Alert archive / Arizona / Flash Flood Warnings in 1997

Flash Flood Warning 15, NWS Phoenix, AZ

September 5, 1997La Paz County, Yuma County, Arizona

NWS Phoenix, AZ issued this flash flood warning at Sep 5, 1997, 5:38 PM MST for La Paz County, Yuma 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 5, 1997, 5:38 PM MST (00:38 UTC)
Expired
Sep 5, 1997, 7:40 PM MST
In force
2 hr
Issued by
NWS Phoenix, AZ
Area
Whole counties

Counties La Paz County, AZ, Yuma County, AZ

The radar

The Yuma radar (KYUX), 107 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:39 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 KPHX 060039
FFWPHX
AZC012-027-060240-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
538 PM MST FRI SEP 5 1997

*  FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR
   SOUTHWESTERN LA PAZ COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL ARIZONA
   NORTHERN YUMA COUNTY IN SOUTHWESTERN ARIZONA

*  UNTIL 740 PM MST

*  SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED
   KOFA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
   US 95 SOUTH OF QUARTZSITE
   YUMA PROVING GROUND
 
*  AT 530 PM MST RADAR ESTIMATED RAINFALL RATES OF OVER 2
   INCHES DURING THE PAST HOUR IN THE WARNING AREA INCLUDING
   PALM CANYON. AS A RESULT...FLASH FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR
   IMMINENT IN THE WARNING LOCATIONS.
 
IF FLASH FLOODING IS OBSERVED...ACT QUICKLY.  MOVE TO ESCAPE FLOOD
WATERS.  DO NOT STAY IN AREAS SUBJECT TO FLOODING WHEN WATER BEGINS
RISING.

DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY.  THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO
CROSS SAFELY.  VEHICLES CAUGHT IN RISING WATER: SHOULD BE ABANDONED
QUICKLY.  MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.

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.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Sep 5, 1:56 PM MST, 3 hours 42 minutes before
AZZ020>025-CAZ030>033-061130-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
145 PM MST/PDT FRI SEP 5 1997

...MODERATE RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER CENTRAL AND EASTERN
RIVERSIDE...NORTHWEST IMPERIAL...NORTHERN YUMA AND WESTERN LA PAZ
COUNTIES THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...

...SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER MARICOPA AND NORTHWEST
PINAL COUNTIES TONIGHT...

A STRONG UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL MOVE EAST ACROSS SOUTH-CENTRAL
CALIFORNIA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.  THE AIRMASS OVER FAR
SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA IS VERY MOIST AND UNSTABLE. THUNDERSTORMS...
SOME SEVERE WITH DAMAGING WINDS...HAIL...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN
RESULTING IN LOCALIZED FLOODING...CAN BE EXPECTED OVER PORTIONS OF
CENTRAL AND EASTERN RIVERSIDE AND NORTHWEST IMPERIAL COUNTIES IN
CALIFORNIA...AS WELL AS OVER PORTIONS OF NORTHERN YUMA AND WESTERN
LA PAZ COUNTIES IN ARIZONA...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.  THE JOSHUA
TREE NATIONAL PARK AND THE SALTON SEA STATE RECREATIONAL AREA ARE
INCLUDED IN THE MODERATE RISK AREA.  INDIVIDUAL STORMS WILL MOVE TO
THE NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

THE ATMOSPHERE IS ALSO QUITE UNSTABLE OVER SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA.  A
WEAK UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE OVER NORTHERN MEXICO WILL MOVE WEST
TOWARD SOUTHEAST ARIZONA THIS AFTERNOON.  SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS
WILL DEVELOP OVER EAST-CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST ARIZONA THIS AFTERNOON
AND REDEVELOP TOWARD THE WEST AND NORTHWEST.  OUTFLOW FROM THESE
STORMS WILL GENERATE BLOWING DUST THAT MAY MOVE OVER PORTIONS OF
MARICOPA AND NORTHERN PINAL COUNTIES LATE THIS AFTERNOON OR EVENING.
SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS...SOME SEVERE...MAY AFFECT PORTIONS
OF THE GREATER PHOENIX METRO...AS WELL AS CASA GRANDE AND GILA BEND
...TONIGHT.  DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS AND BRIEF HEAVY RAIN ARE
POSSIBLE WITH THE STRONGEST STORMS.  INDIVIDUAL STORMS WILL MOVE TO
THE NORTHWEST AT 10 MPH.

THUNDERSTORMS WILL ALSO AFFECT SOME LOCATIONS IN SOUTHERN GILA
COUNTY THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.  BRIEF HEAVY RAIN AND GUSTY WINDS
CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THE STRONGER STORMS...BUT STORMS ARE EXPECTED
TO STAY BELOW SEVERE LIMITS.

....................................................................

FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS OUTLOOK...SEVERE WEATHER REFERS TO ANY OF
THE FOLLOWING...DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 57 MPH...HAIL 3/4 INCH
IN DIAMETER OR LARGER...AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WHICH RESULTS IN
RUNNING WASHES OR FLOODING.

THE OUTLOOK AREA INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...

IN ARIZONA                              IN CALIFORNIA

MARICOPA            YUMA                IMPERIAL
NORTHWEST PINAL     LA PAZ              CENTRAL AND EASTERN RIVERSIDE
SOUTHERN GILA
....................................................................

GREEN

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 5, 5:48 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPSRPinal62 min
Sep 5, 6:37 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPSRLa Paz, Yuma68 min
Sep 5, 7:53 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPSRYuma62 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.