Alert archive / Arizona / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 111, NWS Tucson, AZ

September 21, 1997Graham County, Arizona

NWS Tucson, AZ issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Sep 21, 1997, 4:39 AM MST for Graham County, Arizona. It was in force for 61 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 21, 1997, 4:39 AM MST (11:39 UTC)
Expired
Sep 21, 1997, 5:40 AM MST
In force
61 min
Issued by
NWS Tucson, AZ
Area
Whole counties

County Graham County, AZ

The radar

The Tucson radar (KEMX), 135 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 11:40 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 00:00Z, 11.7 hours before the alert went out and 127 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.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Tuscon, AZ at 00:00Z on 1997-09-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 278 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Tuscon, AZ at 00:00Z on 1997-09-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 24 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
278 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-31 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
3126 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
23 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
24 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
90 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

606 
WUUS1 KTUS 211141 RRA
SVRTUS
AZC009-211240-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
439 AM MST SUN SEP 21 1997

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON AZ HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 540 AM MST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...

IN SOUTHEASTERN ARIZONA

   ...SOUTH CENTRAL GRAHAM COUNTY
 
AT 437 AM MST...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 14
MILES SOUTHWEST OF SAFFORD MOVING EAST NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

THIS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL MOVE INTO THE SAFFORD AREA BY 510
AM AND TO SOLOMAN BY 525 AM.

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 21, 3:01 AM MST, 1 hour 38 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 21, 3:01 AM MST, 1 hour 38 minutes before
SOUTHEAST ARIZONA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
230 AM MST SUN SEP 21 1997

LOTS OF STORMS TONIGHT...KIND OF AS EXPECTED...IN ADVECTION AREA
AHEAD OF TROF. STORMS SHOULD DIE OFF BY MID MORNING THEN START AGAIN
THIS AFTERNOON. HAVE HAD REPORTS OF HAIL WITH STORMS AND EXPECT THIS
AFTN WILL BE NO DIFFERENT. FORTUNATELY THEY ARE MOVG TOO FAST TO DO
ANY FLOODING. GETTING A LOT OF REPEAT STORM AND THIS IS THE FOURTH
STORM TO MOVE ACROSS CITY. MOST ARE SMALL IN AREA.

GOING WITH ETA WHICH KEEPS US ACTIVE TODAY...DRYS THINGS OUT SOME
TONIGHT AND MON...THEN BRINGS MSTR BACK IN AGAIN AHEAD OF NORA ON
TUE. AS FOR NORA...THIS STORM MAY GET AS STRONG AS LINDUD BUT PROBLEM
HERE IS THAT TRACK MAY BRING REMNANTS TO SRN AZ ON WED. WE MAY HAVE
TO START THINKING IN TERMS OF BRIEFING EMERGENCY MANAGERS AND SUCH ON
MON BECAUSE THIS IS THE TYPE OF SLOW MOVG STORM THAT CAN DOUSE THIS
AREA. TUS 552. HOLBROOK

TUS...NONE.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 21, 2:08 AM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCPima42 min
Sep 21, 4:03 AM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCPima, Pinal67 min
Sep 21, 7:35 AM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCCochise, Pima30 min
Sep 21, 12:56 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCCochise94 min
Sep 21, 12:56 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCCochise94 min
Sep 21, 2:16 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCCochise64 min
Sep 21, 2:16 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCCochise64 min
Sep 21, 2:28 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCCochise, Graham62 min
Sep 21, 2:28 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCCochise, Graham62 min
Sep 21, 3:33 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCCochise62 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.