Alert archive / Alabama / Red Flag Warnings in 2016

Red Flag Warning 3, NWS Birmingham, AL

October 21, 201638 counties in Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this red flag warning at Oct 21, 2016, 4:12 AM CDT for 38 counties in Alabama. It took effect at Oct 21, 2016, 10:00 AM CDT. It was in force for 8 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
Oct 21, 2016, 4:12 AM CDT (09:12 UTC)
In effect from
Oct 21, 2016, 10:00 AM CDT
Expired
Oct 21, 2016, 6:00 PM CDT
In force
8 hr
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
All 38 counties

Autauga County, AL, Barbour County, AL, Bibb County, AL, Blount County, AL, Bullock County, AL, Calhoun County, AL, Chambers County, AL, Cherokee County, AL, Chilton County, AL, Clay County, AL, Cleburne County, AL, Coosa County, AL, Dallas County, AL, Elmore County, AL, Etowah County, AL, Fayette County, AL, Greene County, AL, Hale County, AL, Jefferson County, AL, Lamar County, AL, Lee County, AL, Lowndes County, AL, Macon County, AL, Marengo County, AL, Marion County, AL, Montgomery County, AL, Perry County, AL, Pickens County, AL, Pike County, AL, Randolph County, AL, Russell County, AL, Shelby County, AL, St. Clair County, AL, Sumter County, AL, Talladega County, AL, Tallapoosa County, AL, Tuscaloosa County, AL, Walker County, AL

The radar

The Birmingham radar (KBMX), 25 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 09:14 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

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 9.2 hours before the alert went out and 26 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, Birmingham, AL at 00:00Z on 2016-10-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2 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, Birmingham, AL at 00:00Z on 2016-10-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 44 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
2 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-30 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1949 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
44 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
25 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

486 
WWUS84 KBMX 210912
RFWBMX

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
412 AM CDT FRI OCT 21 2016


ALZ011>013-015-017>050-211800-
/O.NEW.KBMX.FW.W.0003.161021T1500Z-161021T2300Z/
MARION-LAMAR-FAYETTE-WALKER-BLOUNT-ETOWAH-CALHOUN-CHEROKEE-
CLEBURNE-PICKENS-TUSCALOOSA-JEFFERSON-SHELBY-ST. CLAIR-TALLADEGA-
CLAY-RANDOLPH-SUMTER-GREENE-HALE-PERRY-BIBB-CHILTON-COOSA-
TALLAPOOSA-CHAMBERS-MARENGO-DALLAS-AUTAUGA-LOWNDES-ELMORE-
MONTGOMERY-MACON-BULLOCK-LEE-RUSSELL-PIKE-BARBOUR-
412 AM CDT FRI OCT 21 2016

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM THIS MORNING TO 6 PM CDT
THIS EVENING FOR ALL OF CENTRAL ALABAMA...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING FOR BREEZY AND DRY CONDITIONS...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 10
AM THIS MORNING TO 6 PM CDT THIS EVENING.

* WINDS...NORTH 10 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 30 MPH.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AS LOW AS 30 PERCENT.

* IMPACTS...A DRY AIRMASS AND WINDY CONDITIONS COMBINED WILL
  RESULT IN CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS. 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 AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY CAN CONTRIBUTE TO EXTREME
FIRE BEHAVIOR.

&&

$$

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in Alabama, 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.