Alert archive / Arizona / Flash Flood Warnings in 1988

Flash Flood Warning 7, NWS Tucson, AZ

October 20, 1988Cochise County, Pima County, Santa Cruz County, Arizona

NWS Tucson, AZ issued this flash flood warning at Oct 20, 1988, 3:35 AM MST for Cochise County, Pima County, Santa Cruz County, Arizona. It was in force for 3 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Oct 20, 1988, 3:35 AM MST (10:35 UTC)
Expired
Oct 20, 1988, 7:00 AM MST
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Tucson, AZ
Area
Whole counties

Counties Cochise County, AZ, Pima County, AZ, Santa Cruz 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, 10.6 hours before the alert went out and 39 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 1988-10-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 690 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Tuscon, AZ at 00:00Z on 1988-10-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 17 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
690 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-117 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1119 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
33 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
17 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
209 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KPHX 201039 COR
FFWPHX
AZC003-009-019-021-023-201400-

BULLETIN...EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING...CORRECTION...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
335 AM MST THU OCT 20 1988

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PHOENIX HAS ISSUED A FLASH FLOOD
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 7 AM MST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES
OF SOUTHEAST ARIZONA...

WESTERN COCHISE...SANTA CRUZ...CENTRAL AND EASTERN PIMA...PINAL...
AND SOUTHWEST GRAHAM. THIS FLASH FLOOD WARNING INCLUDES THE GREATER
TUCSON METROPOLITAN AREA.

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS HAVE PREVAILED IN THE AFFECTED COUNTIES FOR THE
PAST FEW HOURS...WITH RAINFALL REPORTS IN THE HALF INCH TO ONE INCH
RANGE. HEAVY RAINFALL IS LIKELY TO CONTINUE IN THE WARNED AREA FOR
THE NEXT FEW HOURS...WITH URBAN AND LOCAL FLOODING...AND OTHER FLASH
FLOODING LIKELY.
<
A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR IS QUITE
IMMINENT. MOST FLASH FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES. DO NOT TRY
TO CROSS BRIDGES...DIPS...OR LOW SPOTS IF WATER COVERS THE ROADWAY.
NEVER TRY TO CROSS A FLOWING STREAM...EVEN A SMALL ONE...ON FOOT.

IF YOU ARE OUT AND ABOUT...KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON THE WEATHER...AND BE
PREPARED TO MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IF FLASH FLOODING OR RAPIDLY
RISING WATER IS OBSERVED.

STAY TUNED TO RADIO...OR TELEVISION OR NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS ON THE DANGEROUS WEATHER
SITUATION.

FRANJEVIC
MWF 10/20/1038Z

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Arizona, 1988Every flash flood warning in 1988

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.