Alert archive / Colorado / Red Flag Warnings in 2020

Red Flag Warning 2, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

March 25, 2020Elbert County, Lincoln County, Colorado

NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this red flag warning at Mar 25, 2020, 3:14 AM MDT for Elbert County, Lincoln County, Colorado. It took effect at Mar 25, 2020, 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: Mar 25, 2020, 3:14 AM MDT (09:14 UTC)
In effect from: Mar 25, 2020, 12:00 PM MDT
Expired: Mar 25, 2020, 7:00 PM MDT
In force: 7 hr
Issued by: NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

Counties Elbert County, CO, Lincoln County, CO

The radar

The Pueblo radar (KPUX), 81 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 09:16 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 (KDNR), launched 00:00Z, 9.2 hours before the alert went out and 96 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: 3005 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 72 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 91 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 334 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

684 
WWUS85 KBOU 250914
RFWBOU

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Denver/Boulder CO
314 AM MDT Wed Mar 25 2020

COZ247-252200-
/O.NEW.KBOU.FW.W.0002.200325T1800Z-200326T0100Z/
/O.NEW.KBOU.FW.A.0001.200326T1800Z-200327T0200Z/
Southeast Elbert County Below 6000 Feet/South Lincoln County-
314 AM MDT Wed Mar 25 2020

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

...FIRE WEATHER WATCH IN EFFECT FROM THURSDAY AFTERNOON
THROUGH THURSDAY EVENING FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR 
SOUTHERN LINCOLN 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. A Fire Weather Watch
has also been issued. This Fire Weather Watch FOR WIND AND LOW
RELATIVE HUMIDITY is in effect from Thursday afternoon through
Thursday evening.

* Affected Area...Fire Weather Zone 247.

* Winds...Southwest 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 40 mph.

* Timing...Noon through 7PM MDT today. Dry and windy conditions
  return Thursday.  

* Relative Humidity...As low as 10 percent.

* Impacts...The gusty winds combined with low relative humidities
  will allow for quick spread of grassland 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.

A Fire Weather Watch means that critical fire weather conditions
are forecast to occur. Listen for later forecasts and possible
Red Flag Warnings.

&&

$$

2 follow-up statements

929 
WWUS85 KBOU 251601
RFWBOU

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Denver/Boulder CO
1001 AM MDT Wed Mar 25 2020

COZ247-260015-
/O.CON.KBOU.FW.W.0002.200325T1800Z-200326T0100Z/
/O.CON.KBOU.FW.A.0001.200326T1800Z-200327T0200Z/
Southeast Elbert County Below 6000 Feet/South Lincoln County-
1001 AM MDT Wed Mar 25 2020

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

...FIRE WEATHER WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM THURSDAY AFTERNOON
THROUGH THURSDAY EVENING FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR
SOUTHERN LINCOLN COUNTY...

* Affected Area...Fire Weather Zone 247.

* Winds...Southwest 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 40 mph.

* Timing...Noon through 7PM MDT today. Dry and windy conditions 
  return Thursday.

* Relative Humidity...As low as 9 percent.

* Impacts...The gusty winds combined with low relative 
  humidities will allow for quick spread of grassland 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.

A Fire Weather Watch means that critical fire weather conditions
are forecast to occur. Listen for later forecasts and possible
Red Flag Warnings.

&&

$$

062 
WWUS85 KBOU 252109
RFWBOU

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Denver/Boulder CO
309 PM MDT Wed Mar 25 2020

COZ247-260515-
/O.UPG.KBOU.FW.A.0001.200326T1800Z-200327T0200Z/
/O.NEW.KBOU.FW.W.0003.200326T1700Z-200327T0200Z/
/O.CON.KBOU.FW.W.0002.000000T0000Z-200326T0100Z/
Southeast Elbert County Below 6000 Feet/South Lincoln County-
309 PM MDT Wed Mar 25 2020

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM MDT THIS EVENING
FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR SOUTHERN LINCOLN
COUNTY...FIRE WEATHER ZONE 247....

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM TO 8 PM MDT THURSDAY FOR
WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR THE PALMER DIVIDE AREA...FIRE
WEATHER ZONES 241...246...AND 247...

* Affected Area...Fire Weather Zone 247.

* Winds...West 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 40 mph.

* Timing...Until 7PM MDT today. Dry and windy conditions return 
  Thursday.

* Relative Humidity...As low as 9 percent.

* Impacts...The gusty winds combined with low relative 
  humidities will allow for quick spread of grassland 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.

&&

$$

COZ241-246-260515-
/O.NEW.KBOU.FW.W.0003.200326T1700Z-200327T0200Z/
Elbert/Central and East Douglas Counties Above 6000 Feet-
North and Northeast Elbert County Below 6000 Feet/North Lincoln
County-
309 PM MDT Wed Mar 25 2020

The National Weather Service in Denver has issued a Red Flag
Warning FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY, which is in effect
from 11 AM to 8 PM MDT Thursday.

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM TO 8 PM MDT THURSDAY FOR
WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR THE PALMER DIVIDE AREA...FIRE
WEATHER ZONES 241...246...AND 247...

* Affected Area...Fire Weather Zones 241 and 246.

* Winds...Southwest 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 35 mph.

* Timing...11 AM to 8 PM Thursday.

* Relative Humidity...As low as 13 percent.

* Impacts...The gusty winds combined with low relative 
  humidities will allow for quick spread of grassland 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.

&&

$$

The office that day

Everything else NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Mar 25, 3:14 AM MDT	Fire Weather Watch	BOU	Elbert, Lincoln	12 hr
Mar 25, 3:09 PM MDT	Red Flag Warning	BOU	Arapahoe, Douglas, Elbert, Lincoln	29 hr

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in Colorado, 2020 Every red flag warning in 2020

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.