Alert archive / Arizona / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 101, NWS Tucson, AZ
NWS Tucson, AZ issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Sep 8, 1997, 3:50 PM MST for Pinal County, Arizona. It was in force for 75 min. 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 8, 1997, 3:50 PM MST (22:50 UTC)
- Expired
- Sep 8, 1997, 5:05 PM MST
- In force
- 75 min
- Issued by
- NWS Tucson, AZ
- Area
- Whole counties
County Pinal County, AZ
The radar
The Phoenix radar (KIWA), 52 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:49 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 nearest sounding before it
Tuscon, AZ (KTUS), launched 12:00Z, 10.8 hours before the alert went out and 92 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
- 634 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -202 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1860 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 13 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 13 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 95 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KTUS 082251 RRA SVRTUS AZC021-090005- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ 350 PM MST MON SEP 8 1997 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON AZ HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 505 PM MST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN SOUTH CENTRAL ARIZONA ...EASTERN AND CENTRAL PINAL COUNTY AT 348 PM MST...TUCSON AND PHOENIX DOPPLER RADARS DETECTED A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FROM KEARNEY SOUTH TO ORACLE JUNCTION. THIS LINE WAS MOVING TO THE WEST AT 10 MPH. THE STORMS ALONG THIS LINE WERE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING WIND GUSTS TO 70 MPH...3/4 INCH HAIL... HEAVY RAIN AND VISIBILITIES REDUCED BELOW 1/2 MILE IN BLOWING DUST. THIS LINE WILL APPROACH STATE HIGHWAY 79 AROUND 420 PM MST. 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 Sep 8, 2:30 PM MST, 1 hour 20 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Sep 8, 2:30 PM MST, 1 hour 20 minutes before
SOUTHEAST ARIZONA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ 230 PM MST MON SEP 8 1997 MM5 DEVELOPS BIG COMPLEX 120 OR SO MILES SOUTH OF BISBEE THIS EVENING THEN PUSHES THE SYS NORTH TO BORDER BY 12Z. THIS MAY FALL APART BEFORE REACHING BORDER BUT IMPORTANT ASPECT IS THAT IT PUSHES A SIG AMOUNT OF LOW LVL MSTR NWD SETTING UP TUE FOR TSTMS ALONG THE BORDER. SO WILL WORD ZONES FOR THIS EFFECT AND INCREASE POPS ALONG BORDER. OTRW...DRY TONGUE AT H7 MOVG OVR AREA TODAY AS BEST MSTR MOVES FROM GULF OF CA TOWARDS LAS. MM5 HINTS AT LAS STORMS EXTENDING SWD ACROSS WRN AZ DESERTS THIS AFTN/EVE POSSIBLY AS FAR SOUTH AS I-8. ISOLD STUFF MAINLY NR MTNS DOWN HERE. UPR LOW TO THE SOUTH APPEARS TO BE ON THE MOVE AFTER SITTING IN CNTRL MEX A COUPLE OF DAYS. MM5 WANTS TO WEAKEN THIS SYS AND MOVE IT EWD...BUT SAT PIX SHOWING IT MOVG WWD...MAY PLAY A FACTOR IN SE AZ WX LATER IN THE WEEK. BACK DOOR FRONT TO DROP INTO NM ON WED MAY INCREASE OUR MSTR THU. TUS 2222. HOLBROOK TUS...NONE.
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Sep 8, 11:49 AM MST, 4 hours 1 minute before
AZZ019-026>030-082300-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...SOUTHEAST ARIZONA CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
1145 AM MST MON SEP 8 1997...THIS PRODUCT IS NOT UPDATED
...MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE STORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN ESPECIALLY OVER
PIMA...SOUTHEAST PINAL...AND SANTA CRUZ COUNTIES...
AREAL PROBABILITY RAIN GREATER THAN STORM
COVERAGE OF SEVERE 1.00 2.00 MOTION
COCHISE 15 10 10 0 W 10
GRAHAM 15 10 10 0 W 8
GREENLEE 25 10 10 0 SW 10
TUCSON/ERN PIMA 15 10 10 5 W 10
TOHONO OODHAM 15 15 15 5 NW 10
WESTERN PIMA 20 20 15 0 NW 10
SOUTHEAST PINAL 10 10 10 0 W 10
SANTA CRUZ 20 15 10 0 W 10
SYNOPSIS...DRY AIR MOVING IN FROM EAST WILL LIMIT THUNDERSTORM
ACTIVITY. BEST CHANCE OF RAIN IS ALONG MEXICAN BORDER NEAR
NOGALES WEST TO ORGAN PIPE.
*****************************************************************
KEY...
AREAL COVERAGE - PERCENT OF COUNTY OR AREA THAT WILL EXPERIENCE
THUNDERSTORMS
PROB OF SEVERE - THE PROBABILITY THAT ANY ONE OF THE STORMS WILL
REACH SEVERE LEVELS (DAMAGING WIND AND/OR
LARGE HAIL)
RAIN GRTR THAN - THE PROBABILITY THAT ANY ONE OF THE STORMS WILL
PRODUCE RAIN EXCEEDING 1 INCH OR 2 INCHES IN
ANY LOCATION
STORM MOTION - GENERAL DIRECTION TO WHICH THE STORMS WILL
LIKELY MOVE AND SPEED IN MPH
NOTE...
VALID TIME IS FROM 12 NOON TO 12 MIDNIGHT OF THE DAY OF ISSUANCE
THIS PRODUCT IS NOT TO BE USED IN PLACE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OR
FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS OR WATCHES. THIS PRODUCT IS ONLY USED FOR
OUTLOOK PURPOSES.
END/HOLBROOKThe office that day
Everything else NWS Tucson, AZ issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 7, 5:31 PM MST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TWC | Pima | 29 min |
| Sep 8, 3:27 PM MST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TWC | Pima | 48 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.