Alert archive / Pennsylvania / Red Flag Warnings in 2015

Red Flag Warning 2, NWS State College, PA

May 4, 20159 counties in Pennsylvania

NWS State College, PA issued this red flag warning at May 4, 2015, 4:15 AM EDT for 9 counties in Pennsylvania. It took effect at May 4, 2015, 12:00 PM EDT. It was in force for 7 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
May 4, 2015, 4:15 AM EDT (08:15 UTC)
In effect from
May 4, 2015, 12:00 PM EDT
Expired
May 4, 2015, 7:08 PM EDT
In force
7 hr
Issued by
NWS State College, PA

Counties Columbia County, PA, Lancaster County, PA, Lebanon County, PA, Lycoming County, PA, Montour County, PA, Northumberland County, PA, Schuylkill County, PA, Sullivan County, PA, Tioga County, PA

The radar

The State College radar (KCCX), 117 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 08:18 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

Washington/Dulle, VA (KIAD), launched 00:00Z, 8.3 hours before the alert went out and 233 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, Washington/Dulle, VA at 00:00Z on 2015-05-04Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 4 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, Washington/Dulle, VA at 00:00Z on 2015-05-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 28 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
4 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-40 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2828 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
25 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
28 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
60 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.

159 
WWUS81 KCTP 040815
RFWCTP

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
415 AM EDT MON MAY 4 2015



PAZ037-041-042-046-051>053-058-059-066-041615-
/O.UPG.KCTP.FW.A.0002.150504T1600Z-150505T0000Z/
/O.NEW.KCTP.FW.W.0002.150504T1600Z-150505T0000Z/
TIOGA-NORTHERN LYCOMING-SULLIVAN-SOUTHERN LYCOMING-MONTOUR-
NORTHUMBERLAND-COLUMBIA-SCHUYLKILL-LEBANON-LANCASTER-
415 AM EDT MON MAY 4 2015

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 8 PM EDT THIS
EVENING FOR HIGH FIRE DANGER FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES 037...041...
042...046...051...052...053...058...059 AND 066...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE HAS ISSUED A RED
FLAG WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 8 PM EDT
THIS EVENING. THE FIRE WEATHER WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT. 


* AFFECTED AREA...THE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY COUNTIES FROM THE NEW
  YORK BORDER SOUTH TO THE MARYLAND BORDER.

* WINDS...SOUTHWEST WINDS INCREASING TO 10 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS
  BETWEEN 20 AND 25 MPH.

* TIMING...RED FLAG CONDITIONS CAN BE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AS LOW AS 15-20 PERCENT.

* TEMPERATURES...UPPER 70S TO LOWER 80S.

* IMPACTS...THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR RAPID DEVELOPMENT AND SPREAD
  OF WILD FIRES...OR FOR PRESCRIBED BURNS TO GET OUT OF CONTROL.
  OUTDOOR BURNING IS NOT RECOMMENDED.

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 WILL
CREATE EXPLOSIVE FIRE GROWTH POTENTIAL.

&&

$$
2 follow-up statements
584 
WWUS81 KCTP 041533
RFWCTP

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
1133 AM EDT MON MAY 4 2015


PAZ037-041-042-046-051>053-058-059-066-042345-
/O.CON.KCTP.FW.W.0002.150504T1600Z-150505T0000Z/
TIOGA-NORTHERN LYCOMING-SULLIVAN-SOUTHERN LYCOMING-MONTOUR-
NORTHUMBERLAND-COLUMBIA-SCHUYLKILL-LEBANON-LANCASTER-
1133 AM EDT MON MAY 4 2015

...A RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS
EVENING FOR HIGH FIRE DANGER FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES
037...041...042... 046...051...052...053...058...059 AND 066...

* AFFECTED AREA...THE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY COUNTIES FROM THE NEW 
  YORK BORDER SOUTH TO THE MARYLAND BORDER.

* WINDS...SOUTHWEST 10 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS BETWEEN 20 AND 25 MPH.

* TIMING...RED FLAG CONDITIONS CAN BE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AS LOW AS 18 TO 22 PERCENT.

* TEMPERATURES...IN THE UPPER 70S TO MID 80S.

* IMPACTS...THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR RAPID DEVELOPMENT AND 
  SPREAD OF WILD FIRES...OR FOR PRESCRIBED BURNS TO GET OUT OF 
  CONTROL. OUTDOOR BURNING IS NOT RECOMMENDED.

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 WILL
CREATE EXPLOSIVE FIRE GROWTH POTENTIAL.

&&

$$

FOR MORE INFORMATION FROM NOAA/NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE VISIT...
HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/CTP (ALL LOWER CASE)
754 
WWUS81 KCTP 042308
RFWCTP

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
708 PM EDT MON MAY 4 2015

PAZ037-041-042-046-051>053-058-059-066-050015-
/O.CAN.KCTP.FW.W.0002.000000T0000Z-150505T0000Z/
TIOGA-NORTHERN LYCOMING-SULLIVAN-SOUTHERN LYCOMING-MONTOUR-
NORTHUMBERLAND-COLUMBIA-SCHUYLKILL-LEBANON-LANCASTER-
708 PM EDT MON MAY 4 2015

...RED FLAG WARNING IS CANCELLED FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES
037...041...042... 046...051...052...053...058...059 AND 066...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STATE COLLEGE HAS CANCELLED THE
RED FLAG WARNING.

GOOD RELATIVE HUMIDITY RECOVERY HAS BEEN SEEN EARLY THIS
EVENING...WITH RELATIVE HUMIDITY RISING ABOVE 30 PERCENT
THROUGHOUT THE RED FLAG WARNING AREA. THEREFORE THE WARNING HAS
BEEN CANCELLED ONE HOUR EARLY. MODERATE RELATIVE HUMIDITY WILL
CONTINUE THIS EVENING AS A FRONTAL SYSTEM APPROACHES AND CLOUDS
INCREASE FROM THE NORTHWEST.

$$

FOR MORE INFORMATION FROM NOAA/NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE VISIT...
HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/CTP (ALL LOWER CASE)

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in Pennsylvania, 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.