Alert archive / Colorado / Red Flag Warnings in 2016

Red Flag Warning 9, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

March 22, 2016Elbert County, Lincoln County, Colorado

NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this red flag warning at Mar 22, 2016, 3:44 AM MDT for Elbert County, Lincoln County, Colorado. It took effect at Mar 22, 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
Mar 22, 2016, 3:44 AM MDT (09:44 UTC)
In effect from
Mar 22, 2016, 12:00 PM MDT
Expired
Mar 22, 2016, 7:00 PM MDT
In force
7 hr
Issued by
NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

Counties Elbert County, CO, Lincoln County, CO

The radar

The Pueblo radar (KPUX), 81 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 09:45 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, 9.7 hours before the alert went out and 96 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 2016-03-22Temperature 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 2016-03-22The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 15 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
3875 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
50 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
15 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
167 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

709 
WWUS85 KBOU 220944
RFWBOU

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
344 AM MDT TUE MAR 22 2016

COZ247-221745-
/O.NEW.KBOU.FW.W.0009.160322T1800Z-160323T0100Z/
SOUTHEAST ELBERT COUNTY BELOW 6000 FEET/SOUTH LINCOLN COUNTY-
344 AM MDT TUE MAR 22 2016

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 7 PM MDT THIS
EVENING FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR SOUTHERN LINCOLN
COUNTY...

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 ZONE 247.

* TIMING...FROM NOON TO 7 PM MDT TODAY.

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

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

* IMPACTS...GUSTY WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITIES ALONG WITH DRY FUELS
  WILL CREATE CONDITIONS FAVORABLE FOR RAPID RANGELAND FIRE GROWTH
  AND SPREAD. AGRICULTURAL BURNING IS STRONGLY DISCOURAGED FOR
  THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. 

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
325 
WWUS85 KBOU 221740
RFWBOU

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
1140 AM MDT TUE MAR 22 2016

COZ247-230100-
/O.CON.KBOU.FW.W.0009.160322T1800Z-160323T0100Z/
SOUTHEAST ELBERT COUNTY BELOW 6000 FEET/SOUTH LINCOLN COUNTY-
1140 AM MDT TUE MAR 22 2016

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM MDT THIS EVENING
FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR SOUTHERN LINCOLN COUNTY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DENVER IS CONTINUING A RED FLAG
WARNING FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES IN SOUTHERN
LINCOLN COUNTY THROUGH 7 PM MDT THIS EVENING. TEMPERATURES ARE
EXPECTED TO REACH THE LOWER AND MID 70S THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON
WHICH WILL CAUSE RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES TO FALL TO THE LOWER
TEENS.

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 247.

* TIMING...FROM NOON TO 7 PM MDT TODAY.

* WINDS...SOUTHWEST 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS OF 35 TO 40 MPH.

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

* IMPACTS...GUSTY WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITIES COMBINED WITH DRY FUELS
  WILL CREATE CONDITIONS FAVORABLE FOR RAPID RANGELAND FIRE GROWTH.
  AGRICULTURAL BURNING IS STRONGLY DISCOURAGED FOR THIS AFTERNOON
  AND EARLY EVENING.

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.

&&

$$
405 
WWUS85 KBOU 230103
RFWBOU

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
703 PM MDT TUE MAR 22 2016


COZ247-230215-
/O.EXP.KBOU.FW.W.0009.000000T0000Z-160323T0100Z/
SOUTHEAST ELBERT COUNTY BELOW 6000 FEET/SOUTH LINCOLN COUNTY-
703 PM MDT TUE MAR 22 2016

...RED FLAG WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 7 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR WIND
AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR SOUTHERN LINCOLN COUNTY...

RELATIVE HUMIDITIES WILL GRADUALLY RECOVER THIS EVENING AS THE
WINDS DECREASE AND THE TEMPERATURES COOL DOWN. STRONG WINDS WILL
DEVELOP AGAIN WEDNESDAY MORNING.

A HIGH WIND WARNING WILL BE IN EFFECT FROM 4 AM MDT TO 6 PM MDT
WEDNESDAY AS STRONG NORTHERLY WINDS DEVELOP WITH A PASSAGE OF A
STRONG AND FAST MOVING STORM SYSTEM. SUSTAINED NORTH WINDS 35 TO
50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH GUSTS UP TO 65 MPH POSSIBLE BY LATE
WEDNESDAY MORNING.

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 22, 4:48 AM MDTWinter Weather AdvisoryBOUBoulder, Broomfield, Clear Creek, Douglas, Gilpin, Grand and 6 more37 hr
Mar 22, 3:34 PM MDTBlizzard WarningBOUAdams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, Elbert and 8 more29 hr
Mar 22, 3:34 PM MDTHigh Wind WarningBOUElbert, Lincoln26 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.