Alert archive / Colorado / Red Flag Warnings in 2012

Red Flag Warning 18, NWS Pueblo, CO

May 4, 2012Chaffee County, Lake County, Colorado

NWS Pueblo, CO issued this red flag warning at May 4, 2012, 4:10 AM MDT for Chaffee County, Lake County, Colorado. It took effect at May 4, 2012, 12:00 PM MDT. 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
May 4, 2012, 4:10 AM MDT (10:10 UTC)
In effect from
May 4, 2012, 12:00 PM MDT
Expired
May 4, 2012, 7:00 PM MDT
In force
7 hr
Issued by
NWS Pueblo, CO

Counties Chaffee County, CO, Lake County, CO

The radar

The Grand Junction radar (KGJX), 168 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 10:15 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

Grand Junction, CO (KGJT), launched 00:00Z, 10.2 hours before the alert went out and 193 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, Grand Junction, CO at 00:00Z on 2012-05-04Temperature 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 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Grand Junction, CO at 00:00Z on 2012-05-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 17 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
4293 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
15 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
17 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
30 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.

442 
WWUS85 KPUB 041010
RFWPUB

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
410 AM MDT FRI MAY 4 2012

...A RED FLAG WARNING FOR GUSTY WINDS...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY
VALUES...AND DRY FUELS...HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING...FROM 1200 TO 1900 LOCAL TIME...FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONE
220...WHICH INCLUDES CHAFFEE AND LAKE COUNTIES...

COZ220-050100-
/O.NEW.KPUB.FW.W.0018.120504T1800Z-120505T0100Z/
UPPER ARKANSAS RIVER VALLEY-
410 AM MDT FRI MAY 4 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 7 PM MDT THIS
EVENING FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FIRE
WEATHER ZONE 220...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PUEBLO HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...WHICH IS IN
EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 7 PM MDT THIS EVENING.

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 220.

* WINDS...SOUTHWEST 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 35 MPH.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AS LOW AS 9 PERCENT.

* IMPACTS...CONDITIONS WILL BE FAVORABLE FOR EXTREME FIRE BEHAVIOR
  WITH RAPID RATES OF FIRE GROWTH AND SPREAD POSSIBLE SHOULD A
  FIRE START.  

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.

&&

$$
2 follow-up statements
996 
WWUS85 KPUB 042028
RFWPUB

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
228 PM MDT FRI MAY 4 2012

...A RED FLAG WARNING FOR GUSTY WINDS...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY
VALUES...AND DRY FUELS...REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM MDT...FOR
FIRE WEATHER ZONE 220...WHICH INCLUDES CHAFFEE AND LAKE
COUNTIES...

COZ220-050100-
/O.CON.KPUB.FW.W.0018.000000T0000Z-120505T0100Z/
UPPER ARKANSAS RIVER VALLEY-
228 PM MDT FRI MAY 4 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM MDT THIS EVENING
FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONE
220...

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 220.

* WINDS...SOUTHWEST 10 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH.

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

* IMPACTS...CONDITIONS WILL BE FAVORABLE FOR EXTREME FIRE 
  BEHAVIOR WITH RAPID RATES OF FIRE GROWTH AND SPREAD POSSIBLE 
  SHOULD A FIRE START. 

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.

&&

$$
318 
WWUS85 KPUB 050037
RFWPUB

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
637 PM MDT FRI MAY 4 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING FOR ZONE 220...THE UPPER ARKANSAS RIVER
VALLEY...WILL EXPIRE AT 7 PM THIS EVENING...

COZ220-050145-
/O.EXP.KPUB.FW.W.0018.000000T0000Z-120505T0100Z/
UPPER ARKANSAS RIVER VALLEY-
637 PM MDT FRI MAY 4 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 7 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR 
FIRE WEATHER ZONE 220...THE UPPER ARKANSAS RIVER VALLEY.

$$

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in Colorado, 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.