Alert archive / Colorado / Red Flag Warnings in 2016

Red Flag Warning 2, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

February 24, 201610 counties in Colorado

NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this red flag warning at Feb 24, 2016, 9:46 AM MST for 10 counties in Colorado. It took effect at Feb 24, 2016, 11:00 AM MST. It was in force for 6 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
Feb 24, 2016, 9:46 AM MST (16:46 UTC)
In effect from
Feb 24, 2016, 11:00 AM MST
Expired
Feb 24, 2016, 5:00 PM MST
In force
6 hr
Issued by
NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

Counties Adams County, CO, Arapahoe County, CO, Elbert County, CO, Lincoln County, CO, Logan County, CO, Morgan County, CO, Phillips County, CO, Sedgwick County, CO, Washington County, CO, Weld County, CO

The radar

The Denver radar (KFTG), 90 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 16:47 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 12:00Z, 4.8 hours before the alert went out and 36 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 12:00Z on 2016-02-24Temperature 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 12:00Z on 2016-02-24The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 104 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
2745 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
81 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
104 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
144 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

292 
WWUS85 KBOU 241646
RFWBOU

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
946 AM MST WED FEB 24 2016

COZ242>251-250000-
/O.NEW.KBOU.FW.W.0002.160224T1800Z-160225T0000Z/
NORTHEAST WELD COUNTY-CENTRAL AND SOUTH WELD COUNTY-MORGAN COUNTY-
CENTRAL AND EAST ADAMS AND ARAPAHOE COUNTIES-
NORTH AND NORTHEAST ELBERT COUNTY BELOW 6000 FEET/NORTH LINCOLN
COUNTY-
SOUTHEAST ELBERT COUNTY BELOW 6000 FEET/SOUTH LINCOLN COUNTY-
LOGAN COUNTY-WASHINGTON COUNTY-SEDGWICK COUNTY-PHILLIPS COUNTY-
946 AM MST WED FEB 24 2016

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 PM MST THIS AFTERNOON FOR
WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR MOST OF THE EASTERN PLAINS OF
COLORADO...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DENVER HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...WHICH IS IN EFFECT
UNTIL 5 PM MST THIS AFTERNOON.

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONES 242...243...244...245... 
  246...247...248...249...250 AND 251.

* TIMING...GUSTY WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITIES THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON.
  CONDITIONS WILL IMPROVE QUICKLY BY THIS EVENING WITH DECREASING
  WINDS.

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

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

* IMPACTS...THE GUSTY WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITIES WILL PRODUCE
  CRITICAL CONDITIONS FOR DRY GRASSLANDS. RAPID GRASSLAND FIRE
  GROWTH WILL BE POSSIBLE DUE TO THE GUSTY WINDS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS
ARE EITHER OCCURRING NOW OR WILL OCCUR SHORTLY. A COMBINATION OF
STRONG WINDS...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES...AND DRY FUELS CAN
CONTRIBUTE TO EXTREME FIRE BEHAVIOR.  IF A FIRE IS STARTED OR
ONGOING THE POTENTIAL FOR IT TO RAPIDLY SPREAD IS HIGH.

&&

$$
1 follow-up statement
694 
WWUS85 KBOU 242238
RFWBOU

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
338 PM MST WED FEB 24 2016

COZ242>251-250000-
/O.CON.KBOU.FW.W.0002.000000T0000Z-160225T0000Z/
NORTHEAST WELD COUNTY-CENTRAL AND SOUTH WELD COUNTY-MORGAN COUNTY-
CENTRAL AND EAST ADAMS AND ARAPAHOE COUNTIES-
NORTH AND NORTHEAST ELBERT COUNTY BELOW 6000 FEET/NORTH LINCOLN
COUNTY-
SOUTHEAST ELBERT COUNTY BELOW 6000 FEET/SOUTH LINCOLN COUNTY-
LOGAN COUNTY-WASHINGTON COUNTY-SEDGWICK COUNTY-PHILLIPS COUNTY-
338 PM MST WED FEB 24 2016

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 PM MST THIS
AFTERNOON FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR MOST OF THE
EASTERN PLAINS OF COLORADO...

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONES 242...243...244...245... 
  246...247...248...249...250 AND 251.

* TIMING...GUSTY WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITIES THROUGH LATE AFTERNOON.
  CONDITIONS WILL IMPROVE QUICKLY BY THIS EVENING WITH DECREASING
  WINDS.

* WINDS...NORTH 15 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 35 MPH.

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

* IMPACTS...THE GUSTY WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITIES WILL PRODUCE 
  CRITICAL CONDITIONS FOR DRY GRASSLANDS. RAPID GRASSLAND FIRE 
  GROWTH WILL BE POSSIBLE DUE TO THE GUSTY WINDS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS
ARE EITHER OCCURRING NOW OR WILL OCCUR SHORTLY. A COMBINATION OF
STRONG WINDS...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES...AND DRY FUELS CAN
CONTRIBUTE TO EXTREME FIRE BEHAVIOR.  IF A FIRE IS STARTED OR
ONGOING THE POTENTIAL FOR IT TO RAPIDLY SPREAD IS HIGH.

&&

$$

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.