Alert archive / Arizona / Flash Flood Warnings in 1995

Flash Flood Warning 18, NWS Phoenix, AZ

July 15, 1995Maricopa County, Arizona

NWS Phoenix, AZ issued this flash flood warning at Jul 15, 1995, 8:45 PM MST for Maricopa County, Arizona. It was in force for 90 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jul 15, 1995, 8:45 PM MST (03:45 UTC)
Expired
Jul 15, 1995, 10:15 PM MST
In force
90 min
Issued by
NWS Phoenix, AZ
Area
Whole counties

County Maricopa County, AZ

The nearest sounding before it

Tuscon, AZ (KTUS), launched 00:00Z, 3.8 hours before the alert went out and 198 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 1995-07-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 1995-07-16The 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
2011 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
18 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
11 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
87 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 160348
FFWPHX
AZC013-160515-

BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
845 PM MST SAT JUL 15 1995

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PHOENIX AZ HAS ISSUED A FLASH FLOOD
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1015 PM MST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING
LOCATIONS...

IN SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA

  ...EXTREME WEST CENTRAL MARICOPA COUNTY

AT 845 PM...PHOENIX DOPPLER RADAR WAS SHOWING STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
REPEATEDLY MOVING FROM EAST TO WEST ACROSS FAR WESTERN MARICOPA
COUNTY. RADAR HAS ESTIMATED THAT FROM ONE TO OVER 2 INCHES OF RAIN
HAS FALLEN FROM THESE THUNDERSTORMS NEAR THE CENTENNIAL WASH FROM
WHERE IT ENTERS MARICOPA COUNTY EXTENDING TO JUST WEST OF ARLINGTON.
IT IS POSSIBLE THAT SOME FARMS IN THE AREA ARE BECOMING INUNDATED AND
THAT ASSOCIATED FARM ROADS COULD BE FLOODED. 

MOTORISTS IN THE AREA SHOULD AVOID WASHES...ESPECIALLY THE CENTENNIAL
WASH...AS WELL AS DIPS AND LOW SPOTS IN COUNTY AND FARM ROADWAYS.    

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR IS
IMMINENT.
 
BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE
DANGERS OF FLOODS AND FLASH FLOODS.
 

ESTLE

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, Jul 15, 6:05 PM MST, 2 hours 40 minutes before
AZZ001-160300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
605 PM MST SAT JUL 15 1995

...STRONG GUSTY WINDS OVER PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST ARIZONA...

STRONG WINDS...ASSOCIATED WITH THUNDERSTORMS THAT WERE PRESENT
EARLIER IN THE DAY...PASSED THROUGH PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST ARIZONA
FROM ABOUT 4 PM TO AFTER 5 PM.  WIND GUSTS TO OVER 50 MPH WERE
REPORTED AT BULLHEAD CITY...WITH GUSTS TO 35 MPH AT KINGMAN.

STRONG GUSTY WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO BE PRESENT FOR THE NEXT HOUR
OR SO.  THERE COULD ALSO BE BRIEF PERIODS OF BLOWING DUST/SAND.
THUS MOTORISTS WILL NEED TO USE CAUTION...ESPECIALLY THOSE WITH
HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES OR PULLING TRAILERS.

PERFREMENT
Special weather statement, Jul 15, 6:06 PM MST, 2 hours 39 minutes before
AZZ001-160300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
605 PM MST SAT JUL 15 1995

...STRONG GUSTY WINDS OVER PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST ARIZONA...

STRONG WINDS...ASSOCIATED WITH THUNDERSTORMS THAT WERE PRESENT
EARLIER IN THE DAY...PASSED THROUGH PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST ARIZONA
FROM ABOUT 4 PM TO AFTER 5 PM.  WIND GUSTS TO OVER 50 MPH WERE
REPORTED AT BULLHEAD CITY...WITH GUSTS TO 35 MPH AT KINGMAN.

STRONG GUSTY WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO BE PRESENT FOR THE NEXT HOUR
OR SO.  THERE COULD ALSO BE BRIEF PERIODS OF BLOWING DUST/SAND.
THUS MOTORISTS WILL NEED TO USE CAUTION...ESPECIALLY THOSE WITH
HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES OR PULLING TRAILERS.

PERFREMENT
Special weather statement, Jul 15, 6:20 PM MST, 2 hours 25 minutes before
AZZ005-007-008-160330-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
620 PM MST SAT JUL 15 1995

...WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUING ACROSS CENTRAL
ARIZONA...

