Alert archive / Arizona / Flash Flood Warnings in 1997

Flash Flood Warning 17, NWS Flagstaff, AZ

August 10, 1997Coconino County, Arizona

NWS Flagstaff, AZ issued this flash flood warning at Aug 10, 1997, 10:27 PM MST for Coconino 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 10, 1997, 10:27 PM MST (05:27 UTC)
Expired
Aug 11, 1997, 12:30 AM MST
In force
2 hr
Issued by
NWS Flagstaff, AZ
Area
Whole counties

County Coconino County, AZ

The radar

The Flagstaff radar (KFSX), 150 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 05:30 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

Flgstf/Belemont, AZ (KFGZ), launched 00:00Z, 5.5 hours before the alert went out and 68 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, Flgstf/Belemont, AZ at 00:00Z on 1997-08-11Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 147 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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, Flgstf/Belemont, AZ at 00:00Z on 1997-08-11The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 20 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
147 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-29 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1399 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
25 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
20 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
59 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KFLG 110528
FFWFLG
AZC005-110710-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ
1027 PM MST SUN AUG 10 1997

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN FLAGSTAFF AZ HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1230 AM MST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...

IN NORTH CENTRAL ARIZONA

   ...NORTHWESTERN COCONINO COUNTY
 
AT 1020 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR
INDICATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE AGAIN PRODUCING
RAIN OVER THE CATARACT CREEK...ABOUT 8 MILES SOUTH OF THE SUPAI
VILLAGE. ALSO...MORE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL APPROACH
THIS REGION THROUGH 1230 AM. THESE RAINS WILL LIKELY CAUSE
THE ALREADY SWOLLEN CREEK TO FLOW OUT OF ITS BANKS YET AGAIN.

PEOPLE IN THE SUPAI VILLAGE ALONG AND NEAR THESE CREEKS SHOULD BE
PRPARED FOR MORE FLOOD WATERS AND MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND NOW.

IN ADDITION...CAMPERS ALONG OR NEAR THE COLORADO RIVER NEAR ITS
JUNCTION WITH THE HAVASU CREEK SHOULD BE, PREPARED FOR RAPIDLY
RISING WATER AND MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND NOW.

PASSETTI

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 Flagstaff, AZ wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flash flood warning went out at Aug 10, 7:30 PM MST, 2 hours 57 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 10, 7:30 PM MST, 2 hours 57 minutes before
NORTHERN ARIZONA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ
730 PM MST SUN AUG 10 1997

THIS IS EARLY DUE TO OTHER PRESSING NEEDS. THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY
RAIN CONTINUE OVER FAR NORTHWEST AZ. IMAGES FROM SURROUNDING 88DS
INDICATE BULK OF T-STORM ACTIVITY SLOWLY MOVING TOWARDS NW PORTIONS
OF THE CWA. RAMSDIS WV IMAGERY SHOWS WELL DEFINED VORTICITY FEATURE
MOVING INTO S NEVADA WHICH IS HELPING CONVECTION ALONG. WITH UPPER
LEVEL JET FEATURE PROGGED TO MOVE THROUGH NORTHWEST AZ TONIGHT AND
APPARENT UPPER-MID TO UPPER LEVEL MOISTURE TAP INTO THIS REGION...
WILL EXTEND FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR ZONES 4-7 TIL 4 AM MST MONDAY.
ELSEWHERE...CONVECTION IS MOSTLY ISOLATED IN NATURE AND WILL C\ONTINUE
THIS TREND IN THE 800 PM UPDATE. OTHER PERIODS LEFT MOSTLY AS IS.

FLG 3422 INW 2422

PASSETTI

FLG...FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 4 AM MST FOR ZONES 4-7

In the hours before

Local storm report, Aug 10, 7:49 PM MST, 2 hours 38 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF ARIZONA
749 PM MST SUN AUG 10 1997

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

1015 AM    SUPAI                     AZ   FLASH FLOODING
08/10/97   COCONINO                       HEAVY RAINS FROM
                                          REOCCURRING THUNDERSTORMS
                                          CAUSED A FLASH FLOOD ALONG
                                          CATARACT CREEK IN THE
                                          VILLAGE OF SUPAI. POWER,
                                          WATER AND SEWAGE WASHED
                                          OUT. MANY HOMES AND
                                          STRUCTURES FLOODED. UP TO
                                          400 CAMPERS AND RESIDENTS
                                          EVACUATED BY HELICOPTER.
                                          RED CROSS, BIA, NATIONAL
                                          GUARD, AND LOCAL LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT PARTICIPATED IN
                                          THE EVACUATION.

1205 PM    GRAND CANYON NP           AZ   FLASH FLOODING
08/10/97   COCONINO                       WHITE WATER RAFT NEAR THE
                                          JUNCTION OF HAVASU CREEK
                                          AND COLORADO RIVER CAUGHT
                                          IN FLASH FLOOD WATERS.
                                          SEARCH AND RESCUE
                                          OPERATIONS PRESENTLY
                                          UNDERWAY.
Local storm report, Aug 10, 7:50 PM MST, 2 hours 37 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF ARIZONA
749 PM MST SUN AUG 10 1997

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

1015 AM    SUPAI                     AZ   FLASH FLOODING
08/10/97   COCONINO                       HEAVY RAINS FROM
                                          REOCCURRING THUNDERSTORMS
                                          CAUSED A FLASH FLOOD ALONG
                                          CATARACT CREEK IN THE
                                          VILLAGE OF SUPAI. POWER,
                                          WATER AND SEWAGE WASHED
                                          OUT. MANY HOMES AND
                                          STRUCTURES FLOODED. UP TO
                                          400 CAMPERS AND RESIDENTS
                                          EVACUATED BY HELICOPTER.
                                          RED CROSS, BIA, NATIONAL
                                          GUARD, AND LOCAL LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT PARTICIPATED IN
                                          THE EVACUATION.

1205 PM    GRAND CANYON NP           AZ   FLASH FLOODING
08/10/97   COCONINO                       WHITE WATER RAFT NEAR THE
                                          JUNCTION OF HAVASU CREEK
                                          AND COLORADO RIVER CAUGHT
                                          IN FLASH FLOOD WATERS.
                                          SEARCH AND RESCUE
                                          OPERATIONS PRESENTLY
                                          UNDERWAY.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 11, 12:22 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZCoconino63 min
Aug 11, 12:33 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZCoconino52 min
Aug 11, 12:35 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZNavajo55 min
Aug 11, 1:28 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZCoconino47 min
Aug 11, 1:43 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZCoconino62 min
Aug 11, 2:47 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZApache43 min
Aug 11, 3:13 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZApache32 min
Aug 11, 3:46 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZApache64 min
Aug 11, 3:56 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningFGZApache2 hr
Aug 11, 4:38 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZCoconino37 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Arizona, 1997Every flash flood warning in 1997

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.