Alert archive / California / Red Flag Warnings in 2012

Red Flag Warning 2, NWS Reno, NV

January 18, 20124 counties in California

NWS Reno, NV issued this red flag warning at Jan 18, 2012, 6:08 AM PST for 4 counties in California. It took effect at Jan 18, 2012, 7:00 AM PST. It was in force for 15 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
Jan 18, 2012, 6:08 AM PST (14:08 UTC)
In effect from
Jan 18, 2012, 7:00 AM PST
Expired
Jan 18, 2012, 10:00 PM PST
In force
15 hr
Issued by
NWS Reno, NV

Counties El Dorado County, CA, Nevada County, CA, Placer County, CA, Sierra County, CA

The nearest sounding before it

Oakland, CA (KOAK), launched 12:00Z, 2.1 hours before the alert went out and 211 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, Oakland, CA at 12:00Z on 2012-01-18Temperature 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 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Oakland, CA at 12:00Z on 2012-01-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 89 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
1048 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
50 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
89 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
268 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.

082 
WWUS85 KREV 181408
RFWREV

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV
608 AM PST WED JAN 18 2012

...VERY DRY WITH GUSTY WINDS NEAR THE SIERRA TODAY...

.A VERY DRY AIR MASS HAS MOVED INTO EASTERN CALIFORNIA AND WESTERN
NEVADA NEAR AND SOUTH OF INTERESTATE 80 THIS MORNING. WHILE CLOUD
COVER WILL BE PLENTIFIUL...THE MOISTURE WILL BE CONFINED ABOVE
RIDGE TOP LEVEL. THEREFORE...THE DRY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO
REMAIN DURING THE DAY. WITH AN INCREASE IN WINDS THIS MORNING...
CRITICAL CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO LAST INTO THE EVENING HOURS.

CAZ272-273-NVZ450-190215-
/O.NEW.KREV.FW.W.0002.120118T1500Z-120119T0600Z/
GREATER LAKE TAHOE AREA-MONO-EASTERN ALPINE COUNTIES-
WESTERN NEVADA SIERRA FRONT-
608 AM PST WED JAN 18 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM PST THIS EVENING FOR
GUSTY WIND AND LOW HUMIDITY FOR MONO COUNTY...EASTERN ALPINE
COUNTY...THE TAHOE BASIN AND THE WESTERN NEVADA SIERRA FRONT DUE
TO GUSTY WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RENO HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING FOR GUSTY WIND AND LOW HUMIDITY...WHICH IS IN EFFECT
UNTIL 10 PM PST THIS EVENING. 

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE ZONE 272 GREATER LAKE TAHOE AREA...FIRE 
  ZONE 273 MONO-EASTERN ALPINE COUNTIES AND FIRE ZONE 450 
  WESTERN NEVADA SIERRA FRONT.

* WINDS...WEST TO SOUTHWEST 15 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 45 MPH.
  LOCAL GUSTS TO 65 MPH ARE POSSIBLE IN WIND PRONE AREAS SUCH AS
  LITTLE VALLEY AND GALENA.

* RIDGE WINDS...WEST 50 TO 70 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 110 MPH.

* HUMIDITY...4 TO 14 PERCENT. HUMIDITY MAY BRIEFLY RISE IN THE
  AFTERNOON TO 20 PERCENT BEFORE FALLING AGAIN THIS EVENING.

* IMPACTS...THE COMBINATION OF GUSTY WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITY WILL 
  CREATE CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS
WILL OCCUR.  CONTINUE TO CHECK WEATHER.GOV/RENO FOR UPDATES.  

&&

$$

HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/RENO
2 follow-up statements
328 
WWUS85 KREV 190157
RFWREV

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV
557 PM PST WED JAN 18 2012

...VERY DRY WITH GUSTY WINDS NEAR THE SIERRA THIS EVENING...

.A VERY DRY AIR MASS HAS MOVED INTO EASTERN CALIFORNIA AND
WESTERN NEVADA NEAR AND SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 80. WHILE CLOUD COVER
IS PLENTIFUL...THE MOISTURE IS CONFINED ABOVE RIDGE TOP LEVEL.
THEREFORE...THE DRY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN THIS
EVENING. STRONG WINDS WILL CONTINUE THIS EVENING...TAPERING OFF
OVERNIGHT.

CAZ272-273-NVZ450-190600-
/O.CON.KREV.FW.W.0002.000000T0000Z-120119T0600Z/
GREATER LAKE TAHOE AREA-MONO-EASTERN ALPINE COUNTIES-
WESTERN NEVADA SIERRA FRONT-
557 PM PST WED JAN 18 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM PST THIS
EVENING FOR GUSTY WIND AND LOW HUMIDITY FOR MONO COUNTY...EASTERN
ALPINE COUNTY...THE TAHOE BASIN AND THE WESTERN NEVADA SIERRA
FRONT DUE TO GUSTY WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITY...

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE ZONE 272 GREATER LAKE TAHOE AREA...FIRE 
  ZONE 273 MONO-EASTERN ALPINE COUNTIES AND FIRE ZONE 450 
  WESTERN NEVADA SIERRA FRONT. 

* WINDS...WEST TO SOUTHWEST 10 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 35 MPH.
  WINDS WILL BEGIN TO DECREASE THIS EVENING...POSSIBLY BEFORE 10
  PM.
 
* RIDGE WINDS...WEST 50 TO 70 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 100 MPH.

* HUMIDITY...7 TO 15 PERCENT. 

* IMPACTS...THE COMBINATION OF GUSTY WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITY WILL 
  CREATE CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS
WILL OCCUR OR ARE OCCURRING. CONTINUE TO CHECK WEATHER.GOV/RENO
FOR UPDATES.

&&

$$

HOON

HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/RENO
646 
WWUS85 KREV 190552
RFWREV

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV
952 PM PST WED JAN 18 2012

CAZ272-273-NVZ450-190700-
/O.EXP.KREV.FW.W.0002.000000T0000Z-120119T0600Z/
GREATER LAKE TAHOE AREA-MONO-EASTERN ALPINE COUNTIES-
WESTERN NEVADA SIERRA FRONT-
952 PM PST WED JAN 18 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 10 PM PST THIS EVENING FOR
GUSTY WIND AND LOW HUMIDITY FOR MONO COUNTY...EASTERN ALPINE
COUNTY...THE TAHOE BASIN AND THE WESTERN NEVADA SIERRA FRONT DUE
TO GUSTY WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITY...

THE RED FLAG WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 10 PM PST THIS EVENING. 

WINDS HAVE SUBSIDED ACROSS MOST OF THE AREA. A FEW MIDSLOPE RAWS
CONTINUE TO GUST THIS EVENING BETWEEN 20 TO 30 MPH...WITH HUMIDITY
VALUES BELOW 15%. EXPECT THAT SOME OF THESE AREAS WILL CONTINUE TO
SEE NEAR CRITICAL CONDITIONS OVERNIGHT. WIDESPREAD POOR RECOVERIES
CAN BE EXPECTED AS WELL.

$$

HOON

HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/RENO

The office that day

Everything else NWS Reno, NV issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jan 18, 3:49 PM PSTWind AdvisoryREVAlpine, El Dorado, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer and 2 more36 hr

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in California, 2012Red Flag Warnings in Nevada, 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.