Alert archive / Kansas / Red Flag Warnings in 2012

Red Flag Warning 11, NWS Topeka, KS

August 29, 20124 counties in Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this red flag warning at Aug 29, 2012, 8:13 AM CDT for 4 counties in Kansas. It took effect at Aug 29, 2012, 12:00 PM CDT. 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 29, 2012, 8:13 AM CDT (13:13 UTC)
In effect from
Aug 29, 2012, 12:00 PM CDT
Expired
Aug 29, 2012, 8:00 PM CDT
In force
8 hr
Issued by
NWS Topeka, KS

Counties Cloud County, KS, Marshall County, KS, Republic County, KS, Washington County, KS

The radar

The Topeka radar (KTWX), 117 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 13:14 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 (KFOE), launched 12:00Z, 1.2 hours before the alert went out and 158 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 2012-08-29Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 110 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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 2012-08-29The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -43 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
110 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-484 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1810 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
12 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-43 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
33 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.

298 
WWUS83 KTOP 291313
RFWTOP

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
813 AM CDT WED AUG 29 2012

...DRY WINDY CONDITIONS WITH EXTREME FIRE BEHAVIOR TODAY...

.WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 25 MPH THIS AFTERNOON
WHILE VERY DRY AIR OVERTAKES THE AREA WITH RELATIVE HUMIDITY
VALUES IN THE 15 TO 25 PERCENT RANGE. THESE CONDITIONS WILL
CONTRIBUTE TO POTENTIAL FOR EXTREME FIRE BEHAVIOR TODAY.

KSZ008>010-020-300100-
/O.NEW.KTOP.FW.W.0011.120829T1700Z-120830T0100Z/
REPUBLIC-WASHINGTON-MARSHALL-CLOUD-
813 AM CDT WED AUG 29 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 8 PM CDT THIS
EVENING FOR HOT...DRY...AND WINDY CONDITIONS ACROSS PARTS OF 
NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS. 

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 008 REPUBLIC COUNTY...FIRE
  WEATHER ZONE 009 WASHINGTON COUNTY...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 010
  MARSHALL COUNTY AND FIRE WEATHER ZONE 020 CLOUD COUNTY.

* WINDS...SOUTH 15 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 25 MPH.

* TIMING...THE DRY AND WINDY CONDITIONS WILL SET IN AROUND NOON 
   AND CONTINUE THROUGH 8 PM THIS EVENING.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AS LOW AS 17 PERCENT.

* TEMPERATURES...IN THE MIDDLE 90S.

* IMPACTS...FIRES CAN SPREAD QUICKLY AND BECOME DIFFICULT OR
  IMPOSSIBLE TO CONTROL. BURNING SHOULD BE AVOIDED TODAY.

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
861 
WWUS83 KTOP 300103
RFWTOP

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
803 PM CDT WED AUG 29 2012


KSZ008>010-020-300215-
/O.EXP.KTOP.FW.W.0011.000000T0000Z-120830T0100Z/
REPUBLIC-WASHINGTON-MARSHALL-CLOUD-
803 PM CDT WED AUG 29 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING HAS EXPIRED FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS...

WINDS HAVE DIMINISHED AND TEMPERATURES HAVE COOLED ACROSS THE
AREA...THEREFORE DIMINISHING THE FIRE THREAT. ELEVATED FIRE DANGER
IS EXPECTED THURSDAY AFTERNOON...HOWEVER HIGHER RELATIVE HUMIDITY
SHOULD KEEP RED FLAG CONDITIONS FROM OCCURRING. 

$$

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.