Alert archive / Arizona / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 45, NWS Phoenix, AZ

August 7, 1997La Paz County, Arizona

NWS Phoenix, AZ issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 7, 1997, 5:28 PM MST for La Paz County, Arizona. It was in force for 87 min. 2 reports 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
Aug 7, 1997, 5:28 PM MST (00:28 UTC)
Expired
Aug 7, 1997, 6:55 PM MST
In force
87 min
Issued by
NWS Phoenix, AZ
Area
Whole counties

County La Paz County, AZ

The radar

The Yuma radar (KYUX), 151 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:29 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
Aug 7, 5:56 PM MSTHail 1.75Salome, AZGolf ball sized hail significantly damaged crops.
Aug 7, 6:00 PM MSTThunderstorm Wind 50Salome, AZWind knocked down several power lines.

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.

000 
TTAA00 KPHX 080028 RRA
SVRPHX
AZC012-080155-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
528 PM MST THU AUG 7 1997

*  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
   EASTERN LA PAZ COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL ARIZONA

*  UNTIL 655 PM MST

*  SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED....
   LOVE
   WENDEN
   SALOME
   HARCUVAR
   ALONG HIGHWAY 60 BETWEEN SALOME AND AGUILA  

*  AT 522 PM MST RADAR DETECTED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
   16 MILES NORTHEAST OF WENDEN...MOVING SOUTHWEST AT 15 MPH.
   
   THESE ARE DANGEROUS THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING SEVERE
   WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH...LARGE HAIL...BLINDING DUST...
   AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.
  
   MOTORISTS...ESPECIALLY THOSE DRIVING SEMI TRUCKS ALONG
   PORTIONS OF HIGHWAY 60 BETWEEN WENDEN AND AGUILA SHOULD
   BE ALERT FOR SEVERE WIND GUSTS AND DANGEROUS CROSS WINDS.

   TAKE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES.  STAY
   AWAY FROM WINDOWS AND THE HAZARDS OF FLYING GLASS AND DEBRIS.

   


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, Aug 7, 12:55 PM MST, 4 hours 33 minutes before
AZZ020>025-CAZ030>033-072145-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
1250 PM MST/PDT THU AUG 7 1997

...THUNDERSTORMS...A FEW SEVERE...ARE POSSIBLE FOR SOUTHWEST
AND SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA...AND FAR SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA LATER
THIS AFTERNOON AND DURING THE EVENING HOURS...

THUNDERSTORMS  ARE  EXPECTED  TO  DEVELOP  ACROSS  SOUTH-CENTRAL  AND
SOUTHWEST ARIZONA...AND FAR SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA. THERE WILL BE
A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE ENTIRE OUTLOOK
AREA.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IMPLY...DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 58 MPH
...AND/OR...HAIL...THREE-QUARTERS OF AN INCH OR MORE IN DIAMETER.

AT THIS TIME...IT APPEARS THE OUTLOOK AREA MOST AT RISK FOR
SEVERE  WEATHER   WILL  BE  SOUTHWEST   ARIZONA...AND  FAR  SOUTHEAST
CALIFORNIA.

THE  PRIMARY  THREAT FROM  SEVERE  THUNDERSTORMS  THIS AFTERNOON  AND
EVENING WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS. THE STORMS COULD ALSO BE
ACCOMPANIED BY LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL...AND FREQUENT AND
DEADLY LIGHTNING.

AN  UPDATED  SEVERE  WEATHER OUTLOOK  FOR  THE  PHOENIX  NWS AREA  OF
RESPONSIBILITY WILL BE ISSUED AT 245 PM MST/PDT THIS AFTERNOON.

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

THE OUTLOOK AREA INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...

IN ARIZONA                              IN CALIFORNIA

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

FRANJEVIC
Special weather statement, Aug 7, 2:53 PM MST, 2 hours 35 minutes before
AZZ020>025-CAZ030>033-080130-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
255 PM MST/PDT THU AUG 7 1997

...THUNDERSTORMS...A FEW SEVERE...ARE POSSIBLE FOR SOUTHWEST
AND  SOUTH-CENTRAL  ARIZONA...AND   FAR  SOUTHEAST  CALIFORNIA   THIS
AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN
NORTH AND NORTHEAST OF THE OUTLOOK AREA. THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL
MOVE SOUTH-SOUTHWEST FROM THE HIGHER TERRAIN TO SOUTH-CENTRAL
AND SOUTHWEST ARIZONA...AND EVENTUALLY FAR SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO INTENSIFY THIS AFTERNOON...
WITH A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE ENTIRE
OUTLOOK AREA LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IMPLY...DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 58 MPH
...AND/OR...HAIL...THREE-QUARTERS OF AN INCH OR MORE IN DIAMETER.

THE  PRIMARY  THREAT FROM  SEVERE  THUNDERSTORMS  THIS AFTERNOON  AND
EVENING WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS. THE STORMS COULD ALSO BE
ACCOMPANIED BY LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL...AND FREQUENT AND
DEADLY LIGHTNING.

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

THE OUTLOOK AREA INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...

IN ARIZONA                   n           IN CALIFORNIA

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

FRANJEVIC

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 7, 5:14 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPSRGila, Pinal61 min
Aug 7, 6:38 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPSRLa Paz62 min
Aug 7, 6:56 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPSRLa Paz, Yuma59 min
Aug 8, 4:25 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPSRGila65 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.