Alert archive / Massachusetts / Red Flag Warnings in 2016

Red Flag Warning 3, NWS Boston/Norton, MA

April 20, 201613 counties in Massachusetts; 5 counties in Rhode Island; Capitol Planning Region, Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut

NWS Boston/Norton, MA issued this red flag warning at Apr 20, 2016, 3:16 AM EDT for 13 counties in Massachusetts; 5 counties in Rhode Island; Capitol Planning Region, Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut. It took effect at Apr 20, 2016, 10:00 AM EDT. 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
Apr 20, 2016, 3:16 AM EDT (07:16 UTC)
In effect from
Apr 20, 2016, 10:00 AM EDT
Expired
Apr 20, 2016, 6:00 PM EDT
In force
8 hr
Issued by
NWS Boston/Norton, MA

Counties Capitol Planning Region, CT, Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT, Barnstable County, MA, Bristol County, MA, Dukes County, MA, Essex County, MA, Franklin County, MA, Hampden County, MA, Hampshire County, MA, Middlesex County, MA, Nantucket County, MA, Norfolk County, MA, Plymouth County, MA, Suffolk County, MA, Worcester County, MA, Bristol County, RI, Kent County, RI, Newport County, RI, Providence County, RI, Washington County, RI

The radar

The Boston radar (KBOX), 26 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 07:18 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

Chatham, MA (KCHH), launched 00:00Z, 7.3 hours before the alert went out and 127 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, Chatham, MA at 00:00Z on 2016-04-20Temperature 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 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Chatham, MA at 00:00Z on 2016-04-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 8 square meters per square second.1939587897117136156Sfc1 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
1149 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
86 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
8 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
34 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

307 
WWUS81 KBOX 200716
RFWBOX

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
316 AM EDT WED APR 20 2016

CTZ002>004-MAZ002>024-026-RIZ001>008-201530-
/O.UPG.KBOX.FW.A.0003.160420T1600Z-160420T2300Z/
/O.NEW.KBOX.FW.W.0003.160420T1400Z-160420T2200Z/
HARTFORD CT-TOLLAND CT-WINDHAM CT-WESTERN FRANKLIN MA-
EASTERN FRANKLIN MA-NORTHERN WORCESTER MA-CENTRAL MIDDLESEX MA-
WESTERN ESSEX MA-EASTERN ESSEX MA-WESTERN HAMPSHIRE MA-
WESTERN HAMPDEN MA-EASTERN HAMPSHIRE MA-EASTERN HAMPDEN MA-
SOUTHERN WORCESTER MA-WESTERN NORFOLK MA-SOUTHEAST MIDDLESEX MA-
SUFFOLK MA-EASTERN NORFOLK MA-NORTHERN BRISTOL MA-
WESTERN PLYMOUTH MA-EASTERN PLYMOUTH MA-SOUTHERN BRISTOL MA-
SOUTHERN PLYMOUTH MA-BARNSTABLE MA-DUKES MA-NANTUCKET MA-
NORTHERN MIDDLESEX MA-NORTHWEST PROVIDENCE RI-
SOUTHEAST PROVIDENCE RI-WESTERN KENT RI-EASTERN KENT RI-
BRISTOL RI-WASHINGTON RI-NEWPORT RI-BLOCK ISLAND RI-
316 AM EDT WED APR 20 2016

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM THIS MORNING TO 6 PM EDT
THIS EVENING FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES...

* AFFECTED AREA...ALL OF SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND.

* WINDS...NORTH 10 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS BETWEEN 20 AND 25 MPH. A
  FEW GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE CAPE AND ISLANDS.
  STRONGEST OF THESE WINDS OCCUR THIS MORNING AND GRADUALLY
  DIMINISH FROM WEST TO EAST THIS AFTERNOON.

* TIMING...LATER THIS MORNING INTO EARLY THIS EVENING.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...DROPPING TO BETWEEN 10 AND 25 PERCENT IN
  MOST LOCATIONS BUT VALUES WILL BE A BIT HIGHER ALONG THE
  IMMEDIATE COAST.

