Alert archive / Colorado / Red Flag Warnings in 2012

Red Flag Warning 19, NWS Pueblo, CO

May 18, 2012El Paso County, Teller County, Colorado

NWS Pueblo, CO issued this red flag warning at May 18, 2012, 3:28 AM MDT for El Paso County, Teller County, Colorado. It took effect at May 18, 2012, 12:00 PM MDT. It was in force for 8 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 18, 2012, 3:28 AM MDT (09:28 UTC)
In effect from
May 18, 2012, 12:00 PM MDT
Expired
May 18, 2012, 8:00 PM MDT
In force
8 hr
Issued by
NWS Pueblo, CO

Counties El Paso County, CO, Teller County, CO

The radar

The Pueblo radar (KPUX), 73 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 09:30 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

Denver, CO (KDNR), launched 00:00Z, 9.5 hours before the alert went out and 179 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, Denver, CO at 00:00Z on 2012-05-18Temperature 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, Denver, CO at 00:00Z on 2012-05-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -23 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
3918 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
14 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-23 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
35 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.

278 
WWUS85 KPUB 180928
RFWPUB

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
328 AM MDT FRI MAY 18 2012

...A RED FLAG WARNING FOR GUSTY WINDS...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...HIGH
HAINES INDICES AND DRY FUELS...HAS BEEN ISSUED FROM NOON UNTIL 8
PM MDT...FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONE 221...WHICH INCLUDES TELLER
COUNTY...

COZ221-190130-
/O.UPG.KPUB.FW.A.0012.120518T1800Z-120519T0200Z/
/O.NEW.KPUB.FW.W.0019.120518T1800Z-120519T0200Z/
TELLER COUNTY/RAMPART RANGE-
328 AM MDT FRI MAY 18 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 8 PM MDT THIS
EVENING FOR GUSTY WINDS...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AND HIGH HAINES
INDICES FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONE 221...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PUEBLO HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING FOR GUSTY WINDS...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AND HIGH HAINES
INDICES...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 8 PM MDT THIS
EVENING. THE FIRE WEATHER WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 221.

* WINDS...SOUTHWEST 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 45 MPH.

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

* IMPACTS...STRONG WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITIES WILL CREATE 
  DANGEROUS FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS IN AREAS WITH DRY FUELS. ANY 
  NEW FIRE STARTS WILL LIKELY EXHIBIT EXTREME FIRE BEHAVIOR AND 
  RAPID WILDFIRE GROWTH. 

* HAINES...6.

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
779 
WWUS85 KPUB 182058
RFWPUB

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
258 PM MDT FRI MAY 18 2012

...A RED FLAG WARNING FOR GUSTY WINDS...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...
HIGH HAINES INDICES AND DRY FUELS...REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM
MDT...FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONE 221...WHICH INCLUDES TELLER COUNTY...

COZ221-190200-
/O.CON.KPUB.FW.W.0019.000000T0000Z-120519T0200Z/
TELLER COUNTY/RAMPART RANGE-
258 PM MDT FRI MAY 18 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM MDT THIS EVENING
FOR GUSTY WINDS...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AND HIGH HAINES INDICES
FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONE 221...

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 221.

* WINDS...SOUTHWEST 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH.

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

* IMPACTS...STRONG WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITIES WILL CREATE 
  DANGEROUS FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS IN AREAS WITH DRY FUELS. ANY 
  NEW FIRE STARTS WILL LIKELY EXHIBIT EXTREME FIRE BEHAVIOR AND 
  RAPID WILDFIRE GROWTH. 

* HAINES...6.

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.

&&

$$
141 
WWUS85 KPUB 190148
RFWPUB

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
748 PM MDT FRI MAY 18 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONE 221 EXPIRES AT 8 PM
MDT...

COZ221-190300-
/O.EXP.KPUB.FW.W.0019.000000T0000Z-120519T0200Z/
TELLER COUNTY/RAMPART RANGE-
748 PM MDT FRI MAY 18 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 8 PM MDT THIS EVENING 
FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONE 221...

RELATIVE HUMIDITY HAS CLIMBED BACK ABOVE 15 PERCENT OVER MOST OF
ZONE 221...WITH GUSTY SOUTHWEST WINDS FORECAST TO GRADUALLY
DIMINISH AND BECOME NORTHERLY THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE
EVENING. 

$$

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.