Alert archive / Minnesota / Red Flag Warnings in 2016

Red Flag Warning 5, NWS Twin Cities, MN

May 7, 20167 counties in Minnesota

NWS Twin Cities, MN issued this red flag warning at May 7, 2016, 3:37 AM CDT for 7 counties in Minnesota. It took effect at May 7, 2016, 11:00 AM CDT. 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
May 7, 2016, 3:37 AM CDT (08:37 UTC)
In effect from
May 7, 2016, 11:00 AM CDT
Expired
May 7, 2016, 7:00 PM CDT
In force
8 hr
Issued by
NWS Twin Cities, MN

Counties Benton County, MN, Chisago County, MN, Isanti County, MN, Kanabec County, MN, Mille Lacs County, MN, Morrison County, MN, Todd County, MN

The radar

The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 109 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 08:37 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

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 00:00Z, 8.6 hours before the alert went out and 108 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, Minneapolis, MN at 00:00Z on 2016-05-07Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 740 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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, Minneapolis, MN at 00:00Z on 2016-05-07The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 54 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
740 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-63 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2618 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
26 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
54 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
48 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

927 
WWUS83 KMPX 070837
RFWMPX

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
337 AM CDT SAT MAY 7 2016

...RED FLAG WARNING DUE TO A COMBINATION OF STRONG WINDS AND LOW
HUMIDITY THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA...

.A RED FLAG WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR NORTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA
LATE THIS MORNING THROUGH THE AFTERNOON DUE TO LOW HUMIDITY LEVELS
AND STRONG WINDS. THE WARNING IS IN EFFECT ALONG AND NORTH OF A
LINE FROM LONG PRAIRIE TO CAMBRIDGE. NORTHWESTERLY WINDS WILL
INCREASE TO 15 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 25 MPH BY THIS
AFTERNOON. HUMIDITY LEVELS ARE FORECAST TO DROP TO BETWEEN 15 AND
25 PERCENT AS TEMPERATURES RISE TO NEAR 70 AND DEW POINT
TEMPERATURES FALL INTO THE MID 20S.

MNZ042>045-050-052-053-071645-
/O.NEW.KMPX.FW.W.0005.160507T1600Z-160508T0000Z/
TODD-MORRISON-MILLE LACS-KANABEC-BENTON-ISANTI-CHISAGO-
337 AM CDT SAT MAY 7 2016

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 7 PM CDT
THIS EVENING FOR STRONG WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITY FOR NORTH CENTRAL
MN...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN HAS ISSUED
A RED FLAG WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING
TO 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING. 

* AFFECTED AREA...LOCATIONS ALONG AND NORTH OF A LINE FROM LONG
  PRAIRIE TO CAMBRIDGE.

* WIND...NORTHWEST 15 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 25 MPH.

* HUMIDITY...BETWEEN 15 AND 25 PERCENT THIS AFTERNOON.

* TEMPERATURES...IN THE UPPER 60S TO LOW 70S.

* IMPACTS...ANY FIRES THAT DEVELOP WILL LIKELY SPREAD RAPIDLY. 
  OUTDOOR BURNING IS NOT RECOMMENDED.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS
ARE EITHER OCCURRING NOW....OR WILL SHORTLY. A COMBINATION OF
STRONG WINDS...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AND WARM TEMPERATURES CAN
CONTRIBUTE TO EXTREME FIRE BEHAVIOR.

&&

$$
1 follow-up statement
417 
WWUS83 KMPX 072018
RFWMPX

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
318 PM CDT SAT MAY 7 2016

...RED FLAG WARNING DUE TO A COMBINATION OF STRONG WINDS AND LOW
HUMIDITY REMAINS IN EFFECT THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL
MINNESOTA...

.A RED FLAG WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR NORTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA
LATE THIS MORNING THROUGH THE AFTERNOON DUE TO LOW HUMIDITY
LEVELS AND STRONG WINDS. THE WARNING IS IN EFFECT ALONG AND NORTH
OF A LINE FROM LONG PRAIRIE TO CAMBRIDGE. NORTHWESTERLY WINDS
WILL INCREASE TO 15 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 25 MPH BY THIS
AFTERNOON. HUMIDITY LEVELS ARE FORECAST TO DROP TO BETWEEN 15 AND
25 PERCENT AS TEMPERATURES RISE TO NEAR 70 AND DEW POINT
TEMPERATURES FALL INTO THE MID 20S.

MNZ042>045-050-052-053-080000-
/O.CON.KMPX.FW.W.0005.000000T0000Z-160508T0000Z/
TODD-MORRISON-MILLE LACS-KANABEC-BENTON-ISANTI-CHISAGO-
318 PM CDT SAT MAY 7 2016

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING
FOR STRONG WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITY FOR NORTH CENTRAL MN...

* AFFECTED AREA...LOCATIONS ALONG AND NORTH OF A LINE FROM LONG 
  PRAIRIE TO CAMBRIDGE. 

* WIND...NORTHWEST 15 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 25 MPH.

* HUMIDITY...BETWEEN 15 AND 25 PERCENT THIS AFTERNOON.

* TEMPERATURES...IN THE UPPER 60S TO LOW 70S.

* IMPACTS...ANY FIRES THAT DEVELOP WILL LIKELY SPREAD RAPIDLY. 
  OUTDOOR BURNING IS NOT RECOMMENDED.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS
ARE EITHER OCCURRING NOW....OR WILL SHORTLY. A COMBINATION OF
STRONG WINDS...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AND WARM TEMPERATURES CAN
CONTRIBUTE TO EXTREME FIRE BEHAVIOR.

&&

$$

The office that day

Everything else NWS Twin Cities, MN issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 6, 7:05 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMPXChisago25 min
May 6, 11:32 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMPXSteele28 min

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in Minnesota, 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.