Alert archive / Minnesota / Red Flag Warnings in 2017

Red Flag Warning 2, NWS Grand Forks, ND

May 5, 201715 counties in Minnesota

NWS Grand Forks, ND issued this red flag warning at May 5, 2017, 4:59 AM CDT for 15 counties in Minnesota. It took effect at May 5, 2017, 1:00 PM CDT. 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: May 5, 2017, 4:59 AM CDT (09:59 UTC)
In effect from: May 5, 2017, 1:00 PM CDT
Expired: May 5, 2017, 7:00 PM CDT
In force: 6 hr
Issued by: NWS Grand Forks, ND

Counties Becker County, MN, Beltrami County, MN, Clay County, MN, Clearwater County, MN, Hubbard County, MN, Kittson County, MN, Lake of the Woods County, MN, Mahnomen County, MN, Marshall County, MN, Norman County, MN, Pennington County, MN, Polk County, MN, Red Lake County, MN, Roseau County, MN, Wadena County, MN

The radar

The Fargo/Grand Forks radar (KMVX), 117 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 10:02 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

International Fa, MN (KINL), launched 00:00Z, 10.0 hours before the alert went out and 207 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 1952 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 68 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 47 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 217 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

750 
WWUS83 KFGF 050959
RFWFGF

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Grand Forks ND
459 AM CDT Fri May 5 2017

MNZ001>009-013>017-022>024-027-028-032-060000-
/O.NEW.KFGF.FW.W.0002.170505T1800Z-170506T0000Z/
West Polk-Norman-Clay-Kittson-Roseau-Lake Of The Woods-
West Marshall-East Marshall-North Beltrami-Pennington-Red Lake-
East Polk-North Clearwater-South Beltrami-Mahnomen-
South Clearwater-Hubbard-West Becker-East Becker-Wadena-
459 AM CDT Fri May 5 2017

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 7 PM
CDT THIS EVENING FOR LOW HUMIDITIES...GUSTY NORTH WINDS AND DRY
FUELS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...

The National Weather Service in Grand Forks has issued a Red Flag
Warning for LOW HUMIDITIES...GUSTY WINDS AND DRY FUELS...which is
in effect from 1 PM this afternoon to 7 PM CDT this evening.

* AFFECTED AREA...In Minnesota...Fire Weather Zones 001...002... 
  003...004...005...006...007...008...009...013...014...015...
  016... 017...022...023...024...027...028 and 032.

* WINDS...North 15 to 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph.

* TIMING...Winds will pick up during the early afternoon near the
  Canadian border as a cold front drops down. The front will
  progress south and bring breezy north winds through the rest of
  the afternoon and early evening. 

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...As low as 21 percent.

* TEMPERATURES...In the lower 70s.

* IMPACTS...Any fires that develop may spread quickly. 

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

175 
WWUS83 KFGF 060009
RFWFGF

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Grand Forks ND
709 PM CDT Fri May 5 2017

MNZ001>009-013>017-022>024-027-028-032-060115-
/O.EXP.KFGF.FW.W.0002.000000T0000Z-170506T0000Z/
West Polk-Norman-Clay-Kittson-Roseau-Lake Of The Woods-
West Marshall-East Marshall-North Beltrami-Pennington-Red Lake-
East Polk-North Clearwater-South Beltrami-Mahnomen-
South Clearwater-Hubbard-West Becker-East Becker-Wadena-
709 PM CDT Fri May 5 2017

...RED FLAG WARNING HAS EXPIRED FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST AND WEST
CENTRAL MINNESOTA...

Relative humidity levels have risen and winds have lessened,
lowering the threat for critical fire weather conditions.

$$

BP

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in Minnesota, 2017 Every 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.