Red flag warnings are in effect Sunday for locations in Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. In New Mexico most of the warnings will last until Monday evening.
The forecast calls for winds gusting at more than 40 mph with single-digit relative humidity.
In addition, the NOAA Storm Prediction Center warns that isolated thunderstorms with little or no rain could occur in portions of New Mexico, Colorado, and Arizona.
Johnny dropped a big one with his comment about ignoring Red Flag Warnings. CT is correct on this one. I’m currently sitting on top of a 42’ lookout tower on the San Juan NF in SW Colorado with sustained winds of 25 mph gusting to 35 mph. The Grand Junction NWS issued the Red Flag Warning yesterday and I believed it and guess what, here we are riding it out on a fire tower. Our visibility is currently a poor ten miles because of smoke from a new start yesterday morning on the Coconino NF in Arizona. The Pipeline Fire was called in by a fire lookout and is now over 5,000 acres. The Red Flag Warning yesterday is contributing to the rapid fire growth for that fire. CT, we do pay attention to Red Flag Warnings out west and they are happening more and more now. I’m not sure where Johnny Appleseed is from but in Western Colorado we pay attention to “Red Flags” issued by the NWS.
Hi Rick!
It’s JC . Ex San Juan hotshot and ex Dolores vet crew liaison ….. ride that benchmark buddy!! Hope you guys have a great season…. Saw you at dans memorial this spring just didn’t catch up w ya … take care up there .. oh yeah .. red flags are totally a bunch of bullshit …says no ex or current hotshot ever . Peace ✌️ homie
“Red Flags” are just another forecast and often don’t materialize. Just like a Spot Weather forecast, if you’re not seeing it, call the NWS fire desk and give ’em a whatfer. They are also just a measure of airmass moisture and not fuels. It could rain 8″ on a Thursday and the NWS will spit out a red flag for Friday. We need to stop putting so much emphasis on Red Flags. It seems the NWS spits out Red Flags daily these days.
Johnny, I’m not sure how they do things out West, but in the Mid Atlantic, it is coordinated between the NWS and the states, and even then, it is just a set of parameters that are met and could lead to rapid fire spread:
Sustained winds 20 mph along with relative humidity less than 30 percent and fuel moisture less than or equal to 8 percent will initiate a call to the Maryland State Agency regarding a Red Flag Warning or Fire Weather Watch.
For Virginia, a call will be made when sustained winds of 20 mph and relative humidity of less than 30 percent combines with fuel moistures less than 8 percent. Temperatures must be above 40 degrees.
For West Virginia, sustained winds 20 mph along with relative humidity less than or equal to 25 percent and fuel moisture less than or equal to 8 percent will initiate a call to the State Agency.
It is worrisome that no monsoon yet and 0.68 rainfall total so far in Phoenix this year.