Alert archive / Arizona / Flash Flood Warnings in 1986
Flash Flood Warning 1, NWS Tucson, AZ
NWS Tucson, AZ issued this flash flood warning at Jul 14, 1986, 5:30 PM MST for Pima County, Arizona. It was in force for 3 hr.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Jul 14, 1986, 5:30 PM MST (00:30 UTC)
- Expired
- Jul 14, 1986, 8:00 PM MST
- In force
- 3 hr
- Issued by
- NWS Tucson, AZ
- Area
- Whole counties
County Pima County, AZ
The radar
The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.
The nearest sounding before it
Tuscon, AZ (KTUS), launched 00:00Z, 0.5 hours before the alert went out and 84 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 575 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -5 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 2083 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 25 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -28 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- -8 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- -0.4
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KTUS 150042 FFWTUS AZC019-020000- BULLETIN...EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED FLASH FLOOD WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ 530 PM MST MON JUL 14 1986 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN TUCSON HAS ISSUED A FLASH FLOOD WARNING UNTIL 800 PM MST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY OF SOUTHEAST ARIZONA..PIMA AT 530 PM THE TUCSON WEATHER RADAR INDICATED VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS OVER EASTERN PIMA COUNTY. RAINFALL REPORTS INDICATE OVER AN INCH OF RAIN HAS FALLEN IN THE CATALINA MOUNTAINS AND MANY WASHES IN EASTERN PIMA COUNTY ARE RUNNING WHERE HEVY THUNDERSTORMS HAVE PAST. A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS FLOODING HAS ALREADY OCCURRED OR IS IMMINENT. PEOPLE IN THE AFFECTED AREA SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR FLOODING AND BE PREPARED TO ESCAPE TO HIGHER GROUND IMMEDIATELY. < BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR RAPID WATER RISE IN WASHES AND CANYONS.. ESPECAILLY THE CANYONS RUNNING OUT OF THE CATALINA MOUNTAINS. BE PREPARED TO MOVE IMMEDIATELY TO HIGHER GROUND AS FLASH FLOODING CAN OCCUR QUICKLY AND WITH DANGEROUS RESULTS. SMITH NWS
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this flash flood warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Jul 14, 1:47 PM MST, 3 hours 43 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ 150 PM MST MON JUL 14 1986 TUCSON WEATHER RADAR SHOWED THUNDERSTORMS BLOSSOMING RAPIDLY OVER SOUTHEASTERN ARIZONA AT 145 PM. HEAVIEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE NEAR PEARCE IN THE SULPHER SPRINGS VALLEY AND BETWEEN SONOITA AND THE SANTA RITA MOUNTAINS TO THE SOUTHEAST OF TUCSON. OTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN SOUTHWEST GRAHAM COUNTY OVER THE GALIURO MOUNTAINS. MOVEMENT WAS TOWARD THE WEST AT ABOUT 20 MPH. PERSONS IN THE VICINITY OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR STRONG GUSTY WINDS..POSSIBLE BLOWING DUST..DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND HEAVY RAINFALL WITH RAPID RUNOFF INTO NORMALLY DRY WASHES. MOTORISTS SHOULD EXERCISE CAUT ION AND WATCH FOR WATER IN HIGHWAY DIPS AND OTHER LOW LYING AREAS. WEBER
Special weather statement, Jul 14, 3:15 PM MST, 2 hours 15 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ 315 PM MST MON JUL 14 1986 NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS COVERED SOUTHEASTERN ARIZONA AT 300 PM. A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS STRETCHED FROM NEAR SAN MANUEL SOUTHEASTWARD TO THE MEXICAN BORDER NEAR BISBEE. RADAR SHOWED THE STRONGEST STORMS TO BE LOCATED ABOUT 10 MILES NORTH OF BENSON..OVER THE WHETSTONE MOUNTAINS 15 MILES SOUTHWET OF BENSON..NEAR PARKER CANYON LAKE..AND ABOUT 20 MILES NORTHWEST OF NOGALES NEAR PENA BLANCA LAKE. MOVEMENT WAS TOWARD THE WEST AT ABOUT 20 MPH. WITH THIS MOVEMENT THERE IS A STRONG LIKLIHOOD THAT THUNDERSTORMS WILL SWEEP ACROSS THE TUCSON AREA WITHIN THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS. PERSONS IN THE VICINITY OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR STRONG AND DAMAGING WINDS..BLOWING DUST..DANGEROUS LIGHTNING..HAIL AND HEAVY RAINFALL WITH RAPID RUNOFF INTO NORMALLY DRY WASHES. MOTORISTS SHOULD EXERCISE CAUTION AND WATCH FOR WATER IN HIGHWAY DIPS AND OTHERE LOW LYING FLOOD PRONE AREAS. WEBER
The office that day
Everything else NWS Tucson, AZ issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 14, 5:00 PM MST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TWC | Pima | 90 min |
| Jul 15, 1:00 PM MST | Flash Flood Warning | TWC | Cochise | 2 hr |
| Jul 15, 1:30 PM MST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TWC | Pima | 60 min |
Nearby
Flash Flood Warnings in Arizona, 1986Every flash flood warning in 1986
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.