* IMPACTS...DRY WEATHER AND GUSTY WINDS WILL RESULT IN CRITICAL 
  FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS
ARE EITHER OCCURRING NOW...OR WILL SHORTLY.  ANY FIRES THAT START
MAY SPREAD RAPIDLY AND BECOME DIFFICULT TO EXTINGUISH.

&&

$$

FRANK

FOR THE LATEST UPDATES...PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBPAGE AT
WWW.WEATHER.GOV/BOSTON

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WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/US.NATIONALWEATHERSERVICE.BOSTON.GOV

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@NWSBOSTON
1 follow-up statement
319 
WWUS81 KBOX 201501
RFWBOX

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
1101 AM EDT WED APR 20 2016

CTZ002>004-MAZ002>024-026-RIZ001>008-202200-
/O.CON.KBOX.FW.W.0003.000000T0000Z-160420T2200Z/
HARTFORD CT-TOLLAND CT-WINDHAM CT-WESTERN FRANKLIN MA-
EASTERN FRANKLIN MA-NORTHERN WORCESTER MA-CENTRAL MIDDLESEX MA-
WESTERN ESSEX MA-EASTERN ESSEX MA-WESTERN HAMPSHIRE MA-
WESTERN HAMPDEN MA-EASTERN HAMPSHIRE MA-EASTERN HAMPDEN MA-
SOUTHERN WORCESTER MA-WESTERN NORFOLK MA-SOUTHEAST MIDDLESEX MA-
SUFFOLK MA-EASTERN NORFOLK MA-NORTHERN BRISTOL MA-
WESTERN PLYMOUTH MA-EASTERN PLYMOUTH MA-SOUTHERN BRISTOL MA-
SOUTHERN PLYMOUTH MA-BARNSTABLE MA-DUKES MA-NANTUCKET MA-
NORTHERN MIDDLESEX MA-NORTHWEST PROVIDENCE RI-
SOUTHEAST PROVIDENCE RI-WESTERN KENT RI-EASTERN KENT RI-
BRISTOL RI-WASHINGTON RI-NEWPORT RI-BLOCK ISLAND RI-
1101 AM EDT WED APR 20 2016

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM EDT THIS EVENING
FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES...

* AFFECTED AREA...NORTHERN CONNECTICUT...ALL OF MASSACHUSETTS AND
  RHODE ISLAND.

* WINDS...NORTH 10 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS BETWEEN 20 AND 25 MPH. A
  FEW GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE CAPE AND ISLANDS.
  STRONGEST OF THESE WINDS OCCUR THIS MORNING AND GRADUALLY
  DIMINISH FROM WEST TO EAST THIS AFTERNOON.

* TIMING...INTO EARLY THIS EVENING.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...DROPPING TO BETWEEN 10 AND 25 PERCENT IN 
  MOST LOCATIONS BUT VALUES WILL BE A BIT HIGHER ALONG THE 
  IMMEDIATE COAST.

* IMPACTS...DRY WEATHER AND GUSTY WINDS WILL RESULT IN CRITICAL 
  FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS
ARE EITHER OCCURRING NOW...OR WILL SHORTLY.  ANY FIRES THAT START
MAY SPREAD RAPIDLY AND BECOME DIFFICULT TO EXTINGUISH.

&&

$$

FOR THE LATEST UPDATES...PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBPAGE AT
WWW.WEATHER.GOV/BOSTON

YOU CAN FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK AT
WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/US.NATIONALWEATHERSERVICE.BOSTON.GOV

YOU CAN FOLLOW US ON TWITTER AT
@NWSBOSTON

The office that day

Everything else NWS Boston/Norton, MA issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 20, 3:09 AM EDTFrost AdvisoryBOXBristol, Essex, Norfolk, Plymouth28 hr

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in Massachusetts, 2016Red Flag Warnings in Rhode Island, 2016Red Flag Warnings in Connecticut, 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.