Alert archive / Arizona / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1996

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 3, NWS Tucson, AZ

June 21, 1996Graham County, Arizona

NWS Tucson, AZ issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jun 21, 1996, 1:50 PM MST for Graham County, Arizona. It was in force for 60 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jun 21, 1996, 1:50 PM MST (20:50 UTC)
Expired
Jun 21, 1996, 2:50 PM MST
In force
60 min
Issued by
NWS Tucson, AZ
Area
Whole counties

County Graham County, AZ

The radar

The Tucson radar (KEMX), 135 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:50 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, 8.8 hours before the alert went out and 127 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 1996-06-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 187 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 1996-06-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 16 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
187 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-374 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2910 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
39 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
16 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
85 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 212055
SVRTUS
AZC009-212150-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON ARIZONA
150 PM MST FRI JUN 21 1996
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON ARIZONA HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  250 PM MST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN EAST ARIZONA
 
   ...WESTERN AND CENTRAL GRAHAM COUNTY
 
AT 148 PM MST TUCSON DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IN
FAR WEST CENTRAL GRAHAM COUNTY 20 MILES SOUTHWEST OF BYLAS. MOVEMENT IS
TO THE NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH AND IS EXPECTED TO MOVE THROUGH BYLAS NEAR
HWY 70 BY 2:35 PM AND MAY ALSO AFFECT CALVA NORTHWEST OF BYLAS NEAR THE
SAME TIME.
 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 57
MPH...DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.
FOR YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR
OF YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS.  HEAVY RAINS FLOOD ROADS QUICKLY SO
DON'T DRIVE INTO AREA2S WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.
 
MEYER

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.

NWS Tucson, AZ wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Jun 21, 9:26 AM MST, 4 hours 24 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 21, 9:26 AM MST, 4 hours 24 minutes before
SOUTHEAST ARIZONA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
915 AM MST FRI JUN 21 1996

LAN PROBLEMS THIS MORNING WITH NO GRIDDED DATA AVAILABLE LOCALLY.
MAIN AREA OF MSTR SHIFTING EWD AS HIGH CONTS TO SHIFT EWD. 12Z TUS
SOUNDING LESS STABLE THEN YDA WITH CAP AT H5 ERODED...PW JUST UNDER
1 INCH. 3 WRN ZNS (21>23) STARTING TO GET ALOT MORE SUN...WITH ERN
ZNS STILL WITH CONSIDERABLE CLDS. CHC OF WDLY SCT RW-/TRW- SHUD COVER
THINGS NICELY TDA...THIS AFTN FOR 1ST 3 ZNS. INCRG COVERAGE TNGT ERN
PTNS STILL LOOKS OKAY...BUT WILL BE EVALUATED CAREFULLY FOR AFTN
PACKAGE. MSTR CONTG TO STREAM UP WITH FETCH DISTANT S. SLOW MOVG ALMA
NO IMMEDIATE IMPACT...BUT SOMETHING TO WATCH. BREEZY TDA AhND BREEZY
TO LCLY WNDY WITH STGR GRAD TMW SHUD SUFFICE FOR DOWN HERE...WNDS
MORE OF A FACTOR NRN PTNS. DRYER SWLY FLOW AS HIGH / MSTR SHIFTS EWD
AND TROF MOVES INTO BASIN FOR THE WEEKEND. NO BIG CHGS. TUS 232.
MEYER

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 21, 12:45 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCPima45 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Arizona, 1996Every severe thunderstorm 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.