Alert archive / Arizona / Flash Flood Warnings in 1998

Flash Flood Warning 34, NWS Tucson, AZ

July 31, 1998Cochise County, Arizona

NWS Tucson, AZ issued this flash flood warning at Jul 31, 1998, 5:47 PM MST for Cochise County, Arizona. It was in force for 78 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
Jul 31, 1998, 5:47 PM MST (00:47 UTC)
Expired
Jul 31, 1998, 7:05 PM MST
In force
78 min
Issued by
NWS Tucson, AZ
Area
Whole counties

County Cochise County, AZ

The radar

The Tucson radar (KEMX), 83 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:46 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, 0.8 hours before the alert went out and 113 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 1998-08-01Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 426 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 1998-08-01The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 1 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
426 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-65 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2222 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
11 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
1 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
24 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 010049
FFWTUS
AZC003-010205-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
547 PM MST FRI JUL 31 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  SOUTH CENTRAL COCHISE COUNTY IN SOUTHEASTERN ARIZONA

* UNTIL 705 PM MST

* AT 545 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN BETWEEN ELFRIDA AND
  DOUGLAS...MOVING SLOWLY NORTHWEST.

OKULSKI

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood 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 flash flood warning went out at Jul 31, 2:30 PM MST, 3 hours 17 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 31, 2:30 PM MST, 3 hours 17 minutes before
SOUTHEAST ARIZONA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
230 PM MST FRI JUL 31 1998

SYNOPSIS...DRY AIR HAS MOVED INTO THE WESTERN PART OF ARIZONA WHILE
THE EASTERN AREAS REMAIN MOIST. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD
DEVELOP DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING THROUGH SUNDAY...SCATTERED
IN THE EAST AND ISOLATED IN THE WEST.

DISCUSSION...STORM COOLED AIR OVR AREA NOW AND NOT MUCH HAPPENING IN
THE WAKE SO HAVE LOWERED POPS TO ISOLD IN MOST AREAS. STILL SOME
CONCERN FOR NOCTURNAL STORMS AGAIN TONIGHT AS COMPLEX HAS DEVELOPED
DOWN IN MEX. IF THIS DOES NOT MOVE IN SEEMS TO BE A LOW GRADE
MONSOON WEST WITH A LITTLE MORE ACTIVITY EAST AS MSTR AXIS REMAINS
ABOUT THE SAME. ON SUN AS TROF AXIS TO THE NORTH SWINGS BY MID LVL
FLOW BECOMES NRLY...WITH MOIST DESERT THIS SHOULD KICK RIM STORMS
SOUTH. THAT WILL BE LATER IN THE DAY AND THIS SHOULD ALLOW TEMPS TO
GO UP MORE. TUS 2333. HOLBROOK

.TWC...NONE

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 31, 12:45 PM MST, 5 hours 2 minutes before
AZZ019-029>035-010700-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...SOUTHEAST ARIZONA CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
1245 PM MST FRI JUL 31 1998...THIS PRODUCT IS NOT UPDATED

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

COCHISE          50          10          40         20     NW 10
GRAHAM           50          10          40         20     N  10
GREENLEE         50          10          40         20     N  10
TUCSON/ERN PIMA  40           5          30         15     NW 10
TOHONO O'ODHAM   30          10          20         10     N  10
WESTERN PIMA     20          10          20         10     NE 5
SOUTHEAST PINAL  40          10          30         15     N  10
SANTA CRUZ       50          10          30         20     NW 10

SYNOPSIS...MOISTURE CONVERGENCE HAS GENERATED SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE REGION THIS MORNING. THESE SORMS HAVE
PRODUCED SOME LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN. OTHER STORMS WILL DEVELOP OUTSIDE
OF THE AREAS THAT HAVE ALREADY RECEIVED PRECIPITATION THIS
AFTERNOON. A SECOND CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION WILL BE THIS EVENING AS
STORMS IN MEXICO MOVE INTO THE STATE FROM THE SOUTH.
*****************************************************************
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 12:45 PM 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. CORRESPONDING GRAPHICS MAY BE FOUND ON THE NWS
TUCSON INTERNET PAGE AT
HTTP://NIMBO.WRH.NOAA.GOV/TUCSON/SWO/SWO.SHTML

END/VPH
Special weather statement, Jul 31, 12:45 PM MST, 5 hours 2 minutes before
AZZ019-029>035-010700-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...SOUTHEAST ARIZONA CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
1245 PM MST FRI JUL 31 1998...THIS PRODUCT IS NOT UPDATED

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

COCHISE          50          10          40         20     NW 10
GRAHAM           50          10          40         20     N  10
GREENLEE         50          10          40         20     N  10
TUCSON/ERN PIMA  40           5          30         15     NW 10
TOHONO O'ODHAM   30          10          20         10     N  10
WESTERN PIMA     20          10          20         10     NE 5
SOUTHEAST PINAL  40          10          30         15     N  10
SANTA CRUZ       50          10          30         20     NW 10

SYNOPSIS...MOISTURE CONVERGENCE HAS GENERATED SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE REGION THIS MORNING. THESE SORMS HAVE
PRODUCED SOME LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN. OTHER STORMS WILL DEVELOP OUTSIDE
OF THE AREAS THAT HAVE ALREADY RECEIVED PRECIPITATION THIS
AFTERNOON. A SECOND CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION WILL BE THIS EVENING AS
STORMS IN MEXICO MOVE INTO THE STATE FROM THE SOUTH.
*****************************************************************
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 12:45 PM 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. CORRESPONDING GRAPHICS MAY BE FOUND ON THE NWS
TUCSON INTERNET PAGE AT
HTTP://NIMBO.WRH.NOAA.GOV/TUCSON/SWO/SWO.SHTML

END/VPH

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 31, 5:18 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCCochise47 min
Aug 1, 1:18 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCSanta Cruz52 min
Aug 1, 3:53 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCPima47 min
Aug 1, 4:21 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCPima64 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Arizona, 1998Every flash flood warning in 1998

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.