Alert archive / Colorado / Red Flag Warnings in 2015

Red Flag Warning 13, NWS Pueblo, CO

April 17, 2015Baca County, Las Animas County, Colorado

NWS Pueblo, CO issued this red flag warning at Apr 17, 2015, 4:00 AM MDT for Baca County, Las Animas County, Colorado. It took effect at Apr 17, 2015, 12:00 PM MDT. It was in force for 3 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 17, 2015, 4:00 AM MDT (10:00 UTC)
In effect from
Apr 17, 2015, 12:00 PM MDT
Expired
Apr 17, 2015, 3:09 PM MDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Pueblo, CO

Counties Baca County, CO, Las Animas County, CO

The radar

The Pueblo radar (KPUX), 149 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 10:02 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

Amarillo Airport, TX (KAMA), launched 00:00Z, 10.0 hours before the alert went out and 273 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, Amarillo Airport, TX at 00:00Z on 2015-04-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 301 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, Amarillo Airport, TX at 00:00Z on 2015-04-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 17 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
301 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-116 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1659 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
55 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
17 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
142 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
-0.0
Supercell composite
-0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

792 
WWUS85 KPUB 171000
RFWPUB

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
400 AM MDT FRI APR 17 2015

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY UNTIL 8 PM THIS
EVENING FOR GUSTY WINDS...LOW HUMIDITIES AND DRY FUELS FOR FIRE
ZONES 233 AND 237 WHICH INCLUDES EASTERN LAS ANIMAS AND BACA
COUNTIES...

COZ233-237-180200-
/O.NEW.KPUB.FW.W.0013.150417T1800Z-150418T0200Z/
EASTERN LAS ANIMAS COUNTY-BACA COUNTY-
400 AM MDT FRI APR 17 2015

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 8 PM MDT THIS
EVENING FOR GUSTY WINDS...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY AND DRY FUELS FOR
FIRE WEATHER ZONES 233 AND 237...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PUEBLO HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING FOR GUSTY WINDS...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY AND DRY FUELS...WHICH
IS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 8 PM MDT THIS EVENING.

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONES 233 AND 237.

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

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AS LOW AS 11 PERCENT.

* IMPACTS...POTENTIAL FOR RAPID FIRE IGNITION...GROWTH AND 
  SPREAD. 

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.

&&

$$
1 follow-up statement
263 
WWUS85 KPUB 172109
RFWPUB

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
309 PM MDT FRI APR 17 2015

...RED FLAG WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED...

COZ233-237-172215-
/O.CAN.KPUB.FW.W.0013.000000T0000Z-150418T0200Z/
EASTERN LAS ANIMAS COUNTY-BACA COUNTY-
309 PM MDT FRI APR 17 2015

...RED FLAG WARNING IS CANCELLED FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES 233 AND
237...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PUEBLO HAS CANCELLED THE RED FLAG
WARNING.

$$

The office that day

Everything else NWS Pueblo, CO issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 16, 6:01 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBBaca, Bent, Prowers44 min
Apr 16, 8:07 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementPUBProwers38 min
Apr 16, 8:16 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBKiowa, Prowers29 min
Apr 16, 8:26 PM MDTTornado WarningPUBKiowa, Prowers21 min
Apr 17, 1:33 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementPUBCrowley27 min
Apr 17, 2:31 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementPUBKiowa29 min

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.