Alert archive / Colorado / Red Flag Warnings in 2016

Red Flag Warning 3, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

February 27, 2016Larimer County, Weld County, Colorado

NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this red flag warning at Feb 27, 2016, 4:21 AM MST for Larimer County, Weld County, Colorado. It took effect at Feb 27, 2016, 11:00 AM MST. 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
Feb 27, 2016, 4:21 AM MST (11:21 UTC)
In effect from
Feb 27, 2016, 11:00 AM MST
Expired
Feb 27, 2016, 7:00 PM MST
In force
8 hr
Issued by
NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

Counties Larimer County, CO, Weld County, CO

The radar

The Cheyenne radar (KCYS), 61 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 11:27 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, 11.4 hours before the alert went out and 166 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 2016-02-27Temperature 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 2016-02-27The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 47 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
3777 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
47 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
206 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

846 
WWUS85 KBOU 271121
RFWBOU

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
421 AM MST SAT FEB 27 2016

COZ238-242-271930-
/O.NEW.KBOU.FW.W.0003.160227T1800Z-160228T0200Z/
LARIMER COUNTY BELOW 6000 FEET/NORTHWEST WELD COUNTY-
NORTHEAST WELD COUNTY-
421 AM MST SAT FEB 27 2016

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 7 PM MST
THIS EVENING FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR PORTIONS OF
THE NORTHERN PLAINS OF COLORADO...BORDERING WYOMING AND NEBRASKA

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DENVER HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...WHICH IS IN EFFECT
FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 7 PM MST THIS EVENING.

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONES 238 AND 242.

* TIMING...GUSTY WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITIES WILL DEVELOP BY THIS
  AFTERNOON. THE WINDS WILL CONTINUE THIS EVENING BUT HUMIDITIES
  WILL RECOVER SOME DURING THE EVENING HOURS.

* WINDS...WEST 10 TO 18 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 25 MPH. HIGHER GUSTS
  TO 40 MPH NEAR THE WYOMING BORDER. 

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AS LOW AS 14 PERCENT.

* IMPACTS...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.

&&

$$
2 follow-up statements
039 
WWUS85 KBOU 272300
RFWBOU

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
400 PM MST SAT FEB 27 2016

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM MST FOR WIND AND
LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST COLORADO...
BORDERING WYOMING AND NEBRASKA...

.WARM TEMPERATURES THIS AFTERNOON ALONG WITH GUSTY WINDS WILL KEEP
THE FIRE DANGER HIGH IN NORTHERN LARIMER AND NORTHERN WELD
COUNTIES THROUGH THIS EVENING. DECREASING TEMPERATURES AFTER
SUNSET WILL ALLOW HUMIDITIES TO RISE...REDUCING THE THREAT OF
DANGEROUS FIRE BEHAVIOR. GUSTY WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE
THROUGH THE EVENING...SO CAUTION SHOULD BE USED AROUND OPEN
FLAMES. 

COZ238-242-280200-
/O.CON.KBOU.FW.W.0003.000000T0000Z-160228T0200Z/
LARIMER COUNTY BELOW 6000 FEET/NORTHWEST WELD COUNTY-
NORTHEAST WELD COUNTY-
400 PM MST SAT FEB 27 2016

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM MST THIS EVENING
FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR EASTERN LARIMER AND
NORTHERN WELD COUNTIES...

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONES 238 AND 242.

* TIMING...GUSTY WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITIES WILL CONTINUE EARLY THIS
  EVENING. HUMIDITY LEVELS WILL RISE AFTER SUNSET...THE WINDS WILL
  CONTINUE. 

* WINDS...WEST 15 TO 30 MPH WITH SOME GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH.

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

* IMPACTS...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.

&&

$$
671 
WWUS85 KBOU 280153
RFWBOU

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
653 PM MST SAT FEB 27 2016

COZ238-242-280300-
/O.EXP.KBOU.FW.W.0003.000000T0000Z-160228T0200Z/
LARIMER COUNTY BELOW 6000 FEET/NORTHWEST WELD COUNTY-
NORTHEAST WELD COUNTY-
653 PM MST SAT FEB 27 2016

...RED FLAG WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 7 PM MST THIS EVENING FOR WIND
AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR EASTERN LARIMER AND NORTHERN WELD
COUNTIES...

TEMPERATURES HAVE COOLED AND RELATIVE HUMIDITIES HAVE INCREASED.
THEREFORE THE RED FLAG WARNING WILL BE ALLOWED TO EXPIRE. A COLD
FRONT WILL PUSH THROUGH THIS EVENING CAUSING WINDS TO INCREASE
AGAIN. WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS OF 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 40
MPH ARE EXPECTED BEHIND THE FRONT LATER THIS EVENING.

$$

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.