Alert archive / Minnesota / Red Flag Warnings in 2018

Red Flag Warning 1, NWS Twin Cities, MN

April 26, 201812 counties in Minnesota

NWS Twin Cities, MN issued this red flag warning at Apr 26, 2018, 11:27 AM CDT for 12 counties in Minnesota. It took effect at Apr 26, 2018, 12:00 PM CDT. 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: Apr 26, 2018, 11:27 AM CDT (16:27 UTC)
In effect from: Apr 26, 2018, 12:00 PM CDT
Expired: Apr 26, 2018, 7:00 PM CDT
In force: 7 hr
Issued by: NWS Twin Cities, MN

Counties Chippewa County, MN, Douglas County, MN, Kandiyohi County, MN, Lac qui Parle County, MN, Pope County, MN, Redwood County, MN, Renville County, MN, Stearns County, MN, Stevens County, MN, Swift County, MN, Todd County, MN, Yellow Medicine County, MN

The radar

The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 152 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 16:27 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 12:00Z, 4.5 hours before the alert went out and 149 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: 2117 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 40 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 176 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 171 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

254 
WWUS83 KMPX 261627
RFWMPX

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN
1127 AM CDT Thu Apr 26 2018

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR 
STRONG WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...

.Dangerous fire weather conditions will develop over much of west
central Minnesota this afternoon. Northwest winds of 15 to 25 mph
with gusts around 35 mph are expected as humidity levels drop to 
less than 25 percent in the afternoon.

MNZ041-042-047>049-054>057-064-065-073-270000-
/O.UPG.KMPX.FW.A.0001.180426T1800Z-180427T0000Z/
/O.NEW.KMPX.FW.W.0001.180426T1700Z-180427T0000Z/
Douglas-Todd-Stevens-Pope-Stearns-Lac Qui Parle-Swift-Chippewa-
Kandiyohi-Yellow Medicine-Renville-Redwood-
1127 AM CDT Thu Apr 26 2018

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR FOR 
STRONG WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...

The National Weather Service in Twin Cities/Chanhassen has issued
a Red Flag Warning, which is in effect until 7 PM CDT this
evening. The Fire Weather Watch is no longer in effect. 

* AFFECTED AREA...West central into central Minnesota.

* WIND...North to northwest winds 15 to 25 mph with gusts to 35 
  mph. 

* HUMIDITY...lower to around 25 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 can
contribute to extreme fire behavior.

&&

$$

1 follow-up statement

892 
WWUS83 KMPX 270000
RFWMPX

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN
700 PM CDT Thu Apr 26 2018


MNZ041-042-047>049-054>057-064-065-073-270100-
/O.EXP.KMPX.FW.W.0001.000000T0000Z-180427T0000Z/
Douglas-Todd-Stevens-Pope-Stearns-Lac Qui Parle-Swift-Chippewa-
Kandiyohi-Yellow Medicine-Renville-Redwood-
700 PM CDT Thu Apr 26 2018

...RED FLAG WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR PARTS
OF WESTERN AND CENTRAL MN...


$$

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 26, 9:20 AM CDT	Fire Weather Watch	MPX	Chippewa, Douglas, Kandiyohi, Lac qui Parle, Pope, Redwood and 6 more	2 hr

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in Minnesota, 2018 Every red flag warning in 2018

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.