AT 620 PM...PHOENIX DOPPLER WEATHER RADAR INDICATED WIDELY SCATTERED
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS MUCH OF CENTRAL AND WEST CENTRAL
ARIZONA. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE NEAR THE CAVE CREEK AND
CARE FREE AREA...OVER SOUTHERN YAVAPAI COUNTY BETWEEN WICKENBURG AND
CROWN KING AND ALSO FURTHER TO THE WEST ABOUT 10 MILES SOUTH OF
SALOME NEAR THE YUMA AND LAPAZ COUNTY LINES.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS TO
BETWEEN 40 TO 50 MPH...LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.
THEY WERE MOVING TO THE SOUTHWEST AT 15 TO 20 MPH.

ESTLE
Special weather statement, Jul 15, 6:23 PM MST, 2 hours 22 minutes before
AZZ005-007-008-160330-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
620 PM MST SAT JUL 15 1995

...WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUING ACROSS CENTRAL
ARIZONA...

AT 620 PM...PHOENIX DOPPLER WEATHER RADAR INDICATED WIDELY SCATTERED
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS MUCH OF CENTRAL AND WEST CENTRAL
ARIZONA. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE NEAR THE CAVE CREEK AND
CARE FREE AREA...OVER SOUTHERN YAVAPAI COUNTY BETWEEN WICKENBURG AND
CROWN KING AND ALSO FURTHER TO THE WEST ABOUT 10 MILES SOUTH OF
SALOME NEAR THE YUMA AND LAPAZ COUNTY LINES.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS TO
BETWEEN 40 TO 50 MPH...LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.
THEY WERE MOVING TO THE SOUTHWEST AT 15 TO 20 MPH.

ESTLE
Special weather statement, Jul 15, 8:05 PM MST, 40 minutes before
AZZ008-007-160500-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
805 PM MST SAT JUL 15 1995

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER WEST CENTRAL ARIZONA...

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR IN PHOENIX AT 8 PM INDICATED
VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER PARTS OF WEST CENTRAL ARIZONA. THE
STRONGEST STORMS WERE MOSTLY OVER THE OPEN DESERT SOUTH OF INTERSTATE
10 FROM WEST CENTRAL MARICOPA COUNTY EXTENDING INTO FAR SOUTHERN LA
PAZ AND NORTHERN YUMA COUNTIES.

THE PRIMARY THREAT ASSOCIATED WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS APPEARED TO BE
HEAVY RAINFALL. DOPPLER RADAR RAINFALL ESTIMATES WERE FROM A HALF
INCH TO OVER AN INCH AND THREE QUARTERS MAINLY OVER THE OPEN DESERT
SOUTHWEST OF TONOPAH. PERSONS HIKING OR DRIVING OFF-ROAD VEHICLES OUT
IN THE OPEN DESERT OF FAR WEST CENTRAL MARICOPA COUNTY EXTENDING INTO
FAR NORTHEAST YUMA AND FAR SOUTHEAST LA PAZ COUNTIES SHOULD WATCH OUT
FOR RUNNING WASHES...PONDING OF WATER AND THE DANGERS THEY PRESENT.

THE THUNDERSTORMS OVER WEST CENTRAL ARIZONA WERE MOVING TO THE WEST
AT ABOUT 10 TO 15 MPH.

ESTLE
Special weather statement, Jul 15, 8:07 PM MST, 38 minutes before
AZZ008-007-160500-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
805 PM MST SAT JUL 15 1995

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER WEST CENTRAL ARIZONA...

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR IN PHOENIX AT 8 PM INDICATED
VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER PARTS OF WEST CENTRAL ARIZONA. THE
STRONGEST STORMS WERE MOSTLY OVER THE OPEN DESERT SOUTH OF INTERSTATE
10 FROM WEST CENTRAL MARICOPA COUNTY EXTENDING INTO FAR SOUTHERN LA
PAZ AND NORTHERN YUMA COUNTIES.

THE PRIMARY THREAT ASSOCIATED WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS APPEARED TO BE
HEAVY RAINFALL. DOPPLER RADAR RAINFALL ESTIMATES WERE FROM A HALF
INCH TO OVER AN INCH AND THREE QUARTERS MAINLY OVER THE OPEN DESERT
SOUTHWEST OF TONOPAH. PERSONS HIKING OR DRIVING OFF-ROAD VEHICLES OUT
IN THE OPEN DESERT OF FAR WEST CENTRAL MARICOPA COUNTY EXTENDING INTO
FAR NORTHEAST YUMA AND FAR SOUTHEAST LA PAZ COUNTIES SHOULD WATCH OUT
FOR RUNNING WASHES...PONDING OF WATER AND THE DANGERS THEY PRESENT.

THE THUNDERSTORMS OVER WEST CENTRAL ARIZONA WERE MOVING TO THE WEST
AT ABOUT 10 TO 15 MPH.

ESTLE

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Arizona, 1995Every flash flood warning in 1995

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.