Alert archive / Arizona / Red Flag Warnings in 2017

Red Flag Warning 2, NWS Phoenix, AZ

March 30, 20174 counties in Arizona; Imperial County, Riverside County, California

NWS Phoenix, AZ issued this red flag warning at Mar 30, 2017, 2:56 AM MST for 4 counties in Arizona; Imperial County, Riverside County, California. It took effect at Mar 30, 2017, 3:00 PM MST. It was in force for 5 hr. 12 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued: Mar 30, 2017, 2:56 AM MST (09:56 UTC)
In effect from: Mar 30, 2017, 3:00 PM MST
Expired: Mar 30, 2017, 8:00 PM MST
In force: 5 hr
Issued by: NWS Phoenix, AZ

Counties La Paz County, AZ, Maricopa County, AZ, Pinal County, AZ, Yuma County, AZ, Imperial County, CA, Riverside County, CA

The radar

The Yuma radar (KYUX), 113 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 10:01 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.

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Mar 30, 3:43 PM MST	NON-TSTM WND GST 64	2 E Palm Springs, CA	A WIND GUST OF 64 MPH WAS RECORDED AT PALM SPRINGS REGIONAL AIRPORT.
Mar 30, 4:13 PM MST	NON-TSTM WND GST 66	2 E Palm Springs, CA	ASOS STATION PALM SPRINGS AIRPORT /PSP/.
Mar 30, 4:25 PM MST	NON-TSTM WND DMG	3 Sw Cathedral City, CA	LARGE TREE TOPPLED ONTO CAR AT THE OASIS RESORT IN PALM SPRINGS.
Mar 30, 5:15 PM MST	NON-TSTM WND DMG	2 Nw Rancho Mirage, CA	* 1 INJ * TREE FELL ONTO A GOLF CART AT 18885 GOLF CLUB DRIVE. ONE PERSON IS REPORTED TO HAVE CRITICAL INJURIES.
Mar 30, 5:20 PM MST	NON-TSTM WND DMG	3 Sw Cathedral City, CA	* 1 INJ * OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT REPORTED A POSSIBLE INJURY FROM AN AWNING BLOWING DOWN AT A MOBILE HOME PARK NEAR PALM CANYON DRIVE AND CHEROKEE WAY.
Mar 30, 5:34 PM MST	NON-TSTM WND DMG	1 Ene Bermuda Dunes, CA	CHP REPORTS VARNER ROAD CLOSED DUE TO SAND.
Mar 30, 6:23 PM MST	NON-TSTM WND DMG	Palm Springs, CA	NEARLY 2,000 CUSTOMERS REPORTED WITHOUT POWER IN PALM SPRINGS AREA DUE TO HIGH WINDS.
Mar 30, 6:50 PM MST	NON-TSTM WND DMG	5 Sw Indian Wells, CA	CHP REPORTING HIGH WINDS BLOWING ROCKS INTO LANES ALONG PALMS TO PINES SCENIC HIGHWAY.
Mar 30, 7:20 PM MST	DUST STORM	Wenden, AZ	VSBY. LESS THAN 0.25 MI. IN DUST STORM ON HWY 60, WENDEN, AZ.
Mar 30, 7:20 PM MST	DUST STORM	Wenden, AZ	VSBY LESS THAN 1/2 MI. IN DUST STORM. WENDEN AZ, HWY 60.
Mar 30, 7:23 PM MST	NON-TSTM WND GST 46	1 Sse Goodyear, AZ	.
Mar 30, 7:28 PM MST	NON-TSTM WND DMG	Thousand Palms, CA	CHP REPORTS TRAFFIC LIGHT TWISTED DUE TO HIGH WIND AND NOW NOT FACING DIRECTION OF TRAFFIC. INTERSECTION OF MONTEREY AVE AND RAMON RD IN THOUSAND PALMS.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The nearest sounding before it

Flgstf/Belemont, AZ (KFGZ), launched 00:00Z, 9.9 hours before the alert went out and 289 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: 3167 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 37 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 15 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 37 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

