Alert archive / Colorado / Red Flag Warnings in 2016

Red Flag Warning 19, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

September 5, 20167 counties in Colorado

NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this red flag warning at Sep 5, 2016, 3:52 AM MDT for 7 counties in Colorado. It took effect at Sep 5, 2016, 12:00 PM MDT. 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
Sep 5, 2016, 3:52 AM MDT (09:52 UTC)
In effect from
Sep 5, 2016, 12:00 PM MDT
Expired
Sep 5, 2016, 7:00 PM MDT
In force
7 hr
Issued by
NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

Counties Arapahoe County, CO, Douglas County, CO, Elbert County, CO, Grand County, CO, Jackson County, CO, Lincoln County, CO, Summit County, CO

The radar

The Denver radar (KFTG), 47 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 09:52 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, 9.9 hours before the alert went out and 159 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 2016-09-05Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 2016-09-05The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 115 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
3373 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
33 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
115 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
72 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

345 
WWUS85 KBOU 050952
RFWBOU

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
352 AM MDT MON SEP 5 2016

...FIRE DANGER INCREASING TODAY...

.DRY AND VERY WARM SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WILL BRING CRITICAL FIRE
WEATHER CONDITIONS TO PORTIONS OF COLORADO TODAY. CRITICAL RED
FLAG CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP WHERE THE COMBINATION OF
WINDS...LOWER HUMIDITIES...AND DRY FUELS EXIST...MAINLY IN
MOUNTAIN VALLEYS AND OVER THE PALMER DIVIDE.

COZ211-213-241-246-247-051800-
/O.NEW.KBOU.FW.W.0019.160905T1800Z-160906T0100Z/
JACKSON COUNTY BELOW 9000 FEET-
GRAND AND SUMMIT COUNTIES BELOW 9000 FEET-
ELBERT/CENTRAL AND EAST DOUGLAS COUNTIES ABOVE 6000 FEET-
NORTH AND NORTHEAST ELBERT COUNTY BELOW 6000 FEET/NORTH LINCOLN
COUNTY-
SOUTHEAST ELBERT COUNTY BELOW 6000 FEET/SOUTH LINCOLN COUNTY-
352 AM MDT MON SEP 5 2016

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 7 PM MDT THIS
EVENING FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR THE HIGH MOUNTAIN
VALLEYS OF NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO AND THE PALMER DIVIDE
AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONES 211...213..241...246...AND 247...

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 7 PM MDT THIS EVENING.

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONES 211...213...241...246 AND 
  247.

* TIMING...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS WILL DEVELOP BY THIS
  AFTERNOON. CONDITIONS ARE THEN EXPECTED TO IMPROVE RAPIDLY BY
  SUNSET AS WINDS DIMINISH AND HUMIDITIES IMPROVE.

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

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...10-15 PERCENT.

* IMPACTS...RAPID FIRE SPREAD WILL BE POSSIBLE DUE TO GUSTY WINDS
  AND VERY LOW HUMIDITIES. 

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.

&&

$$
2 follow-up statements
299 
WWUS85 KBOU 051838
RFWBOU

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
1238 PM MDT MON SEP 5 2016

...AREAS OF VERY HIGH FIRE DANGER THIS AFTERNOON...

.DRY AND VERY WARM SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT TODAY WILL BRING CRITICAL
FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS TO THE NORTHERN COLORADO MOUNTAIN VALLEYS
AS WELL AS AREAS JUST SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST OF DENVER. THESE AREAS
WILL HAVE THE RIGHT COMBINATION OF WINDS...LOWER HUMIDITIES...AND
DRY FUELS TO PRODUCE A HIGH THREAT OF RAPID FIRE SPREAD.
CONDITIONS WILL BE WORST NEAR THE WYOMING BORDER.

COZ211-213-241-246-247-060100-
/O.CON.KBOU.FW.W.0019.000000T0000Z-160906T0100Z/
JACKSON COUNTY BELOW 9000 FEET-
GRAND AND SUMMIT COUNTIES BELOW 9000 FEET-
ELBERT/CENTRAL AND EAST DOUGLAS COUNTIES ABOVE 6000 FEET-
NORTH AND NORTHEAST ELBERT COUNTY BELOW 6000 FEET/NORTH LINCOLN
COUNTY-
SOUTHEAST ELBERT COUNTY BELOW 6000 FEET/SOUTH LINCOLN COUNTY-
1238 PM MDT MON SEP 5 2016

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM MDT THIS EVENING
FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR THE HIGH MOUNTAIN VALLEYS
OF NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO AND THE PALMER DIVIDE AREA...FIRE
WEATHER ZONES 211...213..241...246...AND 247...

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONES 211...213...241...246 AND 
  247.

* TIMING...RED FLAG CONDITIONS WILL DEVELOP BY EARLY AFTERNOON.
  CONDITIONS ARE THEN EXPECTED TO IMPROVE RAPIDLY BY SUNSET AS
  WINDS DIMINISH AND HUMIDITIES IMPROVE.

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

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AS LOW AS 10 PERCENT.

* IMPACTS...RAPID FIRE SPREAD WILL BE POSSIBLE DUE TO GUSTY 
  WINDS AND VERY LOW HUMIDITIES.

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
212 
WWUS85 KBOU 060048
RFWBOU

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
648 PM MDT MON SEP 5 2016

COZ211-213-241-246-247-060200-
/O.EXP.KBOU.FW.W.0019.000000T0000Z-160906T0100Z/
JACKSON COUNTY BELOW 9000 FEET-
GRAND AND SUMMIT COUNTIES BELOW 9000 FEET-
ELBERT/CENTRAL AND EAST DOUGLAS COUNTIES ABOVE 6000 FEET-
NORTH AND NORTHEAST ELBERT COUNTY BELOW 6000 FEET/NORTH LINCOLN
COUNTY-
SOUTHEAST ELBERT COUNTY BELOW 6000 FEET/SOUTH LINCOLN COUNTY-
648 PM MDT MON SEP 5 2016

...RED FLAG WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 7 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR WIND
AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR THE HIGH MOUNTAIN VALLEYS
OF NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO AND THE PALMER DIVIDE AREA...

WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO SLOWLY DECREASE AND RELATIVE HUMIDITIES
WILL CLIMB. THEREFORE...THE RED FLAG WARNING WILL BE ALLOWED TO
EXPIRE.

$$

The office that day

Everything else NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 4, 6:00 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOULogan22 min

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in Colorado, 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.