Alert archive / Arizona / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1994

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 13, NWS Tucson, AZ

August 13, 1994Pima County, Arizona

NWS Tucson, AZ issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 13, 1994, 2:53 PM MST for Pima County, Arizona. It was in force for 67 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Aug 13, 1994, 2:53 PM MST (21:53 UTC)
Expired
Aug 13, 1994, 4:00 PM MST
In force
67 min
Issued by
NWS Tucson, AZ
Area
Whole counties

County Pima County, AZ

The nearest sounding before it

Tuscon, AZ (KTUS), launched 12:00Z, 9.9 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.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Tuscon, AZ at 12:00Z on 1994-08-13Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 484 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 12:00Z on 1994-08-13The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -10 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
484 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-170 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1901 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
11 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-10 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
81 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KTUS 132154 RRA
SVRTUS
AZC019-132300-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON ARIZONA
253 PM MST SAT AUG 13 1994
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON ARIZONA HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  400 PM MST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL ARIZONA
 
   ...EASTERN PIMA COUNTY
 
TUCSON WEATHER RADAR AND LIGHTNING DETECTION EQUIPMENT HAVE INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM IN EASTERN PIMA COUNTY. IT IS LOCATED ABOUT 20 MILES
NORTHEAST OF TUCSON AND IS APPROACHING THE REDINGTON PASS AREA AT ABOUT
15 MILES PER HOUR.
 
 
 
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM.  IF YOU ARE IN ITS PATH YOU SHOULD
PREPARE FOR DAMAGING2 WIND IN EXCESS OF 55 MPH...LARGE HAIL...AND
DEADLY LIGHTNING.  PEOPLE OUTSIDE SHOULD MOVE TO A SHELTER...
PREFERABLY INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING BUT STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.
 
 
BARTOLOME

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, Aug 13, 1:24 PM MST, 1 hour 29 minutes before
AZZ009-010-132330-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON ARIZONA
124 PM MST SAT AUG 13 1994

...WIDESPREAD THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IS OCCURING OVER COCHISE, SANTA
CRUZ, AND FAR EASTERN PIMA COUNTIES...

AT 118 PM MST, NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR AND LIGHTNING DETECTION
SHOWED WIDESPREAD THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT ACROSS COCHISE, SANTA CRUZ,
AND FAR EASTERN PIMA COUNTY.  THE STRONGEST DEVELOPMENT WAS OCCURING
ABOUT 10 MILES NORTHWEST OF DOUGLAS AND ABOUT 5 MILES NORTH OF FORT
HUACHUCA IN COCHISE COUNTY.  ANOTHER CELL WAS LOCATED ABOUT 10 MILES
NORTH OF NOGALES IN SANTA CRUZ COUNTY.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING SLOWLY WEST AT ABOUT 10 MPH.  LOCALIZED
HEAVY RAINFALL, STRONG GUSTY WIND, AND OCCASIONAL CLOUD-TO-GROUND
LIGHTNING STRIKES WERE DETECTED.  A DOUGLAS WEATHER OBSERVER REPORTED
WIND GUSTS TO 29 MPH AT 1257 PM.

THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT WILL BE ON THE INCREASE THIS AFTERNOON AND IS
ANTICIPATED TO AFFECT EASTERN PIMA COUNTY, POSSIBLY INCLUDING THE
GREATER TUCSON AREA IN THE LATE AFTERNOON HOURS.

JAMES
Special weather statement, Aug 13, 1:25 PM MST, 1 hour 28 minutes before
AZZ009-010-132330-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON ARIZONA
124 PM MST SAT AUG 13 1994

...WIDESPREAD THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IS OCCURING OVER COCHISE, SANTA
CRUZ, AND FAR EASTERN PIMA COUNTIES...

AT 118 PM MST, NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR AND LIGHTNING DETECTION
SHOWED WIDESPREAD THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT ACROSS COCHISE, SANTA CRUZ,
AND FAR EASTERN PIMA COUNTY.  THE STRONGEST DEVELOPMENT WAS OCCURING
ABOUT 10 MILES NORTHWEST OF DOUGLAS AND ABOUT 5 MILES NORTH OF FORT
HUACHUCA IN COCHISE COUNTY.  ANOTHER CELL WAS LOCATED ABOUT 10 MILES
NORTH OF NOGALES IN SANTA CRUZ COUNTY.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING SLOWLY WEST AT ABOUT 10 MPH.  LOCALIZED
HEAVY RAINFALL, STRONG GUSTY WIND, AND OCCASIONAL CLOUD-TO-GROUND
LIGHTNING STRIKES WERE DETECTED.  A DOUGLAS WEATHER OBSERVER REPORTED
WIND GUSTS TO 29 MPH AT 1257 PM.

THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT WILL BE ON THE INCREASE THIS AFTERNOON AND IS
ANTICIPATE|D TO AFFECT EASTERN PIMA COUNTY, POSSIBLY INCLUDING THE
GREATER TUCSON AREA IN THE LATE AFTERNOON HOURS.

JAMES

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 13, 1:53 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCSanta Cruz52 min
Aug 13, 3:55 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCPima50 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Arizona, 1994Every severe thunderstorm 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.