Alert archive / Kansas / Red Flag Warnings in 2014

Red Flag Warning 2, NWS Topeka, KS

February 18, 2014Cloud County, Ottawa County, Republic County, Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this red flag warning at Feb 18, 2014, 8:55 AM CST for Cloud County, Ottawa County, Republic County, Kansas. It took effect at Feb 18, 2014, 1:00 PM CST. 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
Feb 18, 2014, 8:55 AM CST (14:55 UTC)
In effect from
Feb 18, 2014, 1:00 PM CST
Expired
Feb 18, 2014, 5:59 PM CST
In force
5 hr
Issued by
NWS Topeka, KS

Counties Cloud County, KS, Ottawa County, KS, Republic County, KS

The radar

The Grand Island radar (KUEX), 115 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 14:56 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 (KFOE), launched 12:00Z, 2.9 hours before the alert went out and 181 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 2014-02-18Temperature 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 2014-02-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 159 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
3403 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
51 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
159 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
174 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.

154 
WWUS83 KTOP 181455
RFWTOP

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
855 AM CST TUE FEB 18 2014

...EXTREME FIRE BEHAVIOR IS POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS
PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS...

.STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP EARLY THIS
AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE INTO THE LATE AFTERNOON HOURS. ALONG WITH
WARM TEMPERATURES...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES AND DRY
VEGETATION...THIS WILL MAKE FOR POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS FIRE WEATHER
CONDITIONS.  


KSZ008-020-034-182300-
/O.NEW.KTOP.FW.W.0002.140218T1900Z-140219T0000Z/
REPUBLIC-CLOUD-OTTAWA-
855 AM CST TUE FEB 18 2014

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 6 PM
CST THIS EVENING FOR LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES AND GUSTY WINDS 
FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TOPEKA HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING FOR LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES AND GUSTY WINDS...WHICH IS IN
EFFECT FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 6 PM CST THIS EVENING.

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 008 REPUBLIC...FIRE WEATHER 
  ZONE 020 CLOUD AND FIRE WEATHER ZONE 034 OTTAWA.

* WINDS...NORTHWEST 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 35 MPH.

* TIMING...WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE TO 15 TO 25 MPH WITH
  HIGHER GUSTS IN THE EARLY AFTERNOON. RH VALUES ARE EXPECTED TO
  DROP AT THIS TIME AS WELL. CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO IMPROVE
  AFTER 6PM. 

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

* TEMPERATURES...IN THE MID 60S.

* IMPACTS...FIRES MAY START QUICKLY...SPREAD FURIOUSLY AND BURN
  INTENSELY. ALL FIRES ARE POTENTIALLY SERIOUS. ALL OUTDOOR
  BURNING SHOULD BE AVOIDED.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS
ARE EITHER OCCURRING NOW...OR WILL SHORTLY. A COMBINATION STRONG
WINDS...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AND WARM TEMPERATURES CAN
CONTRIBUTE TO EXTREME FIRE BEHAVIOR.

&&

$$
2 follow-up statements
585 
WWUS83 KTOP 182111
RFWTOP

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
311 PM CST TUE FEB 18 2014

...EXTREME FIRE BEHAVIOR IS POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS
PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS...

.STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE LATE AFTERNOON
HOURS ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS. ALONG WITH WARM
TEMPERATURES...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES AND DRY VEGETATION... THIS
WILL MAKE FOR POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS.

KSZ008-020-034-190000-
/O.CON.KTOP.FW.W.0002.000000T0000Z-140219T0000Z/
REPUBLIC-CLOUD-OTTAWA-
311 PM CST TUE FEB 18 2014

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS EVENING
FOR GUSTY WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES FOR NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS...

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 008 REPUBLIC...FIRE WEATHER 
  ZONE 020 CLOUD AND FIRE WEATHER ZONE 034 OTTAWA.

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

* TIMING...CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND ARE
  EXPECTED TO IMPROVE AROUND 6PM.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AS LOW AS 16 PERCENT.

* TEMPERATURES...IN THE UPPER 60S.

* IMPACTS...FIRES MAY START QUICKLY...SPREAD FURIOUSLY AND BURN 
  INTENSELY. ALL FIRES ARE POTENTIALLY SERIOUS. ALL OUTDOOR 
  BURNING SHOULD BE AVOIDED. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS
ARE EITHER OCCURRING NOW...OR WILL SHORTLY. A COMBINATION STRONG
WINDS...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AND WARM TEMPERATURES CAN
CONTRIBUTE TO EXTREME FIRE BEHAVIOR.

&&

$$
224 
WWUS83 KTOP 182359
RFWTOP

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
559 PM CST TUE FEB 18 2014


KSZ008-020-034-190100-
/O.CAN.KTOP.FW.W.0002.000000T0000Z-140219T0000Z/
REPUBLIC-CLOUD-OTTAWA-
559 PM CST TUE FEB 18 2014

...RED FLAG WARNING IS CANCELLED FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES FOR 
NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS

WIND SPEEDS HAVE DIMINISHED ACROSS THE AREA WITH RELATIVE HUMIDITY
VALUES INCREASING INTO THE LOW 20 PERCENT RANGE. AS A RESULT...THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE IN TOPEKA HAS CANCELLED THE RED FLAG WARNING.



$$

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in Kansas, 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.