Alert archive / Arizona / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 20, NWS Phoenix, AZ

July 22, 1997Yuma County, Arizona

NWS Phoenix, AZ issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 22, 1997, 6:16 PM MST for Yuma County, Arizona. It was in force for 59 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Jul 22, 1997, 6:16 PM MST (01:16 UTC)
Expired
Jul 22, 1997, 7:15 PM MST
In force
59 min
Issued by
NWS Phoenix, AZ
Area
Whole counties

County Yuma County, AZ

The radar

The Yuma radar (KYUX), 77 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:15 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.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jul 22, 6:22 PM MSTThunderstorm Wind 52Yuma, AZReports of several downed power poles.

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in.

The text

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

096 
WUUS1 KPHX 230118 RRA
SVRPHX
AZC027-230215-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
616 PM MST TUE JUL 22 1997

*  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR WESTERN YUMA COUNTY

*  UNTIL 715 PM MST

*  SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED
   DOME
   WELLTON
   PORTIONS OF INTERSTATE 8 BETWEEN YUMA AND WELLTON
   AND THE AREA NEAR MARTINEZ LAKE 


*  AT 613 PM MST RADAR INDICATED A GROUP OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
   BETWEEN YUMA AND WELLTON...MOVING NORTH AT 15 MPH.  THE SEVERE
   THUNDERSTORM WARNING ISSUED EARLIER FOR PARTS OF YUMA COUNTY 
   WAS EXTENDED TO COVER OTHER AREAS OF THE COUNTY AROUND DOME AND
   WELLTON

   THESE ARE DANGEROUS STORMS.  STRONG WINDS IN EXCESS OF 57 MPH...
   HAIL...AND HEAVY RAIN ARE LIKELY. 


VASQUEZ

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.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 22, 2:56 PM MST, 3 hours 20 minutes before
AZZ020>025-CAZ030>033-230130-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
245 PM MST/PDT TUE JUL 22 1997

...SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING OVER PORTIONS OF THE FAR SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA DESERTS NEAR
IMPERIAL...

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPED OVER THE BAJA CALIFORNIA MOUNTAINS
SOUTH OF IMPERIAL AND MEXICALI THIS AFTERNOON.  THESE STORMS WERE
MOVING NORTH TOWARD WESTERN IMPERIAL COUNTY. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK
OF DAMAGING STRAIGHTLINE WINDS AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL IN WESTERN
IMPERIAL COUNTY.

THE FAVORED LOCATIONS FOR STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IN WESTERN IMPERIAL
COUNTY ARE FROM THE TOWNS OF HOLTVILLE AND BRAWLEY WESTWARD TO THE
SAN DIEGO COUNTY LINE.  THIS INCLUDES PORTIONS OF INTERSTATE 8 AND
THE SOUTHWESTERN SHORES OF THE SALTON SEA.

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

THE OUTLOOK AREA INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...

IN ARIZONA                         IN CALIFORNIA

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

VASQUEZ

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 22, 7:02 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningPSRLa Paz78 min
Jul 22, 7:02 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPSRLa Paz78 min
Jul 22, 8:01 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPSRLa Paz74 min
Jul 23, 3:44 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPSRLa Paz61 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Arizona, 1997Every severe thunderstorm 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.