Alert archive / New Mexico / Red Flag Warnings in 2016

Red Flag Warning 2, NWS Albuquerque, NM

March 1, 2016Harding County, San Miguel County, Union County, New Mexico

NWS Albuquerque, NM issued this red flag warning at Mar 1, 2016, 3:33 AM MST for Harding County, San Miguel County, Union County, New Mexico. It took effect at Mar 2, 2016, 11:00 AM MST. 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
Mar 1, 2016, 3:33 AM MST (10:33 UTC)
In effect from
Mar 2, 2016, 11:00 AM MST
Expired
Mar 2, 2016, 6:00 PM MST
In force
7 hr
Issued by
NWS Albuquerque, NM

Counties Harding County, NM, San Miguel County, NM, Union County, NM

The radar

The Cannon AFB radar (KFDX), 150 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 10:33 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, 10.6 hours before the alert went out and 225 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 2016-03-01Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 6 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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 2016-03-01The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 37 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
6 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-1 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
3481 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
20 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
37 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
41 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

115 
WWUS85 KABQ 011033
RFWABQ

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM
333 AM MST TUE MAR 1 2016

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT BETWEEN 11 AM AND 6 PM WEDNESDAY FOR
THE NORTHEAST HIGHLANDS...EAST CENTRAL PLAINS AND THE
SANDIA...MANZANO AND GALLINAS MOUNTAINS BELOW SIGNIFICANT SNOWPACK
DUE TO STRONG WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES...

.INCREASING WINDS ALOFT COMBINED WITH A STRENGTHENING SURFACE
PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL ALLOW STRONG WESTERLY SURFACE WINDS TO
DEVELOP WEDNESDAY. THE DOWNSLOPING WINDS WILL BOOST AFTERNOON
TEMPERATURES 15 TO 25 DEGREES ABOVE AVERAGE...RESULTING IN
MINIMUM RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES BELOW 15 PERCENT ACROSS PORTIONS
OF THE AREA ALONG AND EAST OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN. A
MODERATE HAINES INDEX OF 5 IS ALSO FORECAST FOR THE SAME AREA
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON.

NMZ103-107-108-021500-
/O.UPG.KABQ.FW.A.0004.160302T2000Z-160303T0100Z/
/O.NEW.KABQ.FW.W.0002.160302T1800Z-160303T0100Z/
NORTHEAST HIGHLANDS-SANDIA...MANZANO AND GALLINAS MOUNTAINS-
EAST CENTRAL PLAINS-
333 AM MST TUE MAR 1 2016

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM TO 6 PM MST WEDNESDAY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ALBUQUERQUE HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM TO 6 PM MST WEDNESDAY.
THE FIRE WEATHER WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT. 

* AREA AND TIMING...CRITICAL CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP
  LATE WEDNESDAY MORNING AND CONTINUE UNTIL SUNSET FOR THE
  NORTHEAST HIGHLANDS...EAST CENTRAL PLAINS AS WELL AS THE
  SANDIA...MANZANO AND GALLINAS MOUNTAINS.

* 20 FOOT WINDS...WEST 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 40 MPH. LOCALLY
  STRONGER GUSTS POSSIBLE ALONG THE EAST SLOPES OF THE SANGRE DE
  CRISTO MOUNTAINS AND CENTRAL HIGHLANDS.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...MINIMUMS RANGING FROM 8 TO 13 PERCENT.

* IMPACTS...ANY FIRES THAT DEVELOP WILL LIKELY SPREAD RAPIDLY. 
  OUTDOOR BURNING IS NOT RECOMMENDED.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

PLEASE ADVISE THE APPROPRIATE OFFICIALS OR FIRE CREWS IN THE
FIELD OF THIS RED FLAG WARNING.

&&

$$

34
1 follow-up statement
958 
WWUS85 KABQ 021013
RFWABQ

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM
313 AM MST WED MAR 2 2016

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT BETWEEN 11 AM AND 6 PM WEDNESDAY
FOR AREAS ALONG AND EAST OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN BELOW
SIGNIFICANT SNOWPACK DUE TO STRONG WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY
VALUES...

.INCREASING WINDS ALOFT COMBINED WITH A STRENGTHENING SURFACE
PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL ALLOW STRONG WESTERLY SURFACE WINDS TO
DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON. THE DOWNSLOPING WINDS WILL BOOST
AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES 15 TO 25 DEGREES ABOVE AVERAGE...RESULTING
IN MINIMUM RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES BELOW 15 PERCENT ACROSS
AREAS ALONG AND EAST OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN. IN FACT...
BETWEEN 3 AND 5 HOURS OF SINGLE DIGIT HUMIDITIES ARE EXPECTED FOR
MUCH OF THE AREA BELOW 7500 FEET. A MODERATE HAINES INDEX OF 5 IS
ALSO FORECAST FOR THE SAME AREA.

NMZ104-030100-
/O.EXA.KABQ.FW.W.0002.160302T1800Z-160303T0100Z/
NORTHEAST PLAINS-
313 AM MST WED MAR 2 2016

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 6 PM MST
THIS EVENING...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ALBUQUERQUE HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 6 PM MST
THIS EVENING. 

* AREA AND TIMING...CRITICAL CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP
  THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS THE NORTHEAST PLAINS. THESE CONDITIONS ARE
  EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH SUNSET. 

* 20 FOOT WINDS...WEST...BECOMING NORTHWEST LATE THIS AFTERNOON...
  20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 40 MPH.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...MINIMUMS RANGING FROM 8 TO 11 PERCENT.

* IMPACTS...ANY FIRES THAT DEVELOP WILL LIKELY SPREAD RAPIDLY. 
  OUTDOOR BURNING IS NOT RECOMMENDED.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

PLEASE ADVISE THE APPROPRIATE OFFICIALS OR FIRE CREWS IN THE
FIELD OF THIS RED FLAG WARNING.

&&

$$

NMZ103-107-108-030100-
/O.CON.KABQ.FW.W.0002.160302T1800Z-160303T0100Z/
NORTHEAST HIGHLANDS-SANDIA...MANZANO AND GALLINAS MOUNTAINS-
EAST CENTRAL PLAINS-
313 AM MST WED MAR 2 2016

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO
6 PM MST THIS EVENING...

A RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO
6 PM MST THIS EVENING. 

* AREA AND TIMING...CRITICAL CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP
  AROUND 11 AM AND CONTINUE UNTIL SUNSET FOR THE NORTHEAST
  HIGHLANDS...EAST CENTRAL PLAINS AS WELL AS THE SANDIA...MANZANO
  AND GALLINAS MOUNTAINS.

* 20 FOOT WINDS...WEST 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 45 MPH.
  LOCALLY STRONGER GUSTS POSSIBLE ALONG THE EAST SLOPES OF THE
  SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS AND CENTRAL HIGHLANDS.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...MINIMUMS RANGING FROM 8 TO 13 PERCENT.

* IMPACTS...ANY FIRES THAT DEVELOP WILL LIKELY SPREAD RAPIDLY. 
  OUTDOOR BURNING IS NOT RECOMMENDED.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

PLEASE ADVISE THE APPROPRIATE OFFICIALS OR FIRE CREWS IN THE
FIELD OF THIS RED FLAG WARNING.

&&

$$

34

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in New Mexico, 2016Every red flag warning in 2016

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.