Alert archive / Kansas / Red Flag Warnings in 2016

Red Flag Warning 6, NWS Topeka, KS

March 3, 201623 counties in Kansas

NWS Topeka, KS issued this red flag warning at Mar 3, 2016, 2:47 PM CST for 23 counties in Kansas. It took effect at Mar 4, 2016, 12:00 PM CST. 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 3, 2016, 2:47 PM CST (20:47 UTC)
In effect from
Mar 4, 2016, 12:00 PM CST
Expired
Mar 4, 2016, 6:00 PM CST
In force
6 hr
Issued by
NWS Topeka, KS
All 23 counties

Anderson County, KS, Brown County, KS, Clay County, KS, Cloud County, KS, Coffey County, KS, Dickinson County, KS, Douglas County, KS, Franklin County, KS, Geary County, KS, Jackson County, KS, Jefferson County, KS, Lyon County, KS, Marshall County, KS, Morris County, KS, Nemaha County, KS, Osage County, KS, Ottawa County, KS, Pottawatomie County, KS, Republic County, KS, Riley County, KS, Shawnee County, KS, Wabaunsee County, KS, Washington County, KS

The radar

The Topeka radar (KTWX), 16 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:51 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

Topeka, KS (KFOE), launched 12:00Z, 8.8 hours before the alert went out and 61 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, Topeka, KS at 12:00Z on 2016-03-03Temperature 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, Topeka, KS at 12:00Z on 2016-03-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -31 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
1183 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
20 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-31 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-4 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

898 
WWUS83 KTOP 032047
RFWTOP

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
ISSUED BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
247 PM CST THU MAR 3 2016

KSZ008-009-020>022-034>037-040500-
/O.NEW.KTOP.FW.W.0006.160304T1800Z-160305T0000Z/
REPUBLIC-WASHINGTON-CLOUD-CLAY-RILEY-OTTAWA-DICKINSON-GEARY-
MORRIS-
247 PM CST THU MAR 3 2016

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TO 6 PM CST FRIDAY FOR
GUSTY SOUTHWEST WINDS...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES AND CRITICAL FUELS FOR
FIRE WEATHER ZONES 008...009...020...021... 022...034...035...036
AND 037...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TOPEKA HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TO 6 PM CST FRIDAY. 

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONES 008...009...020...021... 
  022...034...035...036 AND 037. 

* WIND...SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL BE SUSTAINED AROUND 20 MPH
  WITH GUSTS TO 30 MPH. WINDS WILL BECOME NORTHWEST LATE IN THE
  DAY AS A COLD FRONT ARRIVES.

* HUMIDITY...MINIMUM AFTERNOON RELATIVE HUMIDITIES WILL FALL INTO
  THE 20 TO 25 PERCENT RANGE.

* 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 MAY
LEAD TO EXTREME FIRE BEHAVIOR.

&&

$$
2 follow-up statements
340 
WWUS83 KTOP 040950
RFWTOP

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
350 AM CST FRI MAR 4 2016

KSZ010>012-023-024-026-038>040-054>056-058-059-050000-
/O.EXA.KTOP.FW.W.0006.160304T1800Z-160305T0000Z/
MARSHALL-NEMAHA-BROWN-POTTAWATOMIE-JACKSON-JEFFERSON-WABAUNSEE-
SHAWNEE-DOUGLAS-LYON-OSAGE-FRANKLIN-COFFEY-ANDERSON-
350 AM CST FRI MAR 4 2016

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 6 PM CST THIS
EVENING FOR GUSTY WINDS...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES AND CRITICAL
FUELS FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES 010...011...012...023...024...
026...038...039...040...054...055...056... 058 AND 059...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TOPEKA HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 6 PM CST THIS
EVENING. 

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONES 008...009...020...021... 
  022...034...035...036 AND 037. 

* WIND...SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST WINDS 15 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 30
  MPH. WINDS WILL BECOME WEST TO NORTHWEST LATE IN THE AFTERNOON.
  THE WINDS WILL DIMINISH DURING THE EVENING.

* HUMIDITY...MINIMUM AFTERNOON RELATIVE HUMIDITIES WILL FALL TO
  AROUND 20 PERCENT.

* 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 MAY
LEAD TO EXTREME FIRE BEHAVIOR.

&&

$$

KSZ008-009-020>022-034>037-050000-
/O.CON.KTOP.FW.W.0006.160304T1800Z-160305T0000Z/
REPUBLIC-WASHINGTON-CLOUD-CLAY-RILEY-OTTAWA-DICKINSON-GEARY-
MORRIS-
350 AM CST FRI MAR 4 2016

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 6 PM CST
THIS EVENING FOR GUSTY WINDS...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES AND
CRITICAL FUELS FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES 008...009...020...021...
022...034...035...036 AND 037...

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONES 008...009...020...021... 
  022...034...035...036 AND 037. 

* WIND...SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST WINDS 15 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 30
  MPH. THE WINDS WILL SHIFT TO THE NORTHWEST AND DIMINISH DURING
  THE EVENING.

* HUMIDITY...MINIMUM AFTERNOON RELATIVE HUMIDITIES WILL FALL INTO
  THE 20 TO 25 PERCENT RANGE.

* 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 MAY
LEAD TO EXTREME FIRE BEHAVIOR.

&&

$$
638 
WWUS83 KTOP 042342
RFWTOP

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
542 PM CST FRI MAR 4 2016

KSZ008>012-020>024-026-034>040-054>056-058-059-050045-
/O.EXP.KTOP.FW.W.0006.000000T0000Z-160305T0000Z/
REPUBLIC-WASHINGTON-MARSHALL-NEMAHA-BROWN-CLOUD-CLAY-RILEY-
POTTAWATOMIE-JACKSON-JEFFERSON-OTTAWA-DICKINSON-GEARY-MORRIS-
WABAUNSEE-SHAWNEE-DOUGLAS-LYON-OSAGE-FRANKLIN-COFFEY-ANDERSON-
542 PM CST FRI MAR 4 2016

...RED FLAG WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 6 PM CST THIS EVENING FOR FIRE
WEATHER ZONES 008...009...010...011...
012...020...021...022...023...024...026...034...035...036...037...
038...039...040...054...055...056...058 AND 059...

THE RED FLAG WARNING WILL BE ALLOWED TO EXPIRE AS THE BOUNDARY
LAYER HAS BEGUN COOLING. THIS WILL ALLOW RH VALUES TO INCREASE AND
WINDS WILL ALSO DIMINISH ALLOWING RED FLAG CRITERIA TO NOT BE MET
ANY LONGER.

$$

The office that day

Everything else NWS Topeka, KS issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 3, 12:57 AM CSTSpecial Weather StatementTOPCoffey33 min

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in Kansas, 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.