Alert archive / Kansas / Red Flag Warnings in 2012

Red Flag Warning 2, NWS Topeka, KS

January 15, 20128 counties in Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this red flag warning at Jan 15, 2012, 2:17 PM CST for 8 counties in Kansas. It was in force for 3 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 15, 2012, 2:17 PM CST (20:17 UTC)
Expired
Jan 15, 2012, 5:00 PM CST
In force
3 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 20:21 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, 8.3 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 2012-01-15Temperature 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 2012-01-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 509 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
1954 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
54 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
509 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
602 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.

597 
WWUS83 KTOP 152017
RFWTOP

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
217 PM CST SUN JAN 15 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 PM CST SUNDAY AFTERNOON
FOR A COMBINATION OF GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES
ACROSS PORTIONS OF EAST CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KANSAS...


KSZ038>040-054>056-058-059-152300-
/O.NEW.KTOP.FW.W.0002.120115T2017Z-120115T2300Z/
WABAUNSEE-SHAWNEE-DOUGLAS-LYON-OSAGE-FRANKLIN-COFFEY-ANDERSON-
217 PM CST SUN JAN 15 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 PM CST THIS AFTERNOON FOR
GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES ACROSS PORTIONS OF EAST CENTRAL 
AND NORTHEAST KANSAS...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TOPEKA HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES...WHICH IS IN EFFECT
UNTIL 5 PM CST THIS AFTERNOON.

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

* WINDS...SOUTH 20 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 35 MPH.

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

* TEMPERATURES...IN THE MID 60S.

* IMPACTS...DRY FUELS...STRONG WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY
  VALUES 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
984 
WWUS83 KTOP 152305
RFWTOP

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
505 PM CST SUN JAN 15 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING HAS EXPIRED...

.RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES HAVE INCREASED TO ABOVE 20 PERCENT THIS
EVENING AND WIND SPEEDS WILL DECREASE SLIGHTLY. FIRE DANGER
REMAINS HIGH...BUT EXPLOSIVE FIRE GROWTH IS NO LONGER EXPECTED.

KSZ038>040-054>056-058-059-160015-
/O.EXP.KTOP.FW.W.0002.000000T0000Z-120115T2300Z/
WABAUNSEE-SHAWNEE-DOUGLAS-LYON-OSAGE-FRANKLIN-COFFEY-ANDERSON-
505 PM CST SUN JAN 15 2012

...RED FLAG WARNING HAS EXPIRED FOR EAST CENTRAL KANSAS...

RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES HAVE INCREASED TO ABOVE 20 PERCENT THIS
EVENING AND WIND SPEEDS WILL DECREASE SLIGHTLY. FIRE DANGER
REMAINS HIGH...BUT EXPLOSIVE FIRE GROWTH IS NO LONGER EXPECTED.

$$

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.