Alert archive / Arizona / Flash Flood Warnings in 1998

Flash Flood Warning 20, NWS Las Vegas, NV

July 24, 1998Mohave County, Arizona; Clark County, Nevada

NWS Las Vegas, NV issued this flash flood warning at Jul 24, 1998, 2:52 AM MST for Mohave County, Arizona; Clark County, Nevada. It was in force for 118 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 24, 1998, 2:52 AM MST (09:52 UTC)
Expired
Jul 24, 1998, 4:50 AM MST
In force
118 min
Issued by
NWS Las Vegas, NV
Area
Whole counties

Counties Mohave County, AZ, Clark County, NV

The nearest sounding before it

Mercury/Desert R, NV (KDRA), launched 00:00Z, 9.9 hours before the alert went out and 162 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, Mercury/Desert R, NV at 00:00Z on 1998-07-24Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 245 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, Mercury/Desert R, NV at 00:00Z on 1998-07-24The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 36 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
245 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-9 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1915 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
10 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
36 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
5 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 KLAS 240953
FFWLAS
AZC015-NVC003-241150-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV
252 AM PDT (252 AM MST) FRI JUL 24 1998


*  FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR
   EXTREME EASTERN CLARK COUNTY IN SOUTHERN NEVADA
   CENTRAL AND NORTHERN MOHAVE COUNTY IN NORTHWESTERN ARIZONA

*  UNTIL 450 AM PDT (450 AM MST)

*  SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED
   SOUTH COVE/MEADVIEW AND PEARCE FERRY IN THE LAKE MEAD
   NATIONAL RECREATION AREA
   WESTERN PORTION OF THE GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK
   HUALAPAI INDIAN RESERVATION
   DOLAN SPRINGS

AT 245 AM PDT...SATELLITE IMAGERY INDICATED THAT THUNDERSTORMS
OVER EXTREME EASTERN CLARK COUNTY AND NORTHERN AND CENTRAL MOHAVE
COUNTY ARIZONA HAVE RE-INTENSIFIED WITH FLASH FLOODING LIKELY
TO OCCUR.

BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE
DANGERS OF FLOODS AND FLASH FLOODS. IF FLASH FLOODING IS OBSERVED...
ACT QUICKLY. MOVE UP TO ESCAPE FLOOD WATERS. DO NOT STAY IN AREAS
SUBJECT TO FLOODING WHEN WATER BEGINS RISING. IT IS VERY DIFFICULT
AT NIGHT TO TELL HOW MUCH WATER IS ON ROADS. MOTORISTS SHOULD NOT
DRIVE THROUGH WATER OF UNKNOWN DEPTH.

CORDERO

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 Las Vegas, NV wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flash flood warning went out at Jul 24, 2:35 AM MST, 17 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 24, 2:35 AM MST, 17 minutes before
MOJAVE DESERT/SOUTHERN GREAT BASIN AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV
235 AM PDT FRI JUL 24 1998

SYNOPSIS...MONSOONAL MOISTURE THAT HAS BEEN ACROSS THE MOJAVE DESERT
AND SOUTHERN GREAT BASIN WILL GRADUALLY DIMINISH THROUGH SATURDAY.
THIS WILL RESULT IN A DECREASING THREAT OF THUNDERSTORMS...ESPECIALLY
ACROSS THE LOWER DESERT REGIONS.

DISCUSSION...WEAK UPPER LOW CIRCULATION SEEN ON WATER VAPOR SHOTS
OVER SRN CA INTO NRN BAJA WILL BE KEY PLAYER TODAY. DRIER AIR
INDICATED WITH THIS AND WAS HANDLED BEST BY NGM. ETA SHOWS NO DRYING
THRU 48 HRS AND WAS DISCARDED. THIS BOUNDARY TO SET UP NEAR NRN
MOHAVE INTO NRN CLARK THIS AFTERNOON. SHOULD BE ACTIVE DAY FROM THIS
AREA NWD INTO SCNTRL NV. AIRMASS STILL VERY MOIST AND UNSTABLE WITH
DRYING CONFINED TO DESERTS IN SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY AND POSSIBLY UP
INTO SRN MOHAVE AND SRN CLARK. LAS VEGAS VALLEY ON EDGE AND IS TOUGH
CALL FOR THIS AFTERNOON. DAYSHIFT WILL JUST HAVE TO EXAMINE 12Z DATA.
RAMMS MODEL INDICATING CAPES BETWEEN 1500 AND 2500 LATER THIS MORNING
THRU AFTERNOON IN ALL AREAS EXCEPT SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY BUT CAPES DO
BEGIN TO DIMINISH IN SRN CLARK COUNTY LATE IN THE AFTERNOON. DRYING
SHOULD EXTEND FURTHER N TOMORROW AS SUBTROPICAL RIDGE BUILDS INTO SRN
CA. BEGINNINGS OF THIS SHOWING ON WATER VAPOR SOUTH OF CURRENT UPPER
TROF CIRCULATION MOVING INTO SRN CA. EXTENDED LUKS DRY AND HOT.

