Alert archive / Arizona / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 1, NWS Tucson, AZ
NWS Tucson, AZ issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 31, 1997, 5:09 PM MST for Cochise County, Santa Cruz County, Arizona. It was in force for 51 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
- Mar 31, 1997, 5:09 PM MST (00:09 UTC)
- Expired
- Mar 31, 1997, 6:00 PM MST
- In force
- 51 min
- Issued by
- NWS Tucson, AZ
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Cochise County, AZ, Santa Cruz County, AZ
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 31, 5:35 PM MST | Hail 0.75 | Huachca Vlg, AZ | Huachuca City Police report hail throughout the city. |
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 nearest sounding before it
Tuscon, AZ (KTUS), launched 00:00Z, 0.2 hours before the alert went out and 77 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 358 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -23 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1995 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 16 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -11 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 43 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
133 WUUS1 KTUS 010010 RRA SVRTUS AZC023-003-010100- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON ARIZONA 509 PM MST MON MAR 31 1997 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON ARIZONA HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 600 PM MST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS... IN SOUTH CENTRAL ARIZONA ...NORTHEASTERN SANTA CRUZ COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST ARIZONA ...SOUTHWESTERN COCHISE COUNTY AT 505 PM MST TUCSON DOPPLER RADAR DETECTED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 15 MIL NORTHWEST OF SIERRA VISTA IN THE VICINITY OF ELGIN. THIS STORM WAS MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 5 TO 10 MILES PER HOUR AND IS EXPECTED TO REACH THE NORTHERN BOUNDARY OF FORT HUACHUCA BY 530 PM. THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING ONE INCH HAIL AND WIND GUSTS OVER 57 MPH. RESIDENTS OF SIERRA VISTA...FORT HUACHUCA...AND HUACHUCA CITY SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR STRONG OUTFLOW WINDS FROM THIS STORM UNTIL 6 PM. OKULSKI
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.
NWS Tucson, AZ wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Mar 31, 2:03 PM MST, 3 hours 6 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Mar 31, 2:03 PM MST, 3 hours 6 minutes before
SOUTHEAST ARIZONA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ 200 PM MST MON MAR 31 1997 12Z ETA AND NGM BASICALLY SIMILAR ON EVOLUTION OF PACIFIC TROUGH AT LEAST THROUGH 48 HOURS. EVENING TSTMS THEN CLEARING. WEAK TROUGH OVER AZ TODAY MOVES EWD AS THE PACIFIC TROUGH MOVES INTO WRN AZ. 12Z PLOT FILE SHOWED LOTS OF COLD AIR ALOFT WITH A -36 C 500 MB TEMP IN OREGON. THE 90 KT 500 MB WIND AT SFO WOULD INDICATE A DIGGING TROUGH. SOME LEFT OVER MOISTURE FOR MT CLDS ON TUESDAY. BY WED TROUGH WITH STRONG DYNAMICS AND H5 540 HEIGHT DROPS INTO SRN CA WRN AZ. MODELS NOT BRINGING A LOT OF MOISUTRE WITH THIS SYSTEM. BUT CONCERNED ABOUT MOISTURE ALREADY HERE AND POSSIBLE CONNECTION WITH TROPICAL SOURCE. THUS...ADDED SLIGHT CHANCE FOR ENTIRE CWA LATE WED. CONFIDENCE ON TIMING IS POOR. KEEP PCPN GOING IN WHITE MTS FOR ALL PDS. MAY NEED WIND ADVISORY ON WED. WILL ISSUE SPS FOR WINDY COOLER WX WITH AFTN PACKAGE. TUS 2002. TUS...NONEL
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Mar 31, 3:25 PM MST, 1 hour 44 minutes before
AZ019-026>030-011200- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ 325 PM MST MON MAR 31 1997 ...A MAJOR CHANGE IN THE WEATHER FOR SOUTHEASTERN ARIZONA BY MIDWEEK... IT WILL BE WINDY AND MUCH COLDER IN SOUTHEASTERN ARIZONA BEGINNING WEDNESDAY AND CONTINUING THROUGH FRIDAY. ON WEDNESDAY LOOK FOR AFTERNOON HIGH TEMPERATURES IN THE MID TO UPPER 60S...DROPPING TO THE UPPER 50S TO LOW 60S THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. THE OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURES WILL INITIALLY REMAIN IN THE 40S. HOWEVER...SOME LOCATIONS MAY DROP BELOW FREEZING FRIDAY OR SATURDAY. WEDNESDAY WILL BE QUITE WINDY WITH BLOWING DUST AND DEBRIS A POSSIBILITY. BY AFTERNOON THE WEST TO SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 20 TO 35 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS POSSIBLE. THE STRONGEST GUSTS WILL BE DUE TO THE WINDS CHANNELING THROUGH MOUNTAINS...ESPECIALLY THE HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS IN COCHISE COUNTY. VALLEY RAIN AND MOUNTAIN SNOW WILL OCCUR LATE WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. ON WEDNESDAY MOTORISTS...ESPECIALLY IN HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES...SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR STRONG CROSS WINDS AND REDUCED VISIBILITIES DUE TO BLOWING DUST. ON THURSDAY...TRAVELLERS INTO THE MOUNTAINS SHOULD MONITOR WEATHER FORECASTS FOR WINTER CONDITIONS.
Special weather statement, Mar 31, 3:27 PM MST, 1 hour 42 minutes before
AZ019-026>030-011200- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ 325 PM MST MON MAR 31 1997 ...A MAJOR CHANGE IN THE WEATHER FOR SOUTHEASTERN ARIZONA BY MIDWEEK... IT WILL BE WINDY AND MUCH COLDER IN SOUTHEASTERN ARIZONA BEGINNING WEDNESDAY AND CONTINUING THROUGH FRIDAY. ON WEDNESDAY LOOK FOR AFTERNOON HIGH TEMPERATURES IN THE MID TO UPPER 60S...DROPPING TO THE UPPER 50S TO LOW 60S THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. THE OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURES WILL INITIALLY REMAIN IN THE 40S. HOWEVER...SOME LOCATIONS MAY DROP BELOW FREEZING FRIDAY OR SATURDAY. WEDNESDAY WILL BE QUITE WINDY WITH BLOWING DUST AND DEBRIS A POSSIBILITY. BY AFTERNOON THE WEST TO SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 20 TO 35 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS POSSIBLE. THE STRONGEST GUSTS WILL BE DUE TO THE WINDS CHANNELING THROUGH MOUNTAINS...ESPECIALLY THE HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS IN COCHISE COUNTY. VALLEY RAIN AND MOUNTAIN SNOW WILL OCCUR LATE WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. ON WEDNESDAY MOTORISTS...ESPECIALLY IN HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES...SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR STRONG CROSS WINDS AND REDUCED VISIBILITIES DUE TO BLOWING DUST. ON THURSDAY...TRAVELLERS INTO THE MOUNTAINS SHOULD MONITOR WEATHER FORECASTS FOR WINTER CONDITIONS.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Tucson, AZ issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 31, 6:00 PM MST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TWC | Cochise | 45 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.