Alert archive / Colorado / Red Flag Warnings in 2016

Red Flag Warning 8, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

March 21, 20164 counties in Colorado

NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this red flag warning at Mar 21, 2016, 4:12 AM MDT for 4 counties in Colorado. It took effect at Mar 21, 2016, 12:00 PM MDT. 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
Mar 21, 2016, 4:12 AM MDT (10:12 UTC)
In effect from
Mar 21, 2016, 12:00 PM MDT
Expired
Mar 21, 2016, 6:00 PM MDT
In force
6 hr
Issued by
NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

Counties Logan County, CO, Phillips County, CO, Sedgwick County, CO, Washington County, CO

The radar

The Goodland radar (KGLD), 159 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 10:14 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

Denver, CO (KDEN), launched 00:00Z, 10.2 hours before the alert went out and 85 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 2016-03-21Temperature 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 2016-03-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 34 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
3539 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
32 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
34 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
47 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

801 
WWUS85 KBOU 211012
RFWBOU

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
412 AM MDT MON MAR 21 2016

...GUSTY WINDS...LOW HUMIDITY AND DRY FUELS WILL CREATE HIGH
GRASSLAND FIRE DANGER ACROSS NORTHEAST COLORADO THIS AFTERNOON...

COZ248>251-211815-
/O.NEW.KBOU.FW.W.0008.160321T1800Z-160322T0000Z/
LOGAN COUNTY-WASHINGTON COUNTY-SEDGWICK COUNTY-PHILLIPS COUNTY-
412 AM MDT MON MAR 21 2016

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT THIS AFTERNOON FOR WIND AND LOW
RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST COLORADO...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DENVER HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING FOR GUSTY WEST WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...WHICH IS
IN EFFECT FROM NOON TO 6 PM MDT TODAY.

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONES 248...249...250 AND 251.

* TIMING...FROM NOON TO 6 PM MDT TODAY

* WINDS...WEST 15 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AS LOW AS 13 PERCENT.

* IMPACTS...GUSTY WEST WINDS WILL COMBINE WITH UNSEASONABLY WARM
  TEMPERATURES...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY AND DRY FUELS TO CREATE
  CONDITIONS FAVORABLE FOR RAPID RANGELAND FIRE GROWTH AND SPREAD.
  AGRICULTURAL BURNING IS STRONGLY DISCOURAGED THIS AFTERNOON.

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 HIGH TO EXTREME FIRE BEHAVIOR. IF A FIRE IS STARTED
OR ONGOING THE POTENTIAL FOR IT TO RAPIDLY SPREAD IS HIGH.

&&

$$
BAKER
2 follow-up statements
060 
WWUS85 KBOU 212139
RFWBOU

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
339 PM MDT MON MAR 21 2016

...GUSTY WINDS...LOW HUMIDITY AND DRY FUELS WILL CONTINUE THE HIGH
GRASSLAND FIRE DANGER ACROSS NORTHEAST COLORADO LATE THIS
AFTERNOON...

COZ248>251-220000-
/O.CON.KBOU.FW.W.0008.000000T0000Z-160322T0000Z/
LOGAN COUNTY-WASHINGTON COUNTY-SEDGWICK COUNTY-PHILLIPS COUNTY-
339 PM MDT MON MAR 21 2016

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM MDT THIS EVENING
FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY OVER PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST
COLORADO...

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONES 248...249...250 AND 251.

* TIMING...THROUGH 6 PM MDT TODAY

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

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...10 TO 15 PERCENT.

* IMPACTS...GUSTY WEST WINDS WILL COMBINE WITH UNSEASONABLY WARM
  TEMPERATURES...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY AND DRY FUELS TO CREATE
  CONDITIONS FAVORABLE FOR RAPID RANGELAND FIRE GROWTH.
  AGRICULTURAL BURNING IS STRONGLY DISCOURAGED THIS AFTERNOON.

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 HIGH TO EXTREME FIRE BEHAVIOR. IF A FIRE IS STARTED
OR ONGOING...THE POTENTIAL FOR IT TO RAPIDLY SPREAD IS HIGH.

&&

$$
228 
WWUS85 KBOU 212358
RFWBOU

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
558 PM MDT MON MAR 21 2016


COZ248>251-220100-
/O.EXP.KBOU.FW.W.0008.000000T0000Z-160322T0000Z/
LOGAN COUNTY-WASHINGTON COUNTY-SEDGWICK COUNTY-PHILLIPS COUNTY-
558 PM MDT MON MAR 21 2016

...RED FLAG WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 6 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR WIND
AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR LOGAN...SEDGWICK...PHILLIPS AND
WASHINGTON COUNTIES IN NORTHEAST COLORADO...

RELATIVE HUMIDITIES ARE EXPECTED TO SLOWLY IMPROVE THIS EVENING
AS THE WIND DECREASES AND TEMPERATURES COOL DOWN. 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
Mar 21, 3:27 PM MDTWinter Storm WatchBOUAdams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, Elbert and 6 more24 hr

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.