Alert archive / Arizona / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1989
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 13, NWS Phoenix, AZ
NWS Phoenix, AZ issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Oct 21, 1989, 2:05 PM MST for Maricopa County, Pinal County, Arizona. It was in force for 85 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.
The facts
- Issued
- Oct 21, 1989, 2:05 PM MST (21:05 UTC)
- Expired
- Oct 21, 1989, 3:30 PM MST
- In force
- 85 min
- Issued by
- NWS Phoenix, AZ
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Maricopa County, AZ, Pinal County, AZ
The radar
The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 21, 3:20 PM MST | Thunderstorm Wind 0 | Maricopa, AZ |
NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in. Storm Data before 1996 records only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail.
The nearest sounding before it
Tuscon, AZ (KTUS), launched 12:00Z, 9.1 hours before the alert went out and 143 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
- 10 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -115 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1215 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 32 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 42 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 47 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KPHX 212133 COR SVRPHX AZC013-021-025-212230- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING...TIME CORRECTION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ 230 PM MST SAT OCT 21 1989 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PHOENIX HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 330 PM MST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS... IN SOUTH CENTRAL ARIZONA ...EASTERN MARICOPA COUNTY...WESTERN PINAL COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL ARIZONA ...SOUTHEASTERN YAVAPAI COUNTY AT 230 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR AT SKY HARBOR IN PHOENIX WAS SHOWING SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WITH LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN AND VERY STRONG GUSTY DAMAGING WINDS MOVING INTO CENTRAL ARIZONA INCLUDING THE PHOENIX AREA. GLENDALE AIRPORT REPORTED WINDS GUSTING TO 58 MILES PER HOUR. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST AT 30 MILES PER HOUR. WHEN THUNDERSTORMS ARE OCCURRING...PEOPLE SHOULD MOVE INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING. DO NOT STAND BY WINDOWS. DON'T USE TELEPHONES OR ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES UNLESS IN AN EMERGENCY UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED. MOTORISTS SHOULD NOT DRIVE INTO FLOODED ROADWAY DIPS. IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER FROM THE WEATHER IN A STRONG BUILDING. DAMAGING WIND...LARGE HAIL...VERY HEAVY RAIN... AND DEADLY LIGHTNING ARE ALL POSSIBLE IN SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. STAY INSIDE AWAY FROM WINDOWS UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED.
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm 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, Oct 21, 12:20 PM MST, 1 hour 45 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
1215 PM MST SAT OCT 21 1989
...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WITH LOCALLY
HEAVY RAIN OVER WESTERN ARIZONA...
AT 12 NOON MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR AT SKY HARBOR IN PHOENIX
WAS SHOWING SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WITH LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN OVER WESTERN
ARIZONA. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST AT 30
MILES PER HOUR.
A THUNDERSTORM WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN...POSSIBLE STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND
BLOWING DUST WAS LOCATED OVER NORTHEAST YUMA COUNTY APPROACHING
INTERSTATE 10.
THE AREA OF SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IS EXPECTED TO SHIFT
EAST ACROSS ARIZONA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
IF YOU ARE INVOLVED IN ANY OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES IN ARIZONA INCLUDING
DRIVING AND BOATING THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...BE ALERT FOR
THUNDERSTORMS WITH LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN AND STRONG GUSTY SHIFTING WINDS.
IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOU...MOVE TO A SAFE PLACE...CINDOORS
IF POSSIBLE. BE ALERT FOR POSSIBLE BLOWING DUST AHEAD OF THUNDERSTORMS
ON THE DESERTS WITH SUDDEN REDUCTION IN VISIBILITY.
CRAIG ELLISSpecial weather statement, Oct 21, 2:03 PM MST, 2 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
200 PM MST SAT OCT 21 1989
...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WITH LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN OVER WESTERN ARIZONA
IS SHIFTING EAST INTO CENTRAL ARIZONA INCLUDING THE PHOENIX AREA..
AT 2 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR AT SKY HARBOR IN PHOENIX
WAS SHOWING SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WITH LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN OVER THE
WESTERN HALF OF ARIZONA. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TOWARD THE
NORTHEAST AT 30 MILES PER HOUR. THE EASTERN EDGE OF THE SHOWERS WERE
MOVING INTO THE WESTERN PART OF THE GREATER PHOENIX AREA AS OF 2 PM MST.
A THUNDERSTORM WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN...POSSIBLE STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND
BLOWING DUST AHEAD OF IT WAS LOCATED ABOUT 10 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
AVONDALE AND GOODYEAR OR 25 MILES WEST OF DOWNTOWN PHOENIX AT 2 PM MST.
THE AREA OF SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IS EXPECTED TO SPREAD
EAST INTO ALL OF CENTRAL ARIZONA INCLUDING PHOENIX DURING MID AND LATE
AFTERNOON...AND OVER CENTRAL AND EASTERN ARIZONA INCLUDING PHOENIX AND
TUCSON THIS EVENING.
IF YOU ARE INVOLVED IN ANY OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES IN ARIZONA INCLUDING
DRIVING AND BOATING THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...BE ALERT FOR
THUNDERSTORMS WITH LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN...LOCAL FLOODING OF ROADWAY DIPS
AND STRONG GUSTY SHIFTING WINDS. ALSO...BE ALERT FOR POSSIBLE BLOWING
DUST AHEAD OF THUNDERSTORMS ON THE DESERTS WITH SUDDEN REDUCTION IN
VISIBILITY.
IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOU...MOVE TO A SAFEy PLACE...INDOORS
IF POSSIBLE.
CRAIG ELLISNearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Arizona, 1989Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1989
Sources
The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.