Alert archive / Virginia / Red Flag Warnings in 2014

Red Flag Warning 3, NWS Blacksburg, VA

April 23, 201424 counties in Virginia

NWS Blacksburg, VA issued this red flag warning at Apr 23, 2014, 4:00 AM EDT for 24 counties in Virginia. It took effect at Apr 23, 2014, 11:00 AM EDT. It was in force for 9 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 23, 2014, 4:00 AM EDT (08:00 UTC)
In effect from
Apr 23, 2014, 11:00 AM EDT
Expired
Apr 23, 2014, 8:00 PM EDT
In force
9 hr
Issued by
NWS Blacksburg, VA
All 24 counties

Alleghany County, VA, Amherst County, VA, Bath County, VA, Bedford County, VA, Bland County, VA, Botetourt County, VA, Buckingham County, VA, Carroll County, VA, City of Radford, VA, City of Roanoke, VA, City of Salem, VA, Craig County, VA, Floyd County, VA, Franklin County, VA, Giles County, VA, Grayson County, VA, Montgomery County, VA, Patrick County, VA, Pulaski County, VA, Roanoke County, VA, Rockbridge County, VA, Smyth County, VA, Tazewell County, VA, Wythe County, VA

The radar

The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 24 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 08:04 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

Roanoke, VA (KRNK), launched 00:00Z, 8.0 hours before the alert went out and 69 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, Roanoke, VA at 00:00Z on 2014-04-23Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 88 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, Roanoke, VA at 00:00Z on 2014-04-23The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 97 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
88 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-13 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1217 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
35 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
97 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
128 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

863 
WWUS81 KRNK 230800
RFWRNK

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
400 AM EDT WED APR 23 2014

...POTENTIAL FOR RAPID FIRE SPREAD TODAY...

.STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITY WILL MAKE IT HARD
TO CONTROL WILDFIRES TODAY. WINDS OF 20 MPH...HUMIDITY MINIMUMS
NEAR 20 PERCENT...WILL PROMOTE POTENTIAL FOR RAPID FIRE 
SPREAD IF A WILDLAND FIRE OCCURS TODAY.

VAZ007-009>020-022>024-032>035-047-231600-
/O.UPG.KRNK.FW.A.0003.140423T1500Z-140424T0000Z/
/O.NEW.KRNK.FW.W.0003.140423T1500Z-140424T0000Z/
TAZEWELL-SMYTH-BLAND-GILES-WYTHE-PULASKI-MONTGOMERY-GRAYSON-
CARROLL-FLOYD-CRAIG-ALLEGHANY VA-BATH-ROANOKE-BOTETOURT-
ROCKBRIDGE-PATRICK-FRANKLIN-BEDFORD-AMHERST-BUCKINGHAM-
400 AM EDT WED APR 23 2014

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 8 PM EDT
THIS EVENING FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR AREAS ALONG
THE BLUE RIDGE FROM SOUTHWESTERN VIRGINIA NORTHWARD INTO NORTH
CENTRAL VIRGINIA... 

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG HAS
ISSUED A RED FLAG WARNING FOR WEATHER CONDITIONS THAT WILL PROMOTE
RAPID SPREAD OF WILDLAND FIRES. THIS WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM
11 AM THIS MORNING TO 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING. THE FIRE WEATHER
WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.

* AFFECTED AREA...COUNTIES IN VIRGINIA...TAZEWELL...BLAND...
  SMYTH...GILES...WYTHE...PULASKI...MONTGOMERY...GRAYSON...
  CARROLL...FLOYD...CRAIG...ALLEGHANY...BATH...ROANOKE...
  BOTETOURT...ROCKBRIDGE...PATRICK...FRANKLIN...BEDFORD...
  AMHERST...AND BUCKINGHAM.

* WINDS...NORTHWEST 20 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AS LOW AS 20 PERCENT.

* IMPACTS...THE COMBINATION OF LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...GUSTY WINDS
  AND DRY VEGETATION WILL CREATE CONDITIONS FAVORABLE FOR THE
  DEVELOPMENT AND SPREAD OF WILDFIRES.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS
ARE LIKELY. A COMBINATION OF STRONG WINDS...LOW RELATIVE
HUMIDITY...AND WARM TEMPERATURES WILL CREATE CONDITIONS FAVORABLE
FOR RAPID FIRE SPREAD OR POTENTIAL FOR EXPLOSIVE FIRE GROWTH.

&&

$$

FOR MORE INFORMATION FROM NOAA/NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE VISIT...
HTTP://WWW.ERH.NOAA.GOV/ER/RNK/EMER/EMER_FIRE.PHP (ALL LOWER CASE)
2 follow-up statements
295 
WWUS81 KRNK 231546
RFWRNK

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
1146 AM EDT WED APR 23 2014

...POTENTIAL FOR RAPID FIRE SPREAD THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON...

.STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITY WILL MAKE IT HARD TO
CONTROL WILDFIRES THIS AFTERNOON. WINDS OF 20 MPH...HUMIDITY
MINIMUMS NEAR 20 PERCENT...WILL PROMOTE POTENTIAL FOR RAPID FIRE
SPREAD IF A WILDLAND FIRE OCCURS.

VAZ007-009>020-022>024-032>035-047-240000-
/O.CON.KRNK.FW.W.0003.000000T0000Z-140424T0000Z/
TAZEWELL-SMYTH-BLAND-GILES-WYTHE-PULASKI-MONTGOMERY-GRAYSON-
CARROLL-FLOYD-CRAIG-ALLEGHANY VA-BATH-ROANOKE-BOTETOURT-
ROCKBRIDGE-PATRICK-FRANKLIN-BEDFORD-AMHERST-BUCKINGHAM-
1146 AM EDT WED APR 23 2014

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING
FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR AREAS ALONG THE BLUE RIDGE
IN VIRGINIA...

* AFFECTED AREA...IN VIRGINIA...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 007 TAZEWELL...
   FIRE WEATHER ZONE 009 SMYTH...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 010 BLAND...
  FIRE WEATHER ZONE 011 GILES...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 012 WYTHE...
  FIRE WEATHER ZONE 013 PULASKI...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 014 
  MONTGOMERY... FIRE WEATHER ZONE 015 GRAYSON...FIRE WEATHER 
  ZONE 016 CARROLL... FIRE WEATHER ZONE 017 FLOYD...FIRE WEATHER 
  ZONE 018 CRAIG...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 019 ALLEGHANY VA...FIRE 
  WEATHER ZONE 020 BATH...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 022 ROANOKE...FIRE 
  WEATHER ZONE 023 BOTETOURT...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 024 
  ROCKBRIDGE...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 032 PATRICK... FIRE WEATHER 
  ZONE 033 FRANKLIN...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 034 BEDFORD... FIRE 
  WEATHER ZONE 035 AMHERST AND FIRE WEATHER ZONE 047 BUCKINGHAM.

* WINDS...NORTHWEST 20 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AS LOW AS 15 PERCENT.

* IMPACTS...THE COMBINATION OF LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...GUSTY 
  WINDS AND DRY VEGETATION WILL CREATE CONDITIONS FAVORABLE FOR 
  THE DEVELOPMENT AND SPREAD OF WILDFIRES.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS
ARE LIKELY. A COMBINATION OF STRONG WINDS...LOW RELATIVE
HUMIDITY...AND WARM TEMPERATURES WILL CREATE CONDITIONS FAVORABLE
FOR RAPID FIRE SPREAD OR POTENTIAL FOR EXPLOSIVE FIRE GROWTH.

&&

$$

FOR MORE INFORMATION FROM NOAA/NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE VISIT...
HTTP://WWW.ERH.NOAA.GOV/ER/RNK/EMER/EMER_FIRE.PHP (ALL LOWER CASE)
376 
WWUS81 KRNK 240006
RFWRNK

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
806 PM EDT WED APR 23 2014

VAZ007-009>020-022>024-032>035-047-240115-
/O.EXP.KRNK.FW.W.0003.000000T0000Z-140424T0000Z/
TAZEWELL-SMYTH-BLAND-GILES-WYTHE-PULASKI-MONTGOMERY-GRAYSON-
CARROLL-FLOYD-CRAIG-ALLEGHANY VA-BATH-ROANOKE-BOTETOURT-
ROCKBRIDGE-PATRICK-FRANKLIN-BEDFORD-AMHERST-BUCKINGHAM-
806 PM EDT WED APR 23 2014

...RED FLAG WARNING HAS EXPIRED FOR CENTRAL...WEST CENTRAL...AND
SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA...

WITH THE LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING AND COOLING
TEMPERATURES...RELATIVE HUMIDITY LEVELS WILL CONTINUE TO RISE
THROUGH THE EVENING...ALREADY HAVING RISEN ABOVE THE CRITICAL 25
PERCENT LEVEL IN MOST AREAS. THUS...THE RED FLAG WARNING HAS BEEN
ALLOWED TO EXPIRE.

$$

FOR MORE INFORMATION FROM NOAA/NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE VISIT...
HTTP://WWW.ERH.NOAA.GOV/ER/RNK/EMER/EMER_FIRE.PHP (ALL LOWER CASE)

RAB

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in Virginia, 2014Every red flag warning in 2014

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.