Alert archive / Arizona / Flash Flood Warnings in 1996

Flash Flood Warning 46, NWS Tucson, AZ

August 9, 1996Pima County, Arizona

NWS Tucson, AZ issued this flash flood warning at Aug 9, 1996, 3:45 PM MST for Pima County, Arizona. It was in force for 2 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Aug 9, 1996, 3:45 PM MST (22:45 UTC)
Expired
Aug 9, 1996, 5:45 PM MST
In force
2 hr
Issued by
NWS Tucson, AZ
Area
Whole counties

County Pima County, AZ

The radar

The Tucson radar (KEMX), 112 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:49 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

The nearest sounding before it

Tuscon, AZ (KTUS), launched 12:00Z, 10.8 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 1996-08-09Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 260 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 1996-08-09The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 78 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
260 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-178 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1523 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
14 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
78 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
227 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 KTUS 092243
FFWTUS
AZC019-100045-
 
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON ARIZONA
345 PM MST FRI AUG 9 1996
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON ARIZONA HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  545 PM MST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL ARIZONA
 
   ...WESTERN PIMA COUNTY
 
AT 340 PM TUCSON DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED OVER 2 1/2 INCHES OF RAIN
HAS FALLEN FROM THUNDERSTORMS OVER ORGAN PIPE N.M. THESE STORMS
ARE MOVING TOWARDS THE NORTH AT 10-15 MPH AND WILL AFFECT THE TOWN
OF AJO AND HIGHWAY 85 BETWEEN 400 PM AND 430 PM.
 
A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR IS
IMMINENT.  MOST FLASH FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES.  DO NOT
ATTEMPT TO CROSS BRIDGES...DIPS...OR LOW SPOTS IF WATER COVERS
THE ROADWAY.  NEVER TRY TO CROSS A FLOWING STREAM...EVEN A SMALL
ONE...ON FOOT.  TO ESCAPE RISING WATER MOVE UP TO HIGHER GROUND.
 
COLLINS

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.

NWS Tucson, AZ wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flash flood warning went out at Aug 9, 2:01 PM MST, 1 hour 44 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 9, 2:01 PM MST, 1 hour 44 minutes before
SOUTHEAST ARIZONA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
215 PM MST FRI AUG 9 1996

SCT TSTMS ON THE STG SIDE FORMING UP NICELY...JUST A MATTER OF
TIME FOR METRO TUCSON THIS AFTN. VORT THAT PROVIDED NICE CATALYST
FOR OVERNIGHT ACTION HAS SHIFTED NWD...PERHAPS LESS OF A FOCUS
FOR THE SHORT TERM BUT PLENTY OF MSTR/HEATING/INSTBY AVBL ANYWAY.
ELY WAVE ON ITS WAY IN SHUD HELP ENHANCE THINGS A BIT FOR TMW.
OTRW...HEY...IT'S AUGUST. PLENTVY OF DEEP MSTR TO HANG ARND THESE
PARTS THRU THE EXTD PD. WILL JUST TRY TO ANTICIPATE THE FINE PTS
TO REFINE THE DEGREE OF SCT COVERAGE AS NECESSARY. TUS 5443.
MEYER

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 8, 8:00 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCPinal60 min
Aug 9, 1:18 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCPima72 min
Aug 9, 2:19 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCPima56 min
Aug 9, 4:16 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCPima119 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Arizona, 1996Every flash flood warning in 1996

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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.