Alert archive / California / Red Flag Warnings in 2013

Red Flag Warning 2, NWS Las Vegas, NV

April 17, 2013San Bernardino County, California; Clark County, Nevada; Mohave County, Arizona

NWS Las Vegas, NV issued this red flag warning at Apr 17, 2013, 4:02 AM PDT for San Bernardino County, California; Clark County, Nevada; Mohave County, Arizona. It took effect at Apr 17, 2013, 11:00 AM PDT. 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
Apr 17, 2013, 4:02 AM PDT (11:02 UTC)
In effect from
Apr 17, 2013, 11:00 AM PDT
Expired
Apr 17, 2013, 7:00 PM PDT
In force
8 hr
Issued by
NWS Las Vegas, NV

Counties Mohave County, AZ, San Bernardino County, CA, Clark County, NV

The radar

The Las Vegas radar (KESX), 15 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 11:06 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

Las Vegas, NV (KVEF), launched 00:00Z, 11.0 hours before the alert went out and 101 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, Las Vegas, NV at 00:00Z on 2013-04-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1 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, Las Vegas, NV at 00:00Z on 2013-04-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 62 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
1 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
2867 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
86 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
62 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
125 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.

559 
WWUS85 KVEF 171102
RFWVEF

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV
402 AM PDT WED APR 17 2013

AZZ101-CAZ229-NVZ466-171815-
/O.UPG.KVEF.FW.A.0001.130417T1800Z-130418T0400Z/
/O.NEW.KVEF.FW.W.0002.130417T1800Z-130418T0200Z/
LAKE MEAD NRA/COLORADO RIVER-AZ SIDE-LOWER COLORADO RIVER VALLEY-
LAKE MEAD NRA/COLORADO RIVER-NV SIDE-
402 AM PDT WED APR 17 2013 /402 AM MST WED APR 17 2013/

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM PDT /11 AM MST/ THIS
MORNING TO 7 PM PDT /7 PM MST/ THIS EVENING FOR STRONG WINDS AND
LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES 101...229 AND 466...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LAS VEGAS HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING FOR STRONG WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...WHICH IS IN
EFFECT FROM 11 AM PDT /11 AM MST/ THIS MORNING TO 7 PM PDT /7 PM
MST/ THIS EVENING. THE FIRE WEATHER WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.

* AFFECTED AREA...IN ARIZONA...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 101 LAKE MEAD 
  NRA/COLORADO RIVER-AZ SIDE. IN CALIFORNIA...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 
  229 LOWER COLORADO RIVER VALLEY. IN NEVADA...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 
  466 LAKE MEAD NRA/COLORADO RIVER-NV SIDE.

* TIMING...NORTH WINDS WILL INCREASE BY LATE MORNING...PEAK DURING
  THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING...BEFORE DECREASING EARLY THIS EVENING.

* WIND...NORTH WIND 20 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 40 MPH.

* HUMIDITY...LOWERING TO 6 TO 11 PERCENT.

* IMPACTS...THE COMBINATION OF GUSTY WINDS...LOW RELATIVE 
  HUMIDITY AND DRY FUELS WILL CREATE CONDITIONS THAT ARE 
  FAVORABLE FOR EXTREME FIRE BEHAVIOR. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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

&&

$$

HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/LASVEGAS

PIERCE
2 follow-up statements
965 
WWUS85 KVEF 171754
RFWVEF

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV
1054 AM PDT WED APR 17 2013

AZZ101-CAZ229-NVZ466-180200-
/O.CON.KVEF.FW.W.0002.130417T1800Z-130418T0200Z/
LAKE MEAD NRA/COLORADO RIVER-AZ SIDE-LOWER COLORADO RIVER VALLEY-
LAKE MEAD NRA/COLORADO RIVER-NV SIDE-
1054 AM PDT WED APR 17 2013 /1054 AM MST WED APR 17 2013/

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM PDT /7 PM MST/
THIS EVENING FOR STRONG WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FIRE
WEATHER ZONES 101...229 AND 466...

* AFFECTED AREA...IN ARIZONA...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 101 LAKE MEAD 
  NRA/COLORADO RIVER-AZ SIDE. IN CALIFORNIA...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 
  229 LOWER COLORADO RIVER VALLEY. IN NEVADA...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 
  466 LAKE MEAD NRA/COLORADO RIVER-NV SIDE.

* TIMING...THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING WITH WINDS THEN
  DECREASING.

* WIND...NORTH WIND 20 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS 35 TO 40 MPH.

* HUMIDITY...LOWERING TO 6 TO 11 PERCENT.

* IMPACTS...THE COMBINATION OF GUSTY WINDS...LOW RELATIVE 
  HUMIDITY AND DRY FUELS WILL CREATE CONDITIONS THAT ARE 
  FAVORABLE FOR EXTREME FIRE BEHAVIOR. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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

&&

$$

HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/LASVEGAS
973 
WWUS85 KVEF 180145
RFWVEF

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV
645 PM PDT WED APR 17 2013


AZZ101-CAZ229-NVZ466-180245-
/O.EXP.KVEF.FW.W.0002.000000T0000Z-130418T0200Z/
LAKE MEAD NRA/COLORADO RIVER-AZ SIDE-LOWER COLORADO RIVER VALLEY-
LAKE MEAD NRA/COLORADO RIVER-NV SIDE-
645 PM PDT WED APR 17 2013 /645 PM MST WED APR 17 2013/

...RED FLAG WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 7 PM PDT /7 PM MST/ THIS
EVENING FOR STRONG WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FIRE
WEATHER ZONES 101...229 AND 466...

WINDS HAVE DECREASED ACROSS THE REGION WITH GUSTS GENERALLY LESS
THAN 25 MPH. ALTHOUGH RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES CONTINUE TO BE WELL
BELOW 15 PERCENT...THE COMBINATION OF HUMIDITY AND WINDS NO LONGER
MEET RED FLAG CRITERIA. THUS WILL ALLOW THE RED FLAG WARNING TO
EXPIRE AS OF 7 PM PDT/MST.

$$

HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/LASVEGAS

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in California, 2013Red Flag Warnings in Nevada, 2013Red Flag Warnings in Arizona, 2013Every 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.