Alert archive / Arizona / Flash Flood Warnings in 1997

Flash Flood Warning 40, NWS Flagstaff, AZ

September 15, 1997Coconino County, Yavapai County, Arizona

NWS Flagstaff, AZ issued this flash flood warning at Sep 15, 1997, 2:59 PM MST for Coconino County, Yavapai 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
Sep 15, 1997, 2:59 PM MST (21:59 UTC)
Expired
Sep 15, 1997, 5:00 PM MST
In force
2 hr
Issued by
NWS Flagstaff, AZ
Area
Whole counties

Counties Coconino County, AZ, Yavapai County, AZ

The radar

The Flagstaff radar (KFSX), 113 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:00 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 12:00Z, 10.0 hours before the alert went out and 33 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 12:00Z on 1997-09-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 611 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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 12:00Z on 1997-09-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 72 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
611 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-4 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
702 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
72 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
73 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KFLG 152200
FFWFLG
AZC005-025-160000-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ
259 PM MST MON SEP 15 1997

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN FLAGSTAFF AZ HAS ISSUED A
FLASH FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 500 PM MST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...

IN NORTH CENTRAL ARIZONA

   ...SOUTH CENTRAL COCONINO COUNTY

IN CENTRAL ARIZONA

   ...NORTHEASTERN YAVAPAI COUNTY
 
AT 255 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS
INDICATING A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG I-17 FROM MUNDS
PARK TO MAYER. THESE STORMS WERE FOLLOWING ONE ANOTHER WHILE THE
ENTIRE LINE WAS MOVING TO THE EAST AT 15 MPH.

THESE STORMS WILL PRODUCE HEAVY RAINS OVER ALREADY SATURATED
GROUNDS IN SOUTHERN COCONINO COUNTY AND NORTHEAST YAVAPAI COUNTY.

PEOPLE IN SEDONA...MUNDS PARK...THE LAKE MONTEZUMA AREA...
CORNVILLE...CAMP VERDE AND NEARBY SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES SHOULD
BE PREPARED FOR HEAVY RAIN AND POSSIBLE FLASH FLOODING.

IF FLOOD WATERS THREATEN...MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND. DO NOT TAKE
CHANCES CROSSING STREAMS...CREEKS OR WASHES THAT HAVE FLOWING
WATER. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DRIVE THROUGH FLOODED ROADS.

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 Sep 15, 2:42 PM MST, 17 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 15, 2:42 PM MST, 17 minutes before
NORTHERN ARIZONA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ
230 PM MST MON SEP 15 1997

STDY STREAM OF DEEP MOISTR CONTS LFTNG NEWRD ACRS MCH OF OUR CWA.
CLD TOPS CONT TO COOL OVR OUR RGN AND UPSTREAM OVR SRN CA. WK EMBDD
SHRT WVS IN DEEP MOISTR PLUME OVR CNTRL SCTNS OF OUR CWA WTH STRNG
SHRT WV EVDNT IN WV IMGRY OVR S CNTRL NV.  FRLY ORGNZD LINE OF
CONVECTION ATTM FRM NRN AZ NR PGA SSWRD TO NR FLG.  OTHR ACTVTY RTHR
WDSPRD ACRS THE RMNDR OF OUR CWA WTH ANTHR CONCENTRATED AREA FAR ERN
SCTNS.  WV LOOPS SUGGEST MR ACTN LTR THIS AFTN BHND ACTVTY UP N AS
STRNG SHRT WV CLIPS NWRN SCTNS AND THIS SUPPORTED BY COOLING CLD TOPS
UPSTRM OVR SERN CA WHCH ARE LFTNG NEWRD TWRD XTRM SRN NV ATTM.
MODELS ALL SHW DRYNG TO OVRSPRD NWRN SCTNS TNGT BHND SHRT WV CROSSING
NV WTH DEEP MOISTR AXS TO BE DSPLCD MR OVR SRN AND ERN SCTNS NXT TWO
DYS.  TRNDS SUGGEST THIS TO TK PLC RTHR SLWLY THO SO WILL KEEP ACTVTY
GOING INTO THE NGT FAR NW WTH ACTVTY ALL NGT XPCTD FRTHR S AND E.
BST ACTN NXT TWO DYS SRN AND ERN SCTNS BUT WILL STILL KP ISOLD POPS
FAR NW AS LOW MOISTURE WILL BE HRD TO COMPLETELY SCOUR OUT.  KHW

FLG 643  INW 543
FLG...FLASH FLOOD WATCH ZONES 4>8 AND 15...16...18 TIL 04Z.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 15, 12:40 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningFGZApache45 min
Sep 15, 12:40 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZApache45 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.