Alert archive / Arizona / Flash Flood Warnings in 1994

Flash Flood Warning 9, NWS Phoenix, AZ

August 25, 1994Pinal County, Arizona

NWS Phoenix, AZ issued this flash flood warning at Aug 25, 1994, 6:17 PM MST for Pinal County, Arizona. It was in force for 58 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Aug 25, 1994, 6:17 PM MST (01:17 UTC)
Expired
Aug 25, 1994, 7:15 PM MST
In force
58 min
Issued by
NWS Phoenix, AZ
Area
Whole counties

County Pinal County, AZ

The nearest sounding before it

Tuscon, AZ (KTUS), launched 00:00Z, 1.3 hours before the alert went out and 92 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 1994-08-26Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 553 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 1994-08-26The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 17 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
553 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-56 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2202 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
7 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
17 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
127 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KPHX 260125
FFWPHX
AZC021-260235-

BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM AND FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
617 PM MST THU AUG 25 1994

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PHOENIX AZ HAS ISSUED A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM AND FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 735 PM MST FOR
PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...

IN SOUTH CENTRAL ARIZONA

  ...EASTERN PINAL COUNTY...INCLUDING THE TOWNS OF DUDLEYVILLE
     AND MAMMOTH ALONG STATE HIGHWAY 77

VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS HAVE MERGED OVER THE BACKCOUNTRY AREA JUST
EAST OF DUDLEYVILLE AND MAMMOTH IN EASTERN PINAL COUNTY.  THESE
THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 57 MPH AND
EXTREMELY HEAVY RAINS LEADING TO FLOODING OR FLASH FLOODING.  MANY OF
THE WASHES AND DRAINAGES, INCLUDING ARAVAIPA CREEK, WILL LIKELY BE
RUNNING HIGH.

RADAR ESTIMATED RAINFALL RATES OF NEARLY 2 INCHES PER HOUR HAVE FALLEN
IN EASTERN PINAL COUNTY.

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM AND* FLASH FLOOD WARNING IS POSTED UNTIL 735 PM.

DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DRIVE THROUGH RISING WATER.

BE AWARE OF THE DANGER OF LOCAL FLOODING CAUSED BY THUNDERSTORM RAINS.

VASQUEZ

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, Aug 25, 4:24 PM MST, 1 hour 53 minutes before
AZZ008-260100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
430 PM MST THU AUG 25 1994

...A CLUSTER OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING OVER THE MOUNTAINS
   NORTHEAST OF THE CITIES OF GLOBE AND MIAMI...

A SMALL CLUSTER OF THUNDERSTORMS HAVE BEEN DEVELOPING NEAR THE SALT
RIVER CANYON NORTHEAST OF GLOBE AND MIAMI SINCE 3 PM.  MOST OF THESE
STORMS WERE LOCATED IN THE REMOTE MOUNTAINS AND PRODUCING LOCALLIZED
RAINFALL RATES ON THE ORDER OF 1 TO 1.5 INCHES PER HOUR.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE SLOWLY MOVING TO THE SOUTHWEST, AND COULD
EVENTUALLY MOVE INTO THE VICINITY OF GLOBE/MIAMI AROUND 530 OR 6PM.

MOTORISTS DRIVING ON STATE HIGHWAY 77, AND OTHERS NEAR GLOBE/MIAMI,
SHOULD MONITOR WEATHER CONDITIONS IN THE AREA.  BE PREPARED TO TAKE
SHELTER IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES.

VASQUEZ
Special weather statement, Aug 25, 4:30 PM MST, 1 hour 47 minutes before
AZZ008-260100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
430 PM MST THU AUG 25 1994

...A CLUSTER OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING OVER THE MOUNTAINS
   NORTHEAST OF THE CITIES OF GLOBE AND MIAMI...

A SMALL CLUSTER OF THUNDERSTORMS HAVE BEEN DEVELOPING NEAR THE SALT
RIVER CANYON NORTHEAST OF GLOBE AND MIAMI SINCE 3 PM.  MOST OF THESE
STORMS WERE LOCATED IN THE REMOTE MOUNTAINS AND PRODUCING LOCALLIZED
RAINFALL RATES ON THE ORDER OF 1 TO 1.5 INCHES PER HOUR.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE SLOWLY MOVING TO THE SOUTHWEST, AND COULD
EVENTUALLY MOVE INTO THE VICINITY OF GLOBE/MIAMI AROUND 530 OR 6PM.

MOTORISTS DRIVING ON STATE HIGHWAY 77, AND OTHERS NEAR GLOBE/MIAMI,
SHOULD MONITOR WEATHER CONDITIONS IN THE AREA.  BE PREPARED TO TAKE
SHELTER IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES.

VASQUEZ
Special weather statement, Aug 25, 5:50 PM MST, 27 minutes before
AZZ010-260230-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
550 PM MST THU AUG 25 1994

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IN EXTREME EAST PINAL COUNTY...

AT 545 PM, PHOENIX DOPPLER RADAR DETECTED SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS OVER
PORTIONS OF EXTREME EAST PINAL COUNTY.

THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORM WAS CENTERED 10 MILES EAST OF WINKELMAN.
MOVEMENT WAS TO THE SOUTH AT 10 MILES PER HOUR.  THIS STORM WILL PRODUCE
STRONG, GUSTY WINDS, LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN, AND SMALL HAIL, BUT SHOULD
REMAIN MAINLY OVER OPEN COUNTRY EAST OF DUDLEYVILLE.

A SECOND AREA OF STRONG STORMS EXTENDED FROM 5 MILES EAST OF MAMMOTH TO
10 MILES SOUTHEAST OF SAN MANUEL.  THIS AREA WAS MOVING TO THE SOUTHWEST
AT 10 TO 15 MILES PER HOUR.  THE SAN MANUEL AREA WILL EXPERIENCE BRIEF,
HEAVY RAIN AND WINDS OCCASIONALLY GUSTING TO 40 MILES PER HOUR BETWEEN
550 AND 630 PM MST.

GREEN
Special weather statement, Aug 25, 6:13 PM MST, 4 minutes before
AZZ004-010-260200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
613 PM MST THU AUG 25 1994

...THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING RAPIDLY OVER NORTHEAST PINAL AND SOUTHERN
GILA COUNTIES...

AT 610 PM, PHOENIX DOPPLER RADAR DETECTED THUNDERSTORMS OVER NORTHEAST
PINAL AND SOUTHERN GILA COUNTIES.

THE STRONGEST STORM WAS LOCATED 13 MILES SOUTHEAST OF SUPERIOR.  THIS
STORM IS MOVING TO THE SOUTH AT 5 MILES PER HOUR.  PERSONS IN THE
COMMUNITIES OF KEARNY, RIVERSIDE, AND KELVIN CAN EXPECT BRIEF, HEAVY
RAIN AND WINDS GUSTING TO 45 MILES PER HOUR BETWEEN 615 AND 645 PM.
MOTORISTS ON STATE ROUTE 177 SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR RAPIDLY-CHANGING
WEATHER CONDITIONS.

LESS INTENSE STORMS WERE SCATTERED OVER FAR SOUTHERN GILA COUNTY.

GREEN

The office that day

Everything else NWS Phoenix, AZ issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 25, 6:17 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPSRPinal58 min
Aug 26, 4:25 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPSRGila45 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Arizona, 1994Every flash flood warning in 1994

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.