Alert archive / Colorado / Red Flag Warnings in 2015

Red Flag Warning 3, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

March 28, 20155 counties in Colorado

NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this red flag warning at Mar 28, 2015, 4:55 AM MDT for 5 counties in Colorado. It took effect at Mar 28, 2015, 12:00 PM MDT. 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
Mar 28, 2015, 4:55 AM MDT (10:55 UTC)
In effect from
Mar 28, 2015, 12:00 PM MDT
Expired
Mar 28, 2015, 6:00 PM MDT
In force
6 hr
Issued by
NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

Counties Boulder County, CO, Broomfield County, CO, Jefferson County, CO, Larimer County, CO, Weld County, CO

The radar

The Denver radar (KFTG), 64 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 10:52 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

Denver, CO (KDEN), launched 00:00Z, 10.9 hours before the alert went out and 163 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, Denver, CO at 00:00Z on 2015-03-28Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 222 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Denver, CO at 00:00Z on 2015-03-28The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 85 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
222 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-6 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2244 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
85 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
166 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

958 
WWUS85 KBOU 281055
RFWBOU

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
455 AM MDT SAT MAR 28 2015

...FIRE DANGER INCREASING THIS AFTERNOON...

DRY AIR...WARM TEMPERATURES...AND GUSTY WEST WINDS WILL COMBINE TO
PRODUCE HIGH TO VERY HIGH FIRE DANGER THIS AFTERNOON. CONDITIONS
WILL BE WORST NEAR THE WYOMING BORDER IN LARIMER AND WELD COUNTIES
WHERE WINDS WILL GUST TO NEAR 30 MPH THIS AFTERNOON.

COZ238-242-290000-
/O.NEW.KBOU.FW.W.0003.150328T1800Z-150329T0000Z/
LARIMER COUNTY BELOW 6000 FEET/NORTHWEST WELD COUNTY-
NORTHEAST WELD COUNTY-
455 AM MDT SAT MAR 28 2015

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 6 PM MDT THIS
EVENING FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR ZONES 238 AND 242...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DENVER HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...WHICH IS IN EFFECT
FROM NOON TODAY TO 6 PM MDT THIS EVENING.

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONES 238 AND 242...EASTERN LARIMER
  AND NORTHERN WELD COUNTIES.

* TIMING...RED FLAG CONDITIONS WILL DEVELOP BY NOON AND CONTINUE
  UNTIL TEMPERATURE START TO COOL AROUND 6 PM.

* WINDS...WEST 10 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AS LOW AS 14 PERCENT.

* IMPACTS...FIRES WILL IGNITE EASILY AND SPREAD RAPIDLY UNDER
  THESE CONDITIONS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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

&&

$$

GIMMESTAD
2 follow-up statements
307 
WWUS85 KBOU 281530
RFWBOU

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
930 AM MDT SAT MAR 28 2015

...HIGH FIRE DANGER THIS AFTERNOON NEAR THE WYOMING BORDER AND 
ALONG THE BASE OF THE FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS...

UNSEASONABLY WARM TEMPERATURES...VERY LOW HUMIDITY AND GUSTY WEST
WINDS WILL COMBINE TO PRODUCE HIGH TO VERY HIGH RANGELAND FIRE
DANGER THIS AFTERNOON. THESE CONDITIONS WILL BE MOST LIKELY NEAR
THE WYOMING BORDER IN LARIMER AND WELD COUNTIES WHERE WINDS WILL
GUST TO NEAR 30 MPH THIS AFTERNOON. THE DEVELOPMENT OF VERY WARM
AND GUSTY DOWNSLOPE WINDS AREAS ALONG THE BASE OF THE FRONT RANGE
FOOTHILLS IN BOULDER AND JEFFERSON COUNTIES WILL ALSO PRODUCE
HIGH FIRE DANGER PARTICULARLY IN OPEN AREAS.

COZ239-282330-
/O.EXA.KBOU.FW.W.0003.150328T1800Z-150329T0000Z/
BOULDER AND JEFFERSON COUNTIES BELOW 6000 FEET/WEST BROOMFIELD
COUNTY-
930 AM MDT SAT MAR 28 2015

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TO 6 PM MDT TODAY FOR
GUSTY WEST WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY ALONG THE BASE OF THE 
FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS IN BOULDER AND JEFFERSON COUNTIES.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DENVER HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...WHICH IS IN EFFECT
UNTIL 6 PM MDT THIS EVENING.

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 239.

* TIMING...RED FLAG CONDITIONS WILL DEVELOP BY NOON AND CONTINUE
  UNTIL TEMPERATURES AND WIND SPEEDS DECREASE AROUND 6 PM.

* WINDS...WEST 10 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AS LOW AS 13 PERCENT.

* IMPACTS...FIRES WILL IGNITE EASILY AND SPREAD RAPIDLY UNDER 
  THESE CONDITIONS. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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

&&

$$

COZ238-242-282330-
/O.CON.KBOU.FW.W.0003.150328T1800Z-150329T0000Z/
LARIMER COUNTY BELOW 6000 FEET/NORTHWEST WELD COUNTY-
NORTHEAST WELD COUNTY-
930 AM MDT SAT MAR 28 2015

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TO 6 PM MDT TODAY
FOR GUSTY WEST WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR ZONES 238 AND
242 UP ALONG THE WYOMING BORDER IN LARIMER AND WELD COUNTIES...

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONES 238 AND 242.

* TIMING...RED FLAG CONDITIONS WILL DEVELOP BY NOON AND CONTINUE
  UNTIL TEMPERATURES AND WIND SPEEDS DECREASE AROUND 6 PM.

* WINDS...WEST 15 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 35 MPH.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AS LOW AS 12 PERCENT.

* IMPACTS...FIRES WILL IGNITE EASILY AND SPREAD RAPIDLY UNDER 
  THESE CONDITIONS. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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

&&

$$
BAKER
043 
WWUS85 KBOU 290003
RFWBOU

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
603 PM MDT SAT MAR 28 2015


COZ238-239-242-290115-
/O.EXP.KBOU.FW.W.0003.000000T0000Z-150329T0000Z/
LARIMER COUNTY BELOW 6000 FEET/NORTHWEST WELD COUNTY-
BOULDER AND JEFFERSON COUNTIES BELOW 6000 FEET/WEST BROOMFIELD
COUNTY-NORTHEAST WELD COUNTY-
603 PM MDT SAT MAR 28 2015

...RED FLAG WARNING HAS EXPIRED FOR GUSTY WEST WIND AND LOW
RELATIVE HUMIDITY ALONG THE BASE OF THE FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS IN
BOULDER AND JEFFERSON COUNTIES. 

WINDS WERE BEGINNING TO DECREASE EARLY THIS EVEING AND HUMIDITIES
WILL SLOWLY INCREASE SO THE RED FLLAG WARNING HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO
EXPIRE.

$$

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in Colorado, 2015Every red flag warning in 2015

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.