937 
WWUS85 KPSR 300956
RFWPSR

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Phoenix AZ
256 AM MST Thu Mar 30 2017

AZZ131-132-CAZ231-310300-
/O.NEW.KPSR.FW.W.0002.170330T2200Z-170331T0300Z/
Arizona Fire Weather Zone 131                                    
Yuma/Martinez Lake and Vicinity/Lower Colorado River Valley AZ-
Arizona Fire Weather Zone 132                                    
South-Central and Southwest Deserts-
California Fire Weather Zone 231                                 
Lower Colorado River Valley CA-
256 AM MST Thu Mar 30 2017 /256 AM PDT Thu Mar 30 2017/

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 3 PM MST /3 PM PDT/ THIS
AFTERNOON TO 8 PM MST /8 PM PDT/ THIS EVENING FOR STRONG WINDS,
LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY AND HIGH FIRE DANGER FOR THE LOWER COLORADO
RIVER VALLEY AND SOUTHWEST ARIZONA...

The National Weather Service in Phoenix has issued a Red Flag
Warning for strong winds, low relative humidity and high fire
danger, which is in effect from 3 PM MST /3 PM PDT/ this 
afternoon to 8 PM MST /8 PM PDT/ this evening.

* AFFECTED AREA...Arizona Fire Weather Zone 131 Yuma/Martinez Lake
  and Vicinity/Lower Colorado River Valley AZ, elevated and wind
  prone locations of Arizona Fire Weather Zone 132 South-Central and
  Southwest Deserts, and California Fire Weather Zone 231 Lower 
  Colorado River Valley CA.

* WINDS...West winds 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 45 mph near the
  Colorado River basin. The highest winds will be in areas of
  elevated terrain. Winds 20 to 25 mph gusting to 35 mph in
  Maricopa county.  

* TIMING...Thursday afternoon through Thursday evening

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...As low as 10 percent.

* IMPACTS...Fuels are moderately dry and fire danger will quickly
become high Thursday afternoon. These conditions combined with 
low relative humidity and strong winds will lead to widespread 
hazardous fire weather conditions.


PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Please advise the appropriate officials and fire crews in the
field of this red flag warning.

&&

$$

National Weather Service Phoenix is on the internet at

weather.gov/phoenix

1 follow-up statement

008 
WWUS85 KPSR 310245
RFWPSR

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Phoenix AZ
745 PM MST Thu Mar 30 2017

AZZ131-132-CAZ231-310345-
/O.EXP.KPSR.FW.W.0002.000000T0000Z-170331T0300Z/
Arizona Fire Weather Zone 131                                    
Yuma/Martinez Lake and Vicinity/Lower Colorado River Valley AZ-
Arizona Fire Weather Zone 132                                    
South-Central and Southwest Deserts-
California Fire Weather Zone 231                                 
Lower Colorado River Valley CA-
745 PM MST Thu Mar 30 2017 /745 PM PDT Thu Mar 30 2017/

...RED FLAG WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 8 PM MST /8 PM PDT/ THIS
EVENING FOR STRONG WINDS, LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY AND HIGH FIRE
DANGER FOR THE LOWER COLORADO RIVER VALLEY AND SOUTHWEST ARIZONA...

The Red Flag Warning for the lower Colorado River Valley and
southwest Arizona will be allowed to expire at 8 PM MST / 8 PM
PDT. Sustained wind speeds of 25 to 35 mph, with stronger wind
gusts, continue to be observed across the area. However, with the
loss of daytime heating, and an approaching strong cold front,
widespread red flag conditions are no longer expected to occur.


$$

National Weather Service Phoenix is on the internet at

weather.gov/phoenix

The office that day

Everything else NWS Phoenix, AZ issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Mar 30, 10:16 AM MST	Blowing Dust Advisory	PSR		13 hr

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in Arizona, 2017 Red Flag Warnings in California, 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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.