Alert archive / Arizona / Tornado Warnings in 2000

Tornado Warning 1, NWS Flagstaff, AZ

August 1, 2000Yavapai County, Arizona

NWS Flagstaff, AZ issued this tornado warning at Aug 1, 2000, 8:40 PM MST for Yavapai County, Arizona. It was in force for 35 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline the Iowa Environmental Mesonet reconstructed for it; the warning itself named whole counties, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued: Aug 1, 2000, 8:40 PM MST (03:40 UTC)
Expired: Aug 1, 2000, 9:15 PM MST
In force: 35 min
Issued by: NWS Flagstaff, AZ
Area: Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction

County Yavapai County, AZ

The radar

The Flagstaff radar (KFSX), 92 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:42 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.

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Aug 1, 8:55 PM MST	Hail 0.75	Clarkdale, AZ

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in.

The nearest sounding before it

Flgstf/Belemont, AZ (KFGZ), launched 00:00Z, 3.7 hours before the alert went out and 62 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 118 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -9 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 3438 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 42 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 24 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 42 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: -0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

929 
WFUS55 KFGZ 020340
TORFLG
AZC025-020415-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ
840 PM MST TUE AUG 1 2000

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN FLAGSTAFF HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  EAST CENTRAL YAVAPAI COUNTY IN ARIZONA

* UNTIL 915 PM MST

* AT 832 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  TORNADO 7 MILES WEST OF CLARKDALE...OR ABOUT 10 MILES WEST OF
  COTTONWOOD...MOVING NORTHWEST AT 15 MPH.

IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER IN A NEARBY REINFORCED
BUILDING. AS A LAST RESORT...SEEK SHELTER IN A CULVERT...DITCH OR LOW
SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

DO NOT USE YOUR CAR TO TRY TO OUTRUN A TORNADO. CARS ARE EASILY
TOSSED AROUND BY TORNADO WINDS. IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN THE PATH OF A
TORNADO...LEAVE THE CAR AND GO TO A STRONG BUILDING. IF NO STRUCTURE
IS NEARBY...SEEK SHELTER IN A DITCH OR LOW SPOT.

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

LAT...LON 3477 11227 3466 11216 3478 11202 3484 11218

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Aug 1, 6:16 PM MST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGZ	Gila	29 min
Aug 1, 6:45 PM MST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGZ	Gila	30 min
Aug 1, 6:50 PM MST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGZ	Yavapai	25 min
Aug 1, 7:18 PM MST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGZ	Yavapai	27 min
Aug 1, 7:50 PM MST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGZ	Yavapai	40 min
Aug 1, 8:25 PM MST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGZ	Yavapai	25 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Arizona, 2000 Every tornado warning in 2000 Tornadoes in 2000

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.