Alert archive / Arizona / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2000

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 37, NWS Phoenix, AZ

August 11, 2000Maricopa County, Arizona

NWS Phoenix, AZ issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 11, 2000, 3:27 PM MST for Maricopa County, Arizona. It was in force for 63 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Aug 11, 2000, 3:27 PM MST (22:27 UTC)
Expired
Aug 11, 2000, 4:30 PM MST
In force
63 min
Issued by
NWS Phoenix, AZ
Area
Whole counties

County Maricopa County, AZ

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Aug 11, 4:29 PM MSTThunderstorm Wind 60 EMesa, AZSevere thunderstorm winds tore part of the roof off a boat house on Apache Lake.

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

Phoenix, AZ (KPSR), launched 12:00Z, 10.5 hours before the alert went out and 49 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, Phoenix, AZ at 12:00Z on 2000-08-11Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 260 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, Phoenix, AZ at 12:00Z on 2000-08-11The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -5 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
260 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-232 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2605 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
19 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-5 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
49 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS55 KPSR 112226
SVRPHX
AZC013-112330-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
327 PM MST FRI AUG 11 2000

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PHOENIX HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  NORTHEASTERN MARICOPA COUNTY IN CENTRAL ARIZONA

* UNTIL 430 PM MST

* AT 325 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 5 MILES NORTH OF TORTILLA FLAT...MOVING SOUTH
  AT 10 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT OR PASS CLOSE TO...
  TORTILLA FLAT
  SAGUARO LAKE
  APACHE LAKE
  THE APACHE TRAIL

DAMAGING WINDS AND HEAVY RAIN ARE LIKELY. GO INSIDE A STURDY
BUILDING AND STAY AWAY qFROM WINDOWS.  BOATERS ARE URGED TO EXERCISE
EXTREME CAUTION AND TO GO TO SHORE IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES.

DG

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 Phoenix, AZ wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Aug 11, 2:35 PM MST, 52 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 11, 2:35 PM MST, 52 minutes before
AZZ020>028-CAZ030>033-120545-

SOUTHWEST ARIZONA/SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
235 PM MST FRI AUG 11 2000

.SYNOPSIS...
A STATIONARY UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE DRAPED ACROSS ARIZONA WILL
AFFECT THE SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST PORTIONS THE NEXT COUPLE OF
DAYS. THIS IMPULSE WILL HELP TO TRIGGER THUNDERSTORMS...FIRST ALONG
THE HIGHER TERRAIN...WITH STEERING FLOWS HELPING TO MOVE THE STORMS
SOUTHWEST INTO THE LOWER DESERTS IN THE EVENINGS. MEANWHILE...HIGH
PRESSURE ALOFT WILL DRIFT NORTHWARD THE NEXT FEW DAYS AND WILL HELP
TO IMPORT ADDITIONAL MOISTURE INTO THE STATE. BY EARLY NEXT WEEK...
SUFFICIENT FLOW WILL BE PRESENT TO GIVE A THREAT OF AFTERNOON AND
EVENING THUNDERSTORMS ALL THE WAY INTO SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA.

.DISCUSSION...
NEW 18Z MESO-ETA CONTINUES TO ADVERTIZE PRESENCE OF INVERTED VORT
TROF DRAPED NE-SW ACROSS AZ. THIS FEATURE GAVE CONSIDERABLE MID LEVEL
CONVERGENCE EARLIER TODAY...AS NOTED BY PERSISTENT LINE OF SHOWERS
AND THUNDERSTORMS NEAR ITS VICINITY. BELIEVE THIS FEATURE WAS ALSO
HELPING TO TRIGGER LARGE MCS ALONG AZ/MEX BORDER THIS AFTERNOON.
MEANWHILE...MESO-ETA...ET AL...IS CONTINUING TO FORECAST FAVORABLE
STEERING WINDS TO HELP PROPOGATE STORMS OFF THE RIM INTO THE HIGH
THETA-E AIRMASS NOW IN PLACE OVER THE DESERTS TONIGHT. RADAR VWP AND
SATELLITE TRENDS ALSO SEEM TO BE BEARING THIS FAVORABLE MOTION OUT.
SO...WENT WITH RELATIVELY HIGH POPS TONIGHT FOR PHX...40 PCT...AND
ALSO ISSUED A HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...MAINLY FOR HEAVY RAIN...
OVER MARICOPA...GILA AND PINAL PORTIONS OF CWFA. AFTER TONIGHT...
AMOUNT OF CONVECTION WILL DEPEND ON DEBRIS CLOUD SHIELDS...HOW MUCH
INSTABILITY IS RELEASED...AS WELL AS IF WE CAN KEEP THE NELY STEERING
FLOW. ANOTHER POSSIBLE PLAYER IN WEEKEND CONVECTION WILL BE WHETHER
WE CAN GET A SURGE TONIGHT FROM THE BORDER MCS...WHICH CONTINUES TO
PROPOGATE WWD...PERHAPS ENDING UP OUT OVER NRN GULF??  WILL OPT TO
KEEP LOW GRADE SCT POPS IN PLACE OVER DESERTS AFTER TONIGHT...MAINLY
IN THE EVENING...AND TAKE THREAT ALL THE WAY TO RIVER AND FAR SE CA
BY SATURDAY NIGHT. DURING THE EXTENDED...H5 RIDGE AXIS SETS UP TO OUR
N...OPENING THE DOOR FOR ELY FLOW TO MAKE IT ALL THE WAY INTO WRN
CWFA. HAVE DECIDED TO INCLUDE CHANCE OF TSTMS ALL THE WAY OUT INTO CA
ZONES DURING 3 TO 5 DAY PERIOD.    ESTLE

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Aug 11, 11:40 AM MST, 3 hours 47 minutes before
AZZ022>024-027-028-120130-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
1140 AM MST FRI AUG 11 2000

A MODERATE RISK OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN OVER MUCH
OF SOUTH CENTRAL ARIZONA LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...

THE MODERATE RISK AREA INCLUDES ALL OF MARICOPA COUNTY AS WELL
AS SOUTHERN GILA AND NORTHWEST PINAL COUNTIES. THIS INCLUDES
THE GREATER PHOENIX AREA...AS WELL AS CASA GRANDE...COOLIDGE...GLOBE
...MIAMI...WICKENBURG AND GILA BEND.

AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE OVER EASTERN ARIZONA WILL SERVE TO ACT AS
A TRIGGER FOR SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE MODERATE
RISK AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. LOCALIZED RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF
OVER AN INCH PER HOUR ARE POSSIBLE. IN ADDITION...GUSTY WINDS TO
OVER 40 MPH ARE LIKELY...WHICH COULD LEAD TO AREAS OF REDUCED
VISIBILITIES IN BLOWING DUST IN THE DESERTS.

STORM SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NECESSARY LATER TODAY.

ESTLEc

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 11, 4:17 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPSRPinal43 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Arizona, 2000Every severe thunderstorm warning 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.