Alert archive / Arizona / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1995

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 9, NWS Phoenix, AZ

May 16, 1995Yavapai County, Arizona

NWS Phoenix, AZ issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 16, 1995, 3:13 PM MST for Yavapai County, Arizona. It was in force for 62 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 16, 1995, 3:13 PM MST (22:13 UTC)
Expired
May 16, 1995, 4:15 PM MST
In force
62 min
Issued by
NWS Phoenix, AZ
Area
Whole counties

County Yavapai County, AZ

The nearest sounding before it

Winslow (Autob), AZ (KINW), launched 12:00Z, 10.2 hours before the alert went out and 176 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, Winslow (Autob), AZ at 12:00Z on 1995-05-16Temperature 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 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Winslow (Autob), AZ at 12:00Z on 1995-05-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 22 square meters per square second.1939587897117136Sfc1 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
1905 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
58 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
22 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
169 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 162221
SVRPHX
AZC025-162315-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
313 PM MST TUE MAY 16 1995

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PHOENIX AZ HAS ISSUED A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 415 PM MST FOR PEOPLE IN THE
FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...

IN NORTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA

  ...CENTRAL YAVAPAI COUNTY...INCLUDING PRESCOTT AND PRESCOTT VALLEY.

AT 315 PM MST...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER
PORTIONS OF CENTRAL YAVAPAI COUNTY NEAR PRESCOTT AND PRESCOTT VALLEY. 
LARGE HAIL UP TO NICKEL SIZE HAS BEEN REPORTED WITH ONE OF THE STORMS
IN PRESCOTT.  THESE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 15 TO 25 MPH.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 57 MPH,
DESTRUCTIVE HAIL, DEADLY LIGHTNING, AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.

JD/AH

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, May 16, 12:09 PM MST, 3 hours 4 minutes before
AZZ008-007-162000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
1205 PM MST TUE MAY 16 1995

...SCATTERED SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING ACROSS THE
SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH-CENTRAL DESERTS...

AT 1200 PM MST...DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED SCATTERED SHOWERS AND A FEW
THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING RAPIDLY ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE SOUTHWEST AND
SOUTH-CENTRAL DESERTS OF ARIZONA. THESE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
WERE SCATTERED FROM JUST WEST OF THE PHOENIX AREA WEST TO NEAR GILA
BEND AND VICKSBURG. THE STRONGEST STORM WAS LOCATED BETWEEN LAVEEN
AND THE ESTRELLA MOUNTAINS.

MOVEMENT OF THESE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WAS NORTH-NORTHEAST AT 10
TO 15 MPH.

PERSONS NEAR LAVEEN SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
IN THEIR AREA. SOME STORMS MAY PRODUCE STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND BRIEF
HEAVY RAIN.

SCATTERED SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO SPREAD
ACROSS WESTERN SECTIONS OF THE GREATER PHOENIX AREA DURING THE NEXT
HOUR.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTS
ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

JD
Special weather statement, May 16, 12:49 PM MST, 2 hours 24 minutes before
AZZ008-007-162030-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...UPDATE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
1245 PM MST TUE MAY 16 1995

...SCATTERED SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WITH STRONG GUSTY WINDS
MOVING ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE GREATER PHOENIX AREA THIS AFTERNOON...

AT 1235 PM MST...DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED SCATTERED SHOWERS AND A FEW
THUNDERSTORMS SPREADING ACROSS SECTIONS OF THE GREATER PHOENIX AREA.
THESE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE SCATTERED FROM AROUND SUN CITY
AND GLENDALE SOUTH TO NEAR LAVEEN.

THE STRONGEST STORM MOVED THROUGH THE GLENDALE AREA PRODUCING SOME
BRIEF RAIN AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS WITH AREAS OF BLOWING DUST. THIS
STORM HAD DECREASED IN INTENSITY DURING THE PAST 30 MINUTES AND WAS
LOCATED OVER PORTIONS NORTH-CENTRAL PHOENIX ALONG INTERSTATE 17.

MOVEMENT OF THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WAS NORTH-NORTHEAST AT 15
TO 25 MPH.

SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE FORECAST TO CONTINUE ACROSS
PORTIONS OF THE VALLEY THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. SOME OF THE
STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE STRONG GUSTY WINDS REDUCING
VISIBILITIES IN BLOWING DUST.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTS
ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

JD
Special weather statement, May 16, 1:42 PM MST, 1 hour 31 minutes before
AZZ008-007-004-162130-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
140 PM MST TUE MAY 16 1995

...SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO CROSS PORTIONS OF
ARIZONA THIS AFTERNOON...

AT 130 PM MST DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED SCATTERED SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS PORTIONS OF ARIZONA.  THESE SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS STRETCHED FROM THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF THE STATE NORTH
OF KINGMAN SOUTHEAST TO NEAR SAFFORD.  THESE SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS WERE GENERALLY MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 15 TO 25 MPH.

THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED OVER SOUTHERN YAVAPAI AND
FAR NORTHERN MARICOPA COUNTIES BETWEEN CROWN KING AND CAVE CREEK.
THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG WINDS...HEAVY
RAIN AND SMALL HAIL.

SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE FORECAST TO CONTINUE ACROSS
PORTIONS OF THE STATE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING.  STAY TUNED TO
LOCAL TELEVISION AND RADIO BROADCASTS FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN YOUR AREA.

JD
Special weather statement, May 16, 3:13 PM MST, 0 minutes before
AZZ004-008-007-162300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...UPDATE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
310 PM MST TUE MAY 16 1995

...SCATTERED SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE ACROSS PORTIONS
OF YAVAPAI COUNTY...

AT 255 PM MST DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED SCATTERED SHOWERS WITH STRONG
GUSTY WINDS AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN ACROSS PORTIONS OF YAVAPAI COUNTY.
SOME OF THE STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN AN AREA BOUNDED BY
PRESCOTT VALLEY...BAGDAD AND CROWN KING.  A STORM SPOTTER IN PRESCOTT
VALLEY REPORTED WINDS ESTIMATED AT 40 TO 45 MPH ASSOCIATED WITH
THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AREA AT 245 PM MST.  ALONG WITH STRONG
WINDS...PEA-SIZED HAIL WAS REPORTED IN PRESCOTT AT 3 PM MST BY
OFFICIALS AT THE CITY WATER TREATMENT PLANT.

STORMS ACROSS YAVAPAI COUNTY WERE GENERALLY MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST
AT 15 TO 25 MPH.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 16, 4:06 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPSRGila44 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Arizona, 1995Every severe thunderstorm 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.