Alert archive / Arizona / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 63, NWS Phoenix, AZ
NWS Phoenix, AZ issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 22, 1997, 5:31 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
- Aug 22, 1997, 5:31 PM MST (00:31 UTC)
- Expired
- Aug 22, 1997, 6:30 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 00:31 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
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 22, 5:33 PM MST | Thunderstorm Wind 52 | Tacna, AZ | Thunderstorm winds knocked down six 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.
681 WUUS1 KPHX 230033 RRA SVRPHX AZC027-230130- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ 531 PM MST FRI AUG 22 1997 * SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR SOUTH CENTRAL YUMA COUNTY IN SOUTHWESTERN ARIZONA * UNTIL 630 PM MST * SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED TACNA ROLL NOAH * AT 530 PM MST RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM JUST SOUTH OF TACNA. MOVEMENT WAS TO THE NORTH AT 10 MPH. DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH AND BLOWING DUST REDUCING VISIBILITY TO UNDER 1/2 MILE ARE LIKELY WITH THIS STORM.
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 22, 2:50 PM MST, 2 hours 41 minutes before
AZZ020>025-CAZ030>033-231130- SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX OUTLOOK 245 PM MST/PDT FRI AUG 22 1997 ...A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IS FORECAST ACROSS CENTRAL PORTIONS OF THE OUTLOOK AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT... ABUNDANT MOISTURE REMAINS IN PLACE ACROSS MUCH OF SOUTHERN ARIZONA. THIS MOISTURE IS COMBINING WITH DAYTIME HEATING TO CAUSE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE MOUNTAINS OF SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL ARIZONA THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. HOWEVER...THE WINDS ALOFT THAT STEER THESE STORMS ONCE THEY DEVELOP ARE NOT VERY STRONG. THUS...ONCE THE STORMS FORM...THEY ARE NOT EXPECTED TO MOVE VERY FAR. THIS TYPE OF WEATHER PATTERN DOES NOT SUPPORT THE MOVEMENT OF STORMS OFF THE HIGHER MOUNTAINS ONTO THE LOWER DESERTS OF THE STATE. THEREFORE...A DUST STORM OR ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS MAY AFFECT OUTLYING PORTIONS OF THE PHOENIX METRO AREA TONIGHT...BUT ARE NOT EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO THE CENTRAL PART OF THE CITY. BECAUSE THE FLOW OVER THE STATE IS SO WEAK...SOME STORMS MAY PRODUCE LOCALIZED HEAVY RAIN OVER THE SAME SPOTS FOR SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNTS OF TIME. THIS RAINFALL MAY CAUSE WASHES TO RUN AND LOCALIZED FLOODING. INDIVIDUAL OR PULSE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. LOCATIONS THAT ARE AT A SLIGHT RISK OF EXPERIENCING SEVERE WEATHER THIS EVENING ARE SOUTHERN GILA COUNTY...NORTHERN PINAL COUNTY...SOUTHERN MARICOPA COUNTY...AND CENTRAL AND EASTERN LA PAZ COUNTY. THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE THE PHOENIX METRO AREA. ADDITIONALLY...REDUCED VISIBILITIES IN BLOWING DUST MAY ACCOMPANY SOME OF THE STORMS. .................................................................... FOR 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 IMPERIAL SOUTHERN GILA CENTRAL/EASTERN RIVERSIDE NORTHWEST PINAL YUMA LA PAZ ....................................................................
Special weather statement, Aug 22, 2:53 PM MST, 2 hours 38 minutes before
AZZ020>025-CAZ030>033-231130- SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX OUTLOOK 245 PM MST/PDT FRI AUG 22 1997 ...A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IS FORECAST ACROSS CENTRAL PORTIONS OF THE OUTLOOK AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT... ABUNDANT MOISTURE REMAINS IN PLACE ACROSS MUCH OF SOUTHERN ARIZONA. THIS MOISTURE IS COMBINING WITH DAYTIME HEATING TO CAUSE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE MOUNTAINS OF SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL ARIZONA THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. HOWEVER...THE WINDS ALOFT THAT STEER THESE STORMS ONCE THEY DEVELOP ARE NOT VERY STRONG. THUS...ONCE THE STORMS FORM...THEY ARE NOT EXPECTED TO MOVE VERY FAR. THIS TYPE OF WEATHER PATTERN DOES NOT SUPPORT THE MOVEMENT OF STORMS OFF THE HIGHER MOUNTAINS ONTO THE LOWER DESERTS OF THE STATE. THEREFORE...A DUST STORM OR ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS MAY AFFECT OUTLYING PORTIONS OF THE PHOENIX METRO AREA TONIGHT...BUT ARE NOT EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO THE CENTRAL PART OF THE CITY. BECAUSE THE FLOW OVER THE STATE IS SO WEAK...SOME STORMS MAY PRODUCE LOCALIZED HEAVY RAIN OVER THE SAME SPOTS FOR SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNTS OF TIME. THIS RAINFALL MAY CAUSE WASHES TO RUN AND LOCALIZED FLOODING. INDIVIDUAL OR PULSE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. LOCATIONS THAT ARE AT A SLIGHT RISK OF EXPERIENCING SEVERE WEATHER THIS EVENING ARE SOUTHERN GILA COUNTY...NORTHERN PINAL COUNTY...SOUTHERN MARICOPA COUNTY...AND CENTRAL AND EASTERN LA PAZ COUNTY. THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE THE PHOENIX METRO AREA. ADDITIONALLY...REDUCED VISIBILITIES IN BLOWING DUST MAY ACCOMPANY SOME OF THE STORMS. .................................................................... FOR 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 IMPERIAL SOUTHERN GILA CENTRAL/EASTERN RIVERSIDE NORTHWEST PINAL YUMA LA PAZ ....................................................................
The office that day
Everything else NWS Phoenix, AZ issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 23, 3:59 PM MST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PSR | Gila | 61 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.