Alert archive / Arizona / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1996

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 84, NWS Tucson, AZ

August 16, 1996Pima County, Arizona

NWS Tucson, AZ issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 16, 1996, 6:41 PM MST for Pima County, Arizona. It was in force for 49 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: Aug 16, 1996, 6:41 PM MST (01:41 UTC)
Expired: Aug 16, 1996, 7:30 PM MST
In force: 49 min
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 01:40 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 text

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

000 
TTAA00 KTUS 170138
SVRTUS
AZC019-170230-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON ARIZONA
641 PM MST FRI AUG 16 1996
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON ARIZONA HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  730 PM MST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL ARIZONA
 
   ...NORTHEASTERN PIMA COUNTY
 
AT 635 PM TUCSON DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
3 MILES SOUTH OF MARANA NEAR THE AVRA VALLEY AIRPORT. THIS STORM
WAS MOVING SLOWLY TO THE EAST AT 5 MPH.  THIS STORM IS EXPECTED
TO AFFECT NORTHWEST TUCSON.
 
WHEN THUNDERSTORMS ARE OCCURRING...PEOPLE SHOULD MOVE INSIDE A
STRONG BUILDING.  DO NOT STAND BY WI}NDOWS.  DON'T USE TELEPHONES
OR ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES UNLESS IN AN EMERGENCY UNTIL THE STORM
HAS PASSED.  MOTORISTS SHOULD NOT DRIVE INTO LOW WATER CROSSINGS.

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 Aug 16, 2:00 PM MST, 4 hours 41 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 16, 2:00 PM MST, 4 hours 41 minutes before

SOUTHEAST ARIZONA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
200 PM MST FRI AUG 16 1996

MAY SURGE TONIGHT...AND THIS POSES PROBLEM. FCST IS WRITTEN FOR
INCREASE IN MSTR SUN IN ADVANCE OF TROF TO THE NORTH. IF WE SURGE
TONIGHT THIS FCST NEEDS TO BE TRASHED. NGM MOS HAS 61 DEWPOINT
FOR US SUNDAY NIGHT. THAT IS A PRIME NUMBER...NO PUN
INTENDED...FOR TSTMS TO MOVE INTO THE VALLEYS.

SEVERAL GOOD REASONS TO EXPECT SURGE TONIGHT...FIRST GYM HAS OVR
2 INCHES OF PRECIP WATER. CU FIELD NEAR HMO SHOWS MSTR WORKED UP
TO THERE SO TSTMS FIRING TO OUR SOUTH THIS AFTN SHOULD BUILD DOWN
TO THERE AND THEN WEST TOWARDS GULF OF CA. THESE STORMS WOULD
THEN INITIATE SURGE.

WITHOUT THE SURGE THE STO~RMS WILL SHOW A SLOW INCREASE IN
COVERAGE TONIGHT AND SAT...WITH A FEW STORMS ABLE TO MOVE INTO
VALLEYS ONCE WE DECOUPLE IN THE EVENING. OTRW...MOSTLY MTN
HUGGERS. TUS 2224. HOLBROOK

In the hours before

Local storm report, Aug 16, 6:22 PM MST, 19 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON
615 PM MST FRI AUG 16 1996

TIME(MST)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0538 PM    TUCSON                    AZ   72 MPH WIND
08/16/96   PIMA                           SPOTTER MEASURED WIND
                                          WILMOT RD AND GOLF LINKS RD

0538 PM    TUCSON                    AZ   WIND DAMAGE
08/16/96   PIMA                           MEDIUM SIZE PALM TREE BROKEN

0530 PM    TUCSON                    AZ   WIND DAMAGE
08/16/96   PIMA                           POWER LINES REPORTED DOWN

0535 PM    TUCSON                    AZ   WIND DAMAGE
08/16/96   PtIMA                           LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTS
                                          DAMAGE TO STRUCTURES

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Arizona, 1996 Every 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.