Alert archive / Alabama / Red Flag Warnings in 2013

Red Flag Warning 6, NWS Mobile, AL

March 21, 201310 counties in Alabama

NWS Mobile, AL issued this red flag warning at Mar 21, 2013, 6:24 AM CDT for 10 counties in Alabama. It took effect at Mar 21, 2013, 1:00 PM CDT. It was in force for 5 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: Mar 21, 2013, 6:24 AM CDT (11:24 UTC)
In effect from: Mar 21, 2013, 1:00 PM CDT
Expired: Mar 21, 2013, 6:00 PM CDT
In force: 5 hr
Issued by: NWS Mobile, AL

Counties Butler County, AL, Choctaw County, AL, Clarke County, AL, Conecuh County, AL, Covington County, AL, Crenshaw County, AL, Escambia County, AL, Monroe County, AL, Washington County, AL, Wilcox County, AL

The radar

The Mobile radar (KMOB), 138 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 11:28 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

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 11.4 hours before the alert went out and 182 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 3083 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 60 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 13 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: -37 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.

704 
WWUS84 KMOB 211124
RFWMOB

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
624 AM CDT THU MAR 21 2013

...A RED FLAG WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHWESTERN ALABAMA DUE
TO AN EXPECTED PERIOD OF LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...

.A REINFORCING FRONT BROUGHT COOL DRY AIR TO THE REGION WEDNESDAY
AFTERNOON. AFTERNOON RELATIVE HUMIDITY IS EXPECTED TO DROP INTO
THE 18 TO 25 PERCENT RANGE THURSDAY AFTERNOON FOR 4 TO 5 HOURS.

ALZ051>064-212300-
/O.UPG.KMOB.FW.A.0006.130321T1800Z-130321T2300Z/
/O.NEW.KMOB.FW.W.0006.130321T1800Z-130321T2300Z/
CHOCTAW-WASHINGTON-CLARKE-WILCOX-MONROE-CONECUH-BUTLER-CRENSHAW-
ESCAMBIA-COVINGTON-UPPER MOBILE-UPPER BALDWIN-LOWER MOBILE-
LOWER BALDWIN-
624 AM CDT THU MAR 21 2013

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 6 PM
CDT THIS EVENING FOR SOUTHWEST ALABAMA DUE TO FOUR HOURS OF RELATIVE 
HUMIDITY BELOW 25 PERCENT...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 6 PM CDT
THIS EVENING. THE FIRE WEATHER WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT. 

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY: DROPPING TO LESS THAT 25 PERCENT EARLY 
  THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND LASTING TO LATE AFTERNOON. 

* WINDS: NORTH 5 TO 10 MPH.

* DISPERSIONS: RISING TO 50 TO 60 IN THE AFTERNOON.

* IMPACTS: ANY FIRES THAT DEVELOP WILL LIKELY SPREAD RAPIDLY. 
  OUTDOOR BURNING IS NOT RECOMMENDED.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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

&&

$$

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in Alabama, 2013 Every red flag warning in 2013

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.