Alert archive / Colorado / Red Flag Warnings in 2012

Red Flag Warning 36, NWS Pueblo, CO

August 30, 20127 counties in Colorado

NWS Pueblo, CO issued this red flag warning at Aug 30, 2012, 4:06 AM MDT for 7 counties in Colorado. It took effect at Aug 30, 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
Aug 30, 2012, 4:06 AM MDT (10:06 UTC)
In effect from
Aug 30, 2012, 12:00 PM MDT
Expired
Aug 30, 2012, 8:00 PM MDT
In force
8 hr
Issued by
NWS Pueblo, CO

Counties Baca County, CO, Bent County, CO, Crowley County, CO, Kiowa County, CO, Las Animas County, CO, Otero County, CO, Prowers County, CO

The radar

The Pueblo radar (KPUX), 108 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 10:03 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

Denver, CO (KDEN), launched 00:00Z, 10.1 hours before the alert went out and 221 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 2012-08-30Temperature 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, Denver, CO at 00:00Z on 2012-08-30The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 15 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
3984 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
12 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
15 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
43 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.

178 
WWUS85 KPUB 301006
RFWPUB

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
406 AM MDT THU AUG 30 2012

...A RED FLAG WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR LOW HUMIDITIES...GUSTY
WINDS...AND DRY FUELS...FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 1200 UNTIL
2000 LOCAL TIME...FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES 231 THROUGH 237...WHICH
INCLUDES CROWLEY...OTERO...KIOWA...BENT...PROWERS...BACA...AND
EASTERN LAS ANIMAS COUNTIES...

COZ231>237-310200-
/O.UPG.KPUB.FW.A.0021.120830T1800Z-120831T0200Z/
/O.NEW.KPUB.FW.W.0036.120830T1800Z-120831T0200Z/
CROWLEY COUNTY-OTERO COUNTY-EASTERN LAS ANIMAS COUNTY-
KIOWA COUNTY-BENT COUNTY-PROWERS COUNTY-BACA COUNTY-
406 AM MDT THU AUG 30 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 8 PM MDT THIS
EVENING FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FIRE
WEATHER ZONES 231...232...233...234...235...236 AND 237...

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 8 PM MDT THIS EVENING. THE FIRE WEATHER
WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONES 231...232...233...234... 
  235...236 AND 237.

* WINDS...SOUTHEAST 15 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH.

* TIMING...NOON UNTIL 8 PM MDT THURSDAY.

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

* IMPACTS...RAPID GROWTH RATES AND ERRATIC BEHAVIOR WILL BE 
  POSSIBLE WITH ANY FIRES. 

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
375 
WWUS85 KPUB 302048
RFWPUB

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
248 PM MDT THU AUG 30 2012

...A RED FLAG WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR LOW HUMIDITIES...GUSTY
WINDS...AND DRY FUELS...FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 1200
UNTIL 2000 LOCAL TIME...FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES 231 THROUGH
237...WHICH INCLUDES CROWLEY...OTERO...KIOWA...BENT...PROWERS...
BACA...AND EASTERN LAS ANIMAS COUNTIES...

COZ231>237-310200-
/O.CON.KPUB.FW.W.0036.000000T0000Z-120831T0200Z/
CROWLEY COUNTY-OTERO COUNTY-EASTERN LAS ANIMAS COUNTY-
KIOWA COUNTY-BENT COUNTY-PROWERS COUNTY-BACA COUNTY-
248 PM MDT THU AUG 30 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM MDT THIS EVENING
FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES
231...232...233...234...235...236 AND 237...

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONES 231...232...233...234... 
  235...236 AND 237.

* WINDS...SOUTHEAST 15 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 35 MPH.

* TIMING...UNTIL 8 PM MDT THURSDAY.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AS LOW AS 7 PERCENT.

* IMPACTS...RAPID GROWTH RATES AND ERRATIC BEHAVIOR WILL BE 
  POSSIBLE WITH ANY FIRES. 

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.

&&

$$
558 
WWUS85 KPUB 310151
RFWPUB

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
751 PM MDT THU AUG 30 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 8 PM MDT...

COZ231>237-310300-
/O.EXP.KPUB.FW.W.0036.000000T0000Z-120831T0200Z/
CROWLEY COUNTY-OTERO COUNTY-EASTERN LAS ANIMAS COUNTY-
KIOWA COUNTY-BENT COUNTY-PROWERS COUNTY-BACA COUNTY-
751 PM MDT THU AUG 30 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 8 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR
GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES
231...232...233...234...235...236 AND 237...

WINDS HAVE SUBSIDED ACROSS THE EASTERN PLAINS WHILE HUMIDITY
VALUES HAVE STARTED THEIR OVERNIGHT RECOVERIES. THUS HAVE ALLOWED
THE RED FLAG WARNING TO EXPIRE.

$$

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.