012, 3:21 AM MST for Gila County, Maricopa County, Pinal County, Arizona. It took effect at Mar 17, 2012, 1:00 PM MST. 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
Mar 17, 2012, 3:21 AM MST (10:21 UTC)
In effect from
Mar 17, 2012, 1:00 PM MST
Expired
Mar 17, 2012, 6:00 PM MST
In force
5 hr
Issued by
NWS Phoenix, AZ

Counties Gila County, AZ, Maricopa County, AZ, Pinal County, AZ

The radar

The Phoenix radar (KIWA), 13 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 10:26 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

Tuscon, AZ (KTUS), launched 00:00Z, 10.4 hours before the alert went out and 145 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, Tuscon, AZ at 00:00Z on 2012-03-17Temperature 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, Tuscon, AZ at 00:00Z on 2012-03-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -13 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
6238 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
21 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-13 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
49 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.

555 
WWUS85 KPSR 171021
RFWPSR

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
321 AM MST SAT MAR 17 2012

AZZ133-172215-
/O.UPG.KPSR.FW.A.0003.120317T2000Z-120318T0100Z/
/O.NEW.KPSR.FW.W.0004.120317T2000Z-120318T0100Z/
ARIZONA FIRE WEATHER ZONE 133                                    
SOUTHERN GILA COUNTY/TONTO NATIONAL FOREST FOOTHILLS-
321 AM MST SAT MAR 17 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 6 PM
MST THIS EVENING FOR STRONG WINDS...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY AND VERY
HIGH FIRE DANGER FOR SOUTHEASTERN GILA COUNTY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PHOENIX HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING FOR STRONG WINDS...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY AND VERY HIGH FIRE
DANGER...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 6 PM MST
THIS EVENING. THE FIRE WEATHER WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.

* AFFECTED AREA...IN ARIZONA...PORTIONS SOUTHERN GILA COUNTY/TONTO
  NATIONAL FOREST FOOTHILLS.

* WINDS...SOUTHWEST 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH.

* TIMING...STRONGEST WINDS EXPECTED TO PEAK EARLY SATURDAY AFTERNOON
  BEFORE RELATIVE HUMIDITIES BEGIN TO INCREASE IN THE LATE
  AFTERNOON.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AS LOW AS 13 PERCENT.

* IMPACTS...FUELS ARE DRY AND FIRE DANGER IS VERY HIGH. THESE
  CONDITIONS...COMBINED WITH LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY AND STRONG WINDS
  WILL LEAD TO WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

PLEASE ADVISE THE APPROPRIATE OFFICIALS AND FIRE CREWS IN THE
FIELD OF THIS RED FLAG WARNING.

&&

$$

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX IS ON THE INTERNET AT

WEATHER.GOV/PHOENIX
1 follow-up statement
039 
WWUS85 KPSR 172035
RFWPSR

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
135 PM MST SAT MAR 17 2012

AZZ133-180100-
/O.CON.KPSR.FW.W.0004.000000T0000Z-120318T0100Z/
ARIZONA FIRE WEATHER ZONE 133                                    
SOUTHERN GILA COUNTY/TONTO NATIONAL FOREST FOOTHILLS-
135 PM MST SAT MAR 17 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM MST THIS EVENING
FOR STRONG WINDS...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY AND VERY HIGH FIRE
DANGER FOR SOUTHEASTERN GILA COUNTY...

A RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM MST THIS EVENING.

* AFFECTED AREA...IN ARIZONA...PORTIONS SOUTHERN GILA 
  COUNTY/TONTO NATIONAL FOREST FOOTHILLS. 

* WINDS...SOUTHWEST 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH.

* TIMING...STRONGEST WINDS EXPECTED TO PEAK MID THIS AFTERNOON BEFORE
  RELATIVE HUMIDITIES BEGIN TO INCREASE IN THE LATE AFTERNOON.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AS LOW AS 10 PERCENT.

* IMPACTS...FUELS ARE DRY AND FIRE DANGER IS VERY HIGH. THESE 
  CONDITIONS...COMBINED WITH LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY AND STRONG 
  WINDS WILL LEAD TO WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS FIRE WEATHER 
  CONDITIONS. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

PLEASE ADVISE THE APPROPRIATE OFFICIALS AND FIRE CREWS IN THE
FIELD OF THIS RED FLAG WARNING.

&&

$$

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX IS ON THE INTERNET AT

WEATHER.GOV/PHOENIX

The office that day

Everything else NWS Phoenix, AZ issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 17, 4:11 AM MSTWinter Weather AdvisoryPSR11 hr
Mar 17, 4:23 AM MSTBlowing Dust AdvisoryPSR16 hr
Mar 17, 2:54 PM MSTWinter Storm WarningPSR48 hr

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in Arizona, 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.