Alert archive / Kansas / Red Flag Warnings in 2012

Red Flag Warning 15, NWS Topeka, KS

December 5, 201210 counties in Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this red flag warning at Dec 5, 2012, 3:41 AM CST for 10 counties in Kansas. It took effect at Dec 5, 2012, 12:00 PM CST. It was in force for 6 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
Dec 5, 2012, 3:41 AM CST (09:41 UTC)
In effect from
Dec 5, 2012, 12:00 PM CST
Expired
Dec 5, 2012, 6:00 PM CST
In force
6 hr
Issued by
NWS Topeka, KS

Counties Clay County, KS, Cloud County, KS, Dickinson County, KS, Geary County, KS, Marshall County, KS, Morris County, KS, Ottawa County, KS, Republic County, KS, Riley County, KS, Washington County, KS

The radar

The Topeka radar (KTWX), 83 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 09:45 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 00:00Z, 9.7 hours before the alert went out and 131 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 00:00Z on 2012-12-05Temperature 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 00:00Z on 2012-12-05The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 65 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
2990 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
26 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
65 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
74 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.

273 
WWUS83 KTOP 050941
RFWTOP

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
341 AM CST WED DEC 5 2012

.DRY AND WINDY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TODAY ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL
AND NORTHEAST KANSAS WITH MINIMUM RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES OF 18
TO 22 PERCENT. WIND GUSTS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE TO AROUND 30
MPH THIS AFTERNOON WITH SUSTAINED WINDS NEAR 20 MPH. THE COMBINATION OF DRY
WINDY CONDITIONS AND DRY FUELS MAY BRING THE POTENTIAL FOR RAPID
FIRE GROWTH.

KSZ008>010-020>022-034>037-051800-
/O.NEW.KTOP.FW.W.0015.121205T1800Z-121206T0000Z/
REPUBLIC-WASHINGTON-MARSHALL-CLOUD-CLAY-RILEY-OTTAWA-DICKINSON-
GEARY-MORRIS-
341 AM CST WED DEC 5 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 6 PM CST THIS
EVENING FOR STRONG WINDS...DRY FUELS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR
AREAS ALONG AND WEST OF A COUNCIL GROVE TO MANHATTAN TO FRANKFORT LINE...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TOPEKA HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING FOR STRONG WINDS...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY AND DRY
FUELS...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 6 PM CST
THIS EVENING.

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 008 REPUBLIC...FIRE WEATHER 
  ZONE 009 WASHINGTON...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 010 MARSHALL...FIRE 
  WEATHER ZONE 020 CLOUD...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 021 CLAY...FIRE 
  WEATHER ZONE 022 RILEY...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 034 OTTAWA...FIRE 
  WEATHER ZONE 035 DICKINSON...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 036 GEARY AND 
  FIRE WEATHER ZONE 037 MORRIS.

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

* TIMING...THE CONDITIONS FOR EXTREME FIRE DANGER WILL BEGIN
  AROUND MID DAY AND CONTINUE THROUGH THE AFTERNOON HOURS.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AS LOW AS 19 PERCENT.

* TEMPERATURES...LOWER TO MIDDLE 60S.

* IMPACTS...FIRES WILL START EASILY AND SPREAD QUICKLY IN THE
  WARNING AREA...MAKING THEM VERY DIFFICULT TO CONTROL.

  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.

&&

$$
2 follow-up statements
092 
WWUS83 KTOP 051752
RFWTOP

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
1152 AM CST WED DEC 5 2012

KSZ008>010-020>022-034>037-060000-
/O.CON.KTOP.FW.W.0015.121205T1800Z-121206T0000Z/
REPUBLIC-WASHINGTON-MARSHALL-CLOUD-CLAY-RILEY-OTTAWA-DICKINSON-
GEARY-MORRIS-
1152 AM CST WED DEC 5 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS EVENING
FOR STRONG WINDS...DRY FUELS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR AREAS
ALONG AND WEST OF A COUNCIL GROVE TO MANHATTAN TO FRANKFORT
LINE...

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 008 REPUBLIC...FIRE WEATHER 
  ZONE 009 WASHINGTON...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 010 MARSHALL...FIRE 
  WEATHER ZONE 020 CLOUD...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 021 CLAY...FIRE 
  WEATHER ZONE 022 RILEY...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 034 OTTAWA...FIRE 
  WEATHER ZONE 035 DICKINSON...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 036 GEARY AND 
  FIRE WEATHER ZONE 037 MORRIS.

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

* TIMING...DRY AND WINDY CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE
  AFTERNOON HOURS.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AS LOW AS 18 PERCENT.

* TEMPERATURES...AROUND 60.

* IMPACTS...FIRES WILL START EASILY AND SPREAD QUICKLY IN THE 
  WARNING AREA...MAKING THEM VERY DIFFICULT TO CONTROL. 

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.

&&

$$
189 
WWUS83 KTOP 052339
RFWTOP

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
539 PM CST WED DEC 5 2012


KSZ008>010-020>022-034>037-060045-
/O.EXP.KTOP.FW.W.0015.000000T0000Z-121206T0000Z/
REPUBLIC-WASHINGTON-MARSHALL-CLOUD-CLAY-RILEY-OTTAWA-DICKINSON-
GEARY-MORRIS-
539 PM CST WED DEC 5 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 6 PM CST THIS EVENING...

AS TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE AREA THIS EVENING CONTINUE TO COOL...
RELATIVE HUMIDITY LEVELS WILL STEADILY INCREASE. THEREFORE
THE RED FLAG WARNING WILL BE ALLOWED TO EXPIRE AT 6 PM.


$$

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.