Alert archive / Arizona / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2000

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 32, NWS Tucson, AZ

August 12, 2000Pima County, Arizona

NWS Tucson, AZ issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 12, 2000, 3:17 PM MST for Pima County, Arizona. It was in force for 28 min. No storm report in the archive falls 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.

The facts

Issued
Aug 12, 2000, 3:17 PM MST (22:17 UTC)
Expired
Aug 12, 2000, 3:45 PM MST
In force
28 min
Issued by
NWS Tucson, AZ
Area
Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction

County Pima County, AZ

The nearest sounding before it

Tuscon, AZ (KTUS), launched 12:00Z, 10.3 hours before the alert went out and 14 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 12:00Z on 2000-08-12Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 32 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Tuscon, AZ at 12:00Z on 2000-08-12The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -4 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
32 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-288 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1831 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
2 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-4 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-20 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.

729 
WUUS55 KTWC 122217
SVRTUS
AZC019-122245-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
317 PM MST SAT AUG 12 2000

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  EAST CENTRAL PIMA COUNTY IN ARIZONA
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF TUCSON NEAR THE TUCSON AIRPORT

* UNTIL 345 PM MST

* AT 308 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 11 MILES SOUTH OF TUCSON...MOVING NORTHWEST AT
  5 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  8 MILES SOUTH OF TUCSON AT 345 PM MST

REPORT SEVERE WEATHER TO THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY. THEY
WILL RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST
OFFICE IN TUCSON.

LAT...LON 3193 11087 3202 11068 3225 11081 3214 11104

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 12, 2:30 PM MST, 47 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 12, 2:30 PM MST, 47 minutes before
SOUTHEAST ARIZONA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
230 PM MST SAT AUG 12 2000

SYNOPSIS...HIGH PRESSURE WILL REMAIN OVER NORTHERN ARIZONA FOR THE
NEXT FEW DAYS. EASTERLY WINDS OVER SOUTHERN ARIZONA UNDER THE HIGH
HAVE BROUGHT IN A BIT DRIER AIR FOR FEWER THUNDERSTORMS TODAY.
SUNDAY WILL LIKELY SEE A FEW THUNDERSTORMS BUT MORE MOISTURE MAY BE
ON TAP FOR SOUTHERN ARIZONA ON MONDAY.

DISCUSSION...LIKELY HAVE SOME SUBSIDENCE OVER SOUTHERN ARIZONA
BEHIND YESTERDAYS TROF. TUS SOUNDING SHOWED A BIT OF WARMING
500-200MB LAYER. ALSO A SMALL INVERSION JUST BELOW 400 MB. THIS IS
WEAK SO DID NOT SHUT OFF CONVECTION ENTIRELY BUT DOES MAKE IT HARDER
FOR THE CONVECTION TO PUSH THROUGH. THUS WE SEE MOUNTAIN STORMS
TODAY AND ONLY A FEW PUSