Alert archive / Kansas / Red Flag Warnings in 2012

Red Flag Warning 1, NWS Topeka, KS

January 2, 20128 counties in Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this red flag warning at Jan 2, 2012, 1:38 PM CST for 8 counties in Kansas. It was in force for 4 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 2, 2012, 1:38 PM CST (19:38 UTC)
Expired
Jan 2, 2012, 5:34 PM CST
In force
4 hr
Issued by
NWS Topeka, KS

Counties Anderson County, KS, Coffey County, KS, Douglas County, KS, Franklin County, KS, Lyon County, KS, Osage County, KS, Shawnee County, KS, Wabaunsee County, KS

The radar

The Topeka radar (KTWX), 63 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:44 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

Topeka, KS (KTOP), launched 12:00Z, 7.6 hours before the alert went out and 42 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, Topeka, KS at 12:00Z on 2012-01-02Temperature 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, Topeka, KS at 12:00Z on 2012-01-02The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -40 square meters per square second.1939587897117136Sfc1 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
1988 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
87 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-40 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
168 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.

607 
WWUS83 KTOP 021938
RFWTOP

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
138 PM CST MON JAN 2 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CST MONDAY AFTERNOON FOR
A COMBINATION OF GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES ACROSS
PORTIONS OF EAST CENTRAL KANSAS...

KSZ038>040-054>056-058-059-030000-
/O.NEW.KTOP.FW.W.0001.120102T1938Z-120103T0000Z/
WABAUNSEE-SHAWNEE-DOUGLAS-LYON-OSAGE-FRANKLIN-COFFEY-ANDERSON-
138 PM CST MON JAN 2 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS EVENING FOR GUSTY WINDS 
AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES ACROSS PORTION OF EAST CENTRAL KANSAS...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TOPEKA HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS EVENING.

* AFFECTED AREA...AREA ALONG AND SOUTH AND EAST OF A LINE FROM
  EMPORIA TO ESKRIDGE TO TOPEKA TO LAWRENCE.

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

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AS LOW AS 15 PERCENT.

* TEMPERATURES...IN THE MID TO UPPER 30S.

* IMPACTS...DRY FUELS...STRONG WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY
  WILL LEAD TO RED FLAG CONDITIONS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS
ARE EITHER OCCURRING NOW...OR WILL SHORTLY. A COMBINATION OF DRY
FUELS...STRONG WINDS...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AND WARM
TEMPERATURES WILL CREATE EXPLOSIVE FIRE GROWTH POTENTIAL.

&&

$$
1 follow-up statement
835 
WWUS83 KTOP 022334
RFWTOP

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
534 PM CST MON JAN 2 2012

KSZ038>040-054>056-058-059-030045-
/O.CAN.KTOP.FW.W.0001.000000T0000Z-120103T0000Z/
WABAUNSEE-SHAWNEE-DOUGLAS-LYON-OSAGE-FRANKLIN-COFFEY-ANDERSON-
534 PM CST MON JAN 2 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IS CANCELLED FOR PORTIONS OF EAST CENTRAL KANSAS...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TOPEKA HAS CANCELLED THE RED FLAG
WARNING. 

WEAKENING WINDS AND SLOWLY RISING HUMIDITIES HAVE ALLOWED THE FIRE
WEATHER THREAT TO DIMINISH. 

$$

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in Kansas, 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.