Tag: Red Flag Warning

Today we have two very different versions of maps showing the location of Red Flag Warnings in the United States. Both of them were produced by NOAA and the screen grabs were acquired at about 9:35 a.m. on March 12, but one has Red Flag Warnings only in Iowa and Kansas, while the other also includes areas in Nebraska, Minnesota, and South Dakota.

When you go to the site of the first one as seen below, it is possible to click on an area which pulls up a window with a link to the actual text of the Red Flag Warning for that location. Some, but not all of the detailed forecasts for the three questionable states say the Warning will not begin until this afternoon, which may be part of the reason the second one does not include those areas. One feature I like about the second one is that it includes a date and time, something the first one does not have on the main map. It also may be significant that the second one is labeled “experimental”.

Other than the differences in identifying which areas are under a Red Flag Warning, which graphic image of the map do you prefer? We had been preferring the second one lately, because it is cleaner and has a higher resolution. But if it does not include all of the Warning areas for that day, the designers of NOAA’s “experiment” need to go back to the drawing board.

Red Flag Warnings have been issued for areas in Nebraska and South Dakota on Wednesday for relative humidity in the low teens and strong winds gusting at 30 to 35 mph.

The map was current as of 8:45 a.m. MDT on Wednesday. Red Flag Warnings can change throughout the day as the National Weather Service offices around the country update and revise their forecasts. For the most current data visit this NWS site.

With many residents in the United States cranking up snow blowers and digging out of the Polar Vortex deep freeze, it is hard for some of us to visualize the Red Flag Warning that parts of southern California could experience today. North to northeast Santa Ana winds are predicted for Sunday until noon on Monday with local gusts exceeding 65 mph, and up to 75 mph below the Cajon Pass and along the coastal slopes of the Santa Ana Mountains. Weaker northeast winds will continue Monday night into Tuesday.

As you can see in the forecast for Corona, California above, the winds are expected to peak in that area Sunday afternoon with sustained speeds of 29 mph and gusts up to 53 mph, along with a relative humidity of 6 percent.

The near-real-time Red Flag conditions at multiple weather stations can be monitored at the NWS’ Red Flag Monitor website.

Red Flag Warnings have been issued for areas in Montana, Colorado, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Nebraska.

The Red Flag Warning in Wyoming, South Dakota, and Nebraska, is for southwest winds at 15 to 30 mph gusting to 40, with relative humidities between 10 and 15 percent. The temperature will be in the mid 70s to mid 80s. After 11 p.m. on Wednesday the winds will shift to being out of the west and then the northwest with gusts at 30 to 35 mph until Thursday afternoon, but with higher humidities.

The warning in Montana is for southwest winds of 15 to 25 mph with gusts to 35 ahead of a cold front. After the front passes in the late afternoon, the winds should turn west to northwest with gusts over 50 mph. The humidity will be 12 to 18 percent.

The map was current as of 7:30 a.m. MDT on Wednesday. Red Flag Warnings can change throughout the day as the National Weather Service offices around the country update and revise their forecasts. For the most current data visit this NWS site.

Red Flag and Fire Weather Watch Warnings have been issued for areas in California, South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, and Nevada.

The Fire Weather Watch (yellow on the map) in Wyoming, South Dakota, and Nebraska, is for Wednesday, for southwest winds at 15 to 25 mph gusting to 35, with relative humidities below 15 percent. The temperature will be in the mid 70s to mid 80s.

The map was current as of 9:30 a.m. MDT on Tuesday. Red Flag Warnings can change throughout the day as the National Weather Service offices around the country update and revise their forecasts. For the most current data visit this NWS site.

UPDATE at 3:14 p.m. MDT, October 14, 2014:

Tuesday afternoon the NWS office in Rapid City distributed this graphic about near record heat predicted in the Black Hills on Wednesday.

Red Flag and Fire Weather Watch Warnings have been issued for areas in California and Nevada.

The map was current as of 9:30 a.m. MDT on Monday. Red Flag Warnings can change throughout the day as the National Weather Service offices around the country update and revise their forecasts. For the most current data visit this NWS site.

Red Flag Warnings have been issued for areas in California and Wyoming.

The map was current as of 10:45 a.m. MDT on Thursday. Red Flag Warnings can change throughout the day as the National Weather Service offices around the country update and revise their forecasts. For the most current data visit this NWS site.