Alert archive / Arizona / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 4, NWS Phoenix, AZ

July 10, 1990Maricopa County, Pinal County, Arizona

NWS Phoenix, AZ issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 10, 1990, 7:01 PM MST for Maricopa County, Pinal County, Arizona. It was in force for 119 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
Jul 10, 1990, 7:01 PM MST (02:01 UTC)
Expired
Jul 10, 1990, 9:00 PM MST
In force
119 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jul 10, 9:00 PM MSTThunderstorm Wind 0Maricopa, 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 00:00Z, 2.0 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.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Tuscon, AZ at 00:00Z on 1990-07-11Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 357 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 1990-07-11The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -11 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
357 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-72 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2256 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
21 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-11 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
51 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
-0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KPHX 110206 RRA
SVRPHX
AZC013-021-110400-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX ARIZONA
701 PM MST TUE JUL 10 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PHOENIX ARIZONA HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  900 PM MST
FOR THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...S...
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL ARIZONA
 
   ...EASTERN MARICOPA COUNTY...NORTH CENTRAL PINAL COUNTY
 
THI INCLUDES THE GREATER PHOENIX AREA...STRETCHING FROM FLORENCE IN
PINAL COUNTY...THROUGH QUENN CREEK...AND TOWARDS THE METROPOLITAN
AREA.
 
A LINE OF INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOPED OVER THE MOUNTAINS
NORTHEAST AND EAST OF THE GREATER PHOENIX AREA WAS MOVING TOWARDS THE
EAST VALLEY. A WIND GUST FRONT FROM THESE THUNDERSTORMS IN EXCESS OF
57 MPH WILL LIKELY SWEEP THROUGH SECTIONS OF THE GREATER
PHOENIX WITHIN THE NEXT 2 HOURS.
 
DAMAGING WINDS ARE A POSSIBILITY...ALONG WITH HAIL... AND A MASSIVE
DUSTSTORM.
 
 
 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAUSE DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL AND DEADLY
LIGHTNING. MOVE INSIDE A REINFORCED BUILDING OR STORM SHELTER. GO TO
AN INTERIOR ROOM OR HALLWAY ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. STAY AWAY FROM
WINDOWS.
 
MOBILE HOMES ARE IN DANGER FROM SEVERE THUNDeERSTORM WINDS...
ESPECIALLY IF THEY HAVE NOT BEEN TIED DOWN. FOR YOUR SAFETY...TAKE
SHELTER IN A STRONG BUILDING. IF YOUR TRAILER PARK HAS A STORM
SHELTER...USE IT.

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, Jul 10, 3:36 PM MST, 3 hours 25 minutes before
AZZALL-110000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
330 PM MST TUE JUL 10 1990

    ...THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN AND HAIL IN PAYSON....

THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN HAVE BEEN DEVELOPING ALONG THE MOGOLLON
AND WHITE MOUNTAINS THIS AFTERNOON.  SOME OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS
ALONG THE RIM NEAR PAYSON... SOUTHEAST TOWARDS THE TOWN OF WHITERIVER
HAVE PRODUCED VERY HEAVY DOWNPOURS.

AT 310 PM AN OBSERVER IN PAYSON REPORTED 1.15 INCHES OF RAIN IN 25
MINUTES ACCOMPANIED BY PEA TO MARBLE SIZED HAILSTONES. THERE WAS RUNOFF
IN THE NEARBY CREEKS... AS WELL AS MINOR STREET FLOODING IN PAYSON.

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING HEAVY RAINS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE
TO DEVELOP THROUGHOUT THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS.  MOTORISTS
DRIVING NEAR THE BASE OF THE MOGOLLON RIM AND WHITE MOUNTAINS...
ESPECIALLY HIGHWAYS 60... 73... AND 87 SHOULD BE ALERT FOR HEAVY RAINS
IN THE VICINITY THAT MAY CAUSE WASHES AND CREEKS TO RUN ACROSS THE
ROADWAYS.

VASQUEZ
Special weather statement, Jul 10, 6:29 PM MST, 32 minutes before
AZZALL-110400-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
630 PM MST TUE JUL 10 1990

...A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS IS MOVING TOWARD THE PHOENIX AREA...

AT 600 PM MST, NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR AT SKY HARBOR IN PHOENIX
INDICATED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS IN THE SALT RIVER LAKES RECREATIONAL
AREA JUST SOUTHWEST OF THE MAZATZAL MOUNTAINS INCLUDING FOUR PEAKS TO
THE SUPERSTITION MOUNTAINS. SOME OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS CONTAINED VERY
HEAVY RAIN AND POSSIBLE HAIL.

THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING FROM THE NORTHEAST TOWARD THE SOUTHWEST AT
15 MILES PER HOUR. A DUST STORM WITH VERY STRONG GUSTY DAMAGING WINDS
AND DENSE BLOWING DUST IS POSSIBLE IN THE GREATER PHOENIX AREA INCLUDING
APACHE JUNCTION BY 700 OR 730 PM MST. THUNDERSTORMS WITH DANGEROUS CLOUD
TO GROUND LIGHTNING ARE EXPECTED TO FOLLOW THE DUST STORM AND REACH THE
PHOENIX AREA BY 730 OR 8 PM MST. LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN AND HAIL ARE
POSSIBLE WITH THE THUNDERSTORMS.

IF YOU ARE DRIVING IN THE SOUTHCENTRAL DESERTS INCLUDING PHOENIX THIS
EVENING, BE ALERT FOR SUDDEN REDUCTIONS IN VISIBILITY DUE TO DENSE
BLOWING DUST OR VERY HEAVY RAIN. IF VISIBILITY BECOMES VERY POOR, PULL
OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, TURN YOUR LIGHTS OFF AND TAKE YOUR FOOT OFF
THE BRAKE.

STREET AND LOCAL HIGHWAY FLOODING IS POSSIBLE IN THE SOUTHCENTRAL
DESERTS INCLUDING PHOENIX THIS EVENING.

IF YOU OBSERVE THREATENING WEATHER INCLUDING CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING,
MOVE TO A SAFE PILACE INDOORS.

CRAIG ELLIS

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Arizona, 1990Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1990

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.