Alert archive / Arizona / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 40, NWS Tucson, AZ

August 5, 1997Cochise County, Graham County, Arizona

NWS Tucson, AZ issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 5, 1997, 5:42 PM MST for Cochise County, Graham County, Arizona. It was in force for 48 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
Aug 5, 1997, 5:42 PM MST (00:42 UTC)
Expired
Aug 5, 1997, 6:30 PM MST
In force
48 min
Issued by
NWS Tucson, AZ
Area
Whole counties

Counties Cochise County, AZ, Graham County, AZ

The radar

The Tucson radar (KEMX), 95 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:41 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, 0.7 hours before the alert went out and 105 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 1997-08-06Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 306 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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 1997-08-06The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 9 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
306 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-5 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
3444 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
9 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
9 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
17 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KTUS 060044 RRA
SVRTUS
AZC003-009-060130-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
542 PM MST TUE AUG 5 1997

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON AZ HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 630 PM MST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...

IN SOUTHEASTERN ARIZONA

   ...NORTHWESTERN COCHISE COUNTY
   ...SOUTHWESTERN GRAHAM COUNTY
 
AT 541 PM MST...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 37
MILES SOUTHWEST OF SAFFORD OR 15 MILES SOUTHWEST OF BONITA MOVING
EAST AT 5 MPH.

THIS STORM WILL REMAIN OVER A VERY REMOTE AREA OF COCHISE AND
GRAHAM COUNTIES.

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 Aug 5, 2:50 PM MST, 2 hours 52 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 5, 2:50 PM MST, 2 hours 52 minutes before
SOUTHEAST ARIZONA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
230 PM MST TUE AUG 5 1997

SOUNDER DATA SHOWS LOW LEVEL MOISTURE INCREASING FROM THE SOUTH
AND EXPECT THAT THIS AFTERNOONS CONVECTION MAY BECOME MORE ACTIVE
NEAR THE BORDER TOWARD THE EVENING.  WILL NEED TO WATCH FOR
NOCTURNAL ACTIVITY TO OUR SOUTH AND WEST DEPENDING ON DEPTH OF
MOISTURE INCREASE AND OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES FROM THIS AFTERNOONS
CONVECTION.  EXPECT MORE ACTIVITY TOMORROW AS LAST NIGHTS MCS
LIKELY GENERATED ANOTHER SURGE OVER THE GULF...AND MM5 MODEL
TURNS LOW LEVEL WINDS TO SOUTHERLY OVER THE ENTIRE GULF.  BOTTOM
LINE IS LOW LEVEL MOISTURE VALUES SHOULD INCREASE OVER SOUTHERN
AZ.

SHORT WAVE OVER THE INTERMOUNTAIN AREA THIS MORNING FORECAST TO
DROP SOUTHEASTWARD AROUND DEVELOPING HIGH WITH DEFORMATION AXIS
FORECAST TO BE OVER SCTRL TO ECTRL AZ TOMORROW.  THIS COULD BE A
FOCUS FOR CONVECTION...BUT WIND FIELD NOT TERRIBLY WELL
ORGANIZED.  NEVERTHELESS...LOW LEVEL MOISTURE SHOULD BE UP SO
EXPECT MORE ACTIVITY THAN WE'VE SEEN TODAY.  REMAINDER OF THE
FORECAST LOOKS MONSOONAL WITH FINE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE BUT NO REAL
GOOD STEERING FLOW.  FOR NOW WILL SIMPLY WORD WITH SCT AFTERNOON
THUNDERSTORMS. TEMPS TO REMAIN SEASONAL.  TUS 4453. DRB

TUS...NONE.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Aug 5, 11:57 AM MST, 5 hours 45 minutes before
AZZ019-026>030-052300-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...SOUTHEAST ARIZONA CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
1145 AM MST TUE AUG 5 1997...THIS PRODUCT IS NOT UPDATED

                AREAL    PROBABILITY   RAIN GREATER THAN   STORM
              COVERAGE    OF SEVERE     1.00       2.00    MOTION

COCHISE          30          30          35         20     W   5
GRAHAM           40          30          35         15     NW  7
GREENLEE         40          20          30         15     NW  8
TUCSON/ERN PIMA  30          35          40         20     NW  8
TOHONO OODHAM   30          35          50         35     W   5
WESTERN PIMA     20          30          30         20     W   7
SOUTHEAST PINAL  25          35          40         25     NW  7
SANTA CRUZ       60          40          60         40     W   5

SYNOPSIS...
MOISTURE INCREASING FROM THE SOUTH DURING THE DAY WILL FURTHER
DESTABILIZE THE ATMOSPHERE.  LACK OF AN ORGANIZED WIND FIELD WILL
TEND TO MAKE THE STORMS SLOW MOVERS RESULTING IN WIDELY SCATTERED
AREAS OF HEAVY RAIN...AND PERHAPS ISOLATED SEVERE WIND GUSTS.
THE BEST CHANCE FOR EXCESSIVE PRECIPITATION WILL BE NEAR THE
MEXICAN BORDER IN SOUTHCENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST PIMA COUNTY...SANTA
CRUZ COUNTY...AND SOUTHWEST COCHISE COUNTY.

*****************************************************************
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/BRIGHT

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 5, 6:09 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCPima46 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.