IN SHORT TERM...STILL HAVE CONVECTION BUILDING SEWD THRU LAKES AND
INTO NRN HALF OF MOHAVE COUNTY. ALSO...LEADING EDGE OF UPPER
CIRCULATION CREATING ISOLATED CONVECTION NEAR SRN MOHAVE LAST HOUR OR
TWO. WILL HAVE TO ADD IN MORNING THUNDERSTORMS TO THESE AREAS TODAY.
LAS 221. SKRBAC

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 24, 1:52 AM MST, 1 hour before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NEVADA
152 AM PDT FRI JUL 24 1998

TIME(PDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0720 PM    LIDA                      NV   FLOODING
07/23/98   ESMERALDA                      SEVERAL ROADS WASHED
                                          OUT...INCLUDING HIGHWAY
                                          266 BETWEEN LIDA AND
                                          PALMETTO AND HIGHWAY 264
                                          IN SOUTHERN PART OF
                                          FISHLAKE VALLEY.  12
                                          PERSONS RESCUED FROM
                                          STRANDED VEHICLES AND
                                          AT LEAST TWO CARS SWEPT
                                          AWAY BY FLOOD WATERS IN
                                          SOUTHERN AND WESTERN
                                          ESMERALDA COUNTY.

0730 PM    DYER                      NV   FLOODING
07/23/98   ESMERALDA                      HIGHWAY 264 WASHED OUT
                                          NORTH OF CIRCLE L RANCH.
Local storm report, Jul 24, 1:56 AM MST, 56 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED FOR REPORT TIMES
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NEVADA
156 AM PDT FRI JUL 24 1998

TIME(PDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0650 PM    LIDA                      NV   FLOODING
07/23/98   ESMERALDA                      SEVERAL ROADS WASHED
                                          OUT...INCLUDING HIGHWAY
                                          266 BETWEEN LIDA AND
                                          PALMETTO AND HIGHWAY 264
                                          IN SOUTHERN PART OF
                                          FISHLAKE VALLEY.  12
                                          PERSONS RESCUED FROM
                                          STRANDED VEHICLES AND
                                          AT LEAST TWO CARS SWEPT
                                          AWAY BY FLOOD WATERS IN
                                          SOUTHERN AND WESTERN
                                          ESMERALDA COUNTY.

0700 PM    DYER                      NV   FLOODING
07/23/98   ESMERALDA                      HIGHWAY 264 WASHED OUT
                                x          NORTH OF CIRCLE L RANCH.
Local storm report, Jul 24, 1:56 AM MST, 56 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED FOR REPORT TIMES
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NEVADA
156 AM PDT FRI JUL 24 1998

TIME(PDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0650 PM    LIDA                      NV   FLOODING
07/23/98   ESMERALDA                      SEVERAL ROADS WASHED
                                          OUT...INCLUDING HIGHWAY
                                          266 BETWEEN LIDA AND
                                          PALMETTO AND HIGHWAY 264
                                          IN SOUTHERN PART OF
                                          FISHLAKE VALLEY.  12
                                          PERSONS RESCUED FROM
                                          STRANDED VEHICLES AND
                                          AT LEAST TWO CARS SWEPT
                                          AWAY BY FLOOD WATERS IN
                                          SOUTHERN AND WESTERN
                                          ESMERALDA COUNTY.

0700 PM    DYER                      NV   FLOODING
07/23/98   ESMERALDA                      HIGHWAY 264 WASHED OUT
                                x          NORTH OF CIRCLE L RANCH.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Las Vegas, NV issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 24, 4:49 AM MSTFlash Flood WarningVEFMohave2 hr
Jul 23, 6:14 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningVEFEsmeralda116 min
Jul 23, 11:22 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningVEFClark2 hr
Jul 24, 3:15 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningVEFClark60 min
Jul 24, 3:21 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningVEFClark119 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Arizona, 1998Flash Flood Warnings in Nevada, 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.