Alert archive / California / Red Flag Warnings in 2021

Red Flag Warning 5, NWS San Francisco Bay Area, CA

September 9, 20215 counties in California

NWS San Francisco Bay Area, CA issued this red flag warning at Sep 9, 2021, 9:30 AM PDT for 5 counties in California. It took effect at Sep 9, 2021, 5:00 PM PDT. It was in force for 15 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
Sep 9, 2021, 9:30 AM PDT (16:30 UTC)
In effect from
Sep 9, 2021, 5:00 PM PDT
Expired
Sep 10, 2021, 8:29 AM PDT
In force
15 hr
Issued by
NWS San Francisco Bay Area, CA

Counties Alameda County, CA, Contra Costa County, CA, Marin County, CA, Napa County, CA, Sonoma County, CA

The radar

The Sacramento radar (KDAX), 73 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

Oakland, CA (KOAK), launched 12:00Z, 4.5 hours before the alert went out and 47 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, Oakland, CA at 12:00Z on 2021-09-09Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Oakland, CA at 12:00Z on 2021-09-09The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 15 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
2428 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
43 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
15 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
69 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

447 
WWUS86 KMTR 091630
RFWMTR

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service San Francisco CA
930 AM PDT Thu Sep 9 2021

...Dry lightning as well as gusty/erratic wind potential this
afternoon through Friday morning...

.Upper level moisture continues to increase over the region 
from south to north. The sub-tropical moisture will interact with
an upper level disturbance moving in from the west. Thunderstorm 
chances increase late this afternoon into early Friday morning as 
the disturbance moves inland. Thunderstorms will be a mix of wet
and dry, but given how dry the fuels are any lightning strikes 
will be problematic. The threat for thunderstorms diminishes early
Friday as the moisture exits eastward.

CAZ506-507-510-511-100600-
/O.UPG.KMTR.FW.A.0004.210910T0000Z-210910T1800Z/
/O.NEW.KMTR.FW.W.0005.210910T0000Z-210910T1800Z/
North Bay Interior Valleys-North Bay Mountains-
East Bay Interior Valleys-East Bay Hills and the Diablo Range-
930 AM PDT Thu Sep 9 2021

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 5 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 11 AM
PDT FRIDAY FOR DRY LIGHTNING FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES 
506,507,510,511...

The National Weather Service in San Francisco has issued a Red
Flag Warning for Dry Lightning, which is in effect from 5 PM this
afternoon to 11 AM PDT Friday. The Fire Weather Watch is no 
longer in effect.

* AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zone 506 North Bay Interior 
  Valleys, Fire Weather Zone 507 North Bay Mountains, Fire 
  Weather Zone 510 East Bay Interior Valleys and Fire Weather 
  Zone 511 East Bay Hills and the Diablo Range.

* TIMING...Thursday afternoon through Friday morning.

* WINDS...Gusty and erratic winds are possible near any showers 
  or thunderstorms.

* LIGHTNING...Isolated to scattered thunderstorms may develop 
  late this afternoon and continue overnight into Friday morning. 
  Fast-moving storms may produce dry lightning.

* IMPACTS...Given the dry fuels, any cloud to ground lightning 
  strikes have the potential of starting new wildfires. Rapid 
  spread may occur with any gusty and erratic winds.

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.

&&

$$
3 follow-up statements
887 
WWUS86 KMTR 100427
RFWMTR

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service San Francisco CA
927 PM PDT Thu Sep 9 2021

...Dry lightning as well as gusty/erratic wind potential tonight 
through Friday morning...

.Upper level moisture continues to increase over the region from
south to north. The sub-tropical moisture will interact with an
upper level disturbance moving in from the west. Thunderstorm
chances increase tonight into early Friday morning as the 
disturbance moves inland. Thunderstorms will be a mix of wet and 
dry, but given how dry the fuels are any lightning strikes will be
problematic. The threat for thunderstorms diminishes early Friday
as the moisture exits eastward.

CAZ506-507-510-511-101300-
/O.CON.KMTR.FW.W.0005.000000T0000Z-210910T1800Z/
North Bay Interior Valleys-North Bay Mountains-
East Bay Interior Valleys-East Bay Hills and the Diablo Range-
927 PM PDT Thu Sep 9 2021

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 AM PDT FRIDAY FOR
DRY LIGHTNING FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES 506,507,510,511...

* AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zone 506 North Bay Interior 
  Valleys, Fire Weather Zone 507 North Bay Mountains, Fire 
  Weather Zone 510 East Bay Interior Valleys and Fire Weather 
  Zone 511 East Bay Hills and the Diablo Range.

* TIMING...Tonight through Friday morning.

* WINDS...West 10 to 15 mph with gusts up to 25 mph.

* LIGHTNING...Isolated to scattered thunderstorms may develop 
  overnight into Friday morning. Fast-moving storms may produce 
  dry lightning.

* IMPACTS...Given the dry fuels, any cloud to ground lightning 
  strikes have the potential of starting new wildfires. Rapid 
  spread may occur with any gusty and erratic winds.

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.

&&

$$
063 
WWUS86 KMTR 101100
RFWMTR

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service San Francisco CA
400 AM PDT Fri Sep 10 2021

...Dry lightning as well as gusty/erratic wind potential through
this morning...

.A weather system will continue to push inland over the Bay Area 
this morning producing isolated to scattered high-based showers 
and thunderstorms. Dry lightning remains the greatest threat as 
convection overnight and into this morning has produced little to 
no rainfall, generally less than 0.10". The threat for 
thunderstorms will diminish through the morning as the weather
system pushes inland. 

CAZ506-507-510-511-101800-
/O.CON.KMTR.FW.W.0005.000000T0000Z-210910T1800Z/
North Bay Interior Valleys-North Bay Mountains-
East Bay Interior Valleys-East Bay Hills and the Diablo Range-
400 AM PDT Fri Sep 10 2021

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 AM PDT THIS
MORNING FOR DRY LIGHTNING FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES
506,507,510,511...

* AFFECTED AREA...North Bay Mountains and Valleys, East Bay Hills
  and Valleys, and the Diablo Range.

* WINDS...Gusty and erratic winds are possible near any showers 
  or thunderstorms. 

* THUNDERSTORMS...Isolated to scattered thunderstorms will be 
  possible through this morning. Fast-moving storms may produce 
  dry lightning.

* IMPACTS...Given the dry fuels, any cloud to ground lightning 
  strikes have the potential of starting new wildfires. Rapid 
  spread may occur with any gusty and erratic winds.

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.

&&

$$
527 
WWUS86 KMTR 101529
RFWMTR

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service San Francisco CA
829 AM PDT Fri Sep 10 2021


CAZ506-507-510-511-101630-
/O.CAN.KMTR.FW.W.0005.000000T0000Z-210910T1800Z/
North Bay Interior Valleys-North Bay Mountains-
East Bay Interior Valleys-East Bay Hills and the Diablo Range-
829 AM PDT Fri Sep 10 2021

...RED FLAG WARNING IS CANCELLED FROM THE DRY LIGHTNING THREAT...

The National Weather Service in San Francisco has cancelled the
Red Flag Warning.

As the showers and storms move east and out of the region, the
threat of dry lightning has diminished.

$$

The office that day

Everything else NWS San Francisco Bay Area, CA issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 8, 8:47 PM PDTSmall Craft AdvisoryMTR5 days

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in California, 2021Every red flag warning in 2021

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.