Alert archive / Colorado / Red Flag Warnings in 2017

Red Flag Warning 21, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

May 15, 2017Park County, Colorado

NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this red flag warning at May 15, 2017, 4:20 AM MDT for Park County, Colorado. It took effect at May 15, 2017, 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
May 15, 2017, 4:20 AM MDT (10:20 UTC)
In effect from
May 15, 2017, 12:00 PM MDT
Expired
May 15, 2017, 7:00 PM MDT
In force
7 hr
Issued by
NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

County Park County, CO

The radar

The Denver radar (KFTG), 125 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 10:20 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, 10.3 hours before the alert went out and 229 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 2017-05-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 333 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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 2017-05-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 28 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
333 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-27 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2662 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
60 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
28 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
199 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

875 
WWUS85 KBOU 151020
RFWBOU

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Denver/Boulder CO
420 AM MDT Mon May 15 2017

COZ214-151830-
/O.NEW.KBOU.FW.W.0021.170515T1800Z-170516T0100Z/
Central and Southeast Park County-
420 AM MDT Mon May 15 2017

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 7 PM MDT THIS
EVENING FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR Park 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 214.

* Timing...Critical fire weather conditions will develop this
  afternoon and continue through early evening hours. 

* Winds...South 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph.

* Relative Humidity...as low as 14 percent.

* Impacts...The combination of low humidities and gusty southwest
  winds will result in favorable conditions for fast burning
  fires. 

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.

&&

$$
2 follow-up statements
230 
WWUS85 KBOU 151823
RFWBOU

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Denver/Boulder CO
1223 PM MDT Mon May 15 2017

COZ214-160100-
/O.CON.KBOU.FW.W.0021.000000T0000Z-170516T0100Z/
Central and Southeast Park County-
1223 PM MDT Mon May 15 2017

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

* Affected Area...Fire Weather Zone 214.

* Timing...Critical fire weather conditions will develop this 
  afternoon and continue through early evening hours.

* Winds...South 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph.

* Relative Humidity...as low as 14 percent.

* Impacts...The combination of low humidities and gusty 
  southwest winds will result in favorable conditions for fast 
  burning fires.

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.

&&

$$
255 
WWUS85 KBOU 160109
RFWBOU

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Denver/Boulder CO
709 PM MDT Mon May 15 2017


COZ214-160215-
/O.EXP.KBOU.FW.W.0021.000000T0000Z-170516T0100Z/
Central and Southeast Park County-
709 PM MDT Mon May 15 2017

...RED FLAG WARNING HAS EXPIRED FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE
HUMIDITY FOR Park County...

Cooler temperatures this evening will allow for a gradual recovery
in relative humidities this evening. Therefore the Red Flag
Warning has been allowed to expire.

$$

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in Colorado, 2017Every red flag warning in 2017

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.