Alert archive / Arizona / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 87, NWS Tucson, AZ
NWS Tucson, AZ issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 28, 1997, 1:15 PM MST for Santa Cruz County, Arizona. It was in force for 60 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 28, 1997, 1:15 PM MST (20:15 UTC)
- Expired
- Aug 28, 1997, 2:15 PM MST
- In force
- 60 min
- Issued by
- NWS Tucson, AZ
- Area
- Whole counties
County Santa Cruz County, AZ
The nearest sounding before it
Tuscon, AZ (KTUS), launched 12:00Z, 8.3 hours before the alert went out and 72 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
- 728 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -165 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1741 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 17 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -38 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 40 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 282015 RRA SVRTUS AZC023-282115- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ 115 PM MST THU AUG 28 1997 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON AZ HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 215 PM MST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN SOUTHERN ARIZONA ...CENTRAL AND EASTERN SANTA CRUZ COUNTY AT 112 PM MST TUCSON DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS 3 MILES WEST OF2 SONOITA AND 8 MILES EAST OF PATAGONIA. THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING SLOWLY SOUTH AND WILL AFFECT MOST OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN SANTA CRUZ COUNTY...INCLUDING NOGALES.
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 28, 9:30 AM MST, 3 hours 45 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Aug 28, 9:30 AM MST, 3 hours 45 minutes before
SOUTHEAST ARIZONA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ 930 AM MST THU AUG 28 1997 INCREASE IN MOISTURE OBVIOUS ON 12Z TUS SOUNDING AS MOISTURE AXIS STARTS TO SHIFT EAST. SHARP SHOWS CAPE VALUES OF 1000 TO 1500 J/KG AND WITH SUNNY SKIES OVER MOST OF CWA EXPECT TO SEE AN UPSWING IN ACTIVITY TODAY. MOISTURE FROM INVERTED TROF JUST SOUTH OF AZ MOVING NORTH AS PER SAT PIX AND SHORTWAVE OFF CA COAST SHOULD HELP ADD SOME DYNAMICS. THE LIMITING FACTOR FOR CONVECTION TODAY IS THE VERTICALLY STACKED WINDS...ALL SOUTHEAST AND TOO STRONG ALOFT WHICH WILL CAUSE SERIOUS ANVIL BLOW-OFF AHEAD OF STORMS. IF THE WINDS WEAKEN ALOFT WE WILL HAVE AN EXPLOSIVE DAY...BUT THE REALITY OF THE ANVIL PROBLEM WILL KEEP THINGS FROM GETTING TOO ACTIVE. DYNAMICS WILL OVERCOME SOME OF THIS SO CURRENT FORECAST LOOKS GOOD FOR AZZ26>28. EASTERN ZONES MAY NOT HAVE MOISTENED UP AS MUCH YET AND MAY NEED AN UPDATE THERE...BUT WILL WAIT AND SEE HOW THINGS DEVELOP. TUS 3443. LUDWIG TUS...NONE
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Aug 28, 11:49 AM MST, 1 hour 26 minutes before
AZZ019-026>030-282300-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...SOUTHEAST ARIZONA CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
1145 AM MST THU AUG 28 1997...THIS PRODUCT IS NOT UPDATED
AREAL PROBABILITY RAIN GREATER THAN STORM
COVERAGE OF SEVERE 1.00 2.00 MOTION
COCHISE 30 30 20 0 NW 10
GRAHAM 30 30 20 0 NW 10
GREENLEE 30 30 20 0 NW 10
TUCSON/ERN PIMA 30 40 40 20 NW 10
TOHONO OODHAM 30 40 50 20 N 10
WESTERN PIMA 30 40 50 20 N 10
SOUTHEAST PINAL 20 30 30 20 N 10
SANTA CRUZ 40 40 60 30 N 10
SYNOPSIS...SOUTHERLY WINDS OUT OF MEXICO HAVE BROUGHT MOIST AIR
TO MOST OF SOUTHEAST ARIZONA...WITH MOST OF THE MOISTURE FROM
TUCSON WESTWARD. THE POTENTIAL FOR THUNDERSTORMS TODAY IN THE
TUCSON AND NOGALES AREAS IS GREATER THAN YESTERDAY. THE MAIN
THREAT TODAY WILL BE HEAVY RAINFALL AND LOCALIZED FLOODING.
*****************************************************************
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/LUDWIGThe office that day
Everything else NWS Tucson, AZ issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 27, 6:32 PM MST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TWC | Pima | 78 min |
| Aug 27, 8:37 PM MST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TWC | Pima | 33 min |
| Aug 28, 1:22 PM MST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TWC | Pima | 48 min |
| Aug 28, 2:07 PM MST | Flash Flood Warning | TWC | Pima, Santa Cruz | 88 min |
| Aug 28, 2:07 PM MST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TWC | Pima, Santa Cruz | 88 min |
| Aug 28, 4:39 PM MST | Flash Flood Warning | TWC | Pinal | 91 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.