Alert archive / Arizona / Red Flag Warnings in 2021

Red Flag Warning 17, NWS Tucson, AZ

May 16, 20216 counties in Arizona

NWS Tucson, AZ issued this red flag warning at May 16, 2021, 2:18 AM MST for 6 counties in Arizona. It took effect at May 16, 2021, 12:00 PM MST. It was in force for 8 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 16, 2021, 2:18 AM MST (09:18 UTC)
In effect from
May 16, 2021, 12:00 PM MST
Expired
May 16, 2021, 8:00 PM MST
In force
8 hr
Issued by
NWS Tucson, AZ

Counties Cochise County, AZ, Graham County, AZ, Greenlee County, AZ, Pima County, AZ, Pinal County, AZ, Santa Cruz County, AZ

The radar

The Tucson radar (KEMX), 61 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 09:20 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

Tuscon, AZ (KTUS), launched 00:00Z, 9.3 hours before the alert went out and 49 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, Tuscon, AZ at 00:00Z on 2021-05-16Temperature 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, Tuscon, AZ at 00:00Z on 2021-05-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 29 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
4086 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
29 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
27 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

358 
WWUS85 KTWC 160918
RFWTWC

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Tucson AZ
218 AM MST Sun May 16 2021

AZZ151-152-154-162300-
/O.NEW.KTWC.FW.W.0017.210516T1900Z-210517T0300Z/
Arizona Fire Weather Zone 151
Western half Desert Grasslands FDRA including elevations up to
5500 feet in Southeast corner of Pinal County-
Extreme Eastern Pima County-Western third of Cochise County-
Santa Cruz County-TDC-Arizona Fire Weather Zone 152
Eastern half Desert Grasslands FDRA including elevations up to
5500 feet in Southwest Graham County and Eastern two thirds of
Cochise County-Southern San Carlos Reservation-
Southern Greenlee County below 5000 feet-TDC-
Arizona Fire Weather Zone 154
Forest Woodlands FDRA including the Sky Islands of Southeast
Arizona above 5500 feet-Coronado NF-TDC-
218 AM MST Sun May 16 2021

...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 8 PM MST THIS
EVENING FOR STRONG AND GUSTY WINDS, LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY, AND
HIGH TO VERY HIGH FIRE DANGER FOR PORTIONS OF FIRE WEATHER ZONES 
151, 152, AND 154...

The National Weather Service in Tucson has issued a Red Flag
Warning, which is in effect from noon today to 8 PM MST this
evening. 

* AFFECTED AREA...Cochise County, southern Graham and Greenlee
  Counties, Santa Cruz County, and far southern Pima County.

* TIMING...Noon today through 8 PM MST this evening.

* WINDS...20-foot winds will be out of the southwest 20 to 25 mph
  with gusts to 35 mph.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...7 to 13 percent.

* IMPACTS...Any fires that develop or are ongoing will have the 
  potential to spread rapidly.

* FOR A DETAILED VIEW OF THE HAZARD AREA...Visit 
  weather.gov/Tucson and click on the Detailed Hazards Icon.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions
are either occurring now...or are expected to develop. A
combination of strong winds...low relative humidity...and dry
vegetation will create the potential for rapid and erratic fire
growth.

Please advise the appropriate officials or fire crews in the
field of the Red Flag Warning for portions of Southeast Arizona.

&&

$$

Visit us on Facebook...Twitter...YouTube...and at weather.gov/Tucson
1 follow-up statement
806 
WWUS85 KTWC 162109
RFWTWC

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Tucson AZ
209 PM MST Sun May 16 2021

AZZ151-152-154-170300-
/O.CON.KTWC.FW.W.0017.000000T0000Z-210517T0300Z/
Arizona Fire Weather Zone 151
Western half Desert Grasslands FDRA including elevations up to
5500 feet in Southeast corner of Pinal County-
Extreme Eastern Pima County-Western third of Cochise County-
Santa Cruz County-TDC-Arizona Fire Weather Zone 152
Eastern half Desert Grasslands FDRA including elevations up to
5500 feet in Southwest Graham County and Eastern two thirds of
Cochise County-Southern San Carlos Reservation-
Southern Greenlee County below 5000 feet-TDC-
Arizona Fire Weather Zone 154
Forest Woodlands FDRA including the Sky Islands of Southeast
Arizona above 5500 feet-Coronado NF-TDC-
209 PM MST Sun May 16 2021

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM MST THIS EVENING
FOR STRONG AND GUSTY WINDS, LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY, AND HIGH TO
VERY HIGH FIRE DANGER FOR PORTIONS OF FIRE WEATHER ZONES 151,
152, AND 154...

* AFFECTED AREA...Cochise County, southern Graham and Greenlee 
  Counties, Santa Cruz County, and far southern Pima County. 

* TIMING...Through 8 PM MST this evening.

* WINDS...20-foot winds will be out of the southwest 20 to 25 
  mph with gusts to 35 mph. 

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...7 to 13 percent.

* IMPACTS...Any fires that develop or are ongoing will have the 
  potential to spread rapidly.

* FOR A DETAILED VIEW OF THE HAZARD AREA...Visit 
  weather.gov/Tucson and click on the Detailed Hazards Icon.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions
are either occurring now...or are expected to develop. A
combination of strong winds...low relative humidity...and dry
vegetation will create the potential for rapid and erratic fire
growth.

Please advise the appropriate officials or fire crews in the
field of the Red Flag Warning for portions of Southeast Arizona.

&&

$$


Visit us on Facebook...Twitter...YouTube...and at weather.gov/Tucson

Nearby

Red Flag Warnings in Arizona, 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.