Alert archive / Kansas / Red Flag Warnings in 2014

Red Flag Warning 3, NWS Topeka, KS

February 21, 20145 counties in Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this red flag warning at Feb 21, 2014, 9:42 AM CST for 5 counties in Kansas. It took effect at Feb 21, 2014, 12:00 PM CST. It was in force for 6 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 21, 2014, 9:42 AM CST (15:42 UTC)
In effect from
Feb 21, 2014, 12:00 PM CST
Expired
Feb 21, 2014, 6:00 PM CST
In force
6 hr
Issued by
NWS Topeka, KS

Counties Anderson County, KS, Coffey County, KS, Franklin County, KS, Lyon County, KS, Osage County, KS

The radar

The Topeka radar (KTWX), 82 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 15:40 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, 3.7 hours before the alert went out and 64 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 2014-02-21Temperature 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 2014-02-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 95 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
1983 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
84 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
95 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
211 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.

401 
WWUS83 KTOP 211542
RFWTOP

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
942 AM CST FRI FEB 21 2014

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

.STRONG SOUTHWEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON. ALONG WITH
WARM TEMPERATURES...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES AND DRY
VEGETATION...THIS WILL MAKE FOR POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS FIRE WEATHER
CONDITIONS. 

KSZ054>056-058-059-212345-
/O.NEW.KTOP.FW.W.0003.140221T1800Z-140222T0000Z/
LYON-OSAGE-FRANKLIN-COFFEY-ANDERSON-
942 AM CST FRI FEB 21 2014

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS EVENING FOR LOW
RELATIVE HUMIDITIES AND GUSTY WINDS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST 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 NOON UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS EVENING.

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 054 LYON...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 
  055 OSAGE...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 056 FRANKLIN...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 
  058 COFFEY AND FIRE WEATHER ZONE 059 ANDERSON.

* WINDS...WEST 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 33 MPH.

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

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

* TEMPERATURES...IN THE MID 50S.

* 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.

&&

$$
1 follow-up statement
827 
WWUS83 KTOP 220005
RFWTOP

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
605 PM CST FRI FEB 21 2014


KSZ054>056-058-059-220115-
/O.EXP.KTOP.FW.W.0003.000000T0000Z-140222T0000Z/
LYON-OSAGE-FRANKLIN-COFFEY-ANDERSON-
605 PM CST FRI FEB 21 2014

...RED FLAG WARNING HAS EXPIRED.

OCCASIONAL WIND GUSTS UP TO 25 MPH WILL CONTINUE THROUGH 8
PM...BUT WILL BE LIMITED IN NUMBER AND RH WILL ALSO CONTINUE TO
RISE ABOVE 30 PERCENT BY 8 PM.

$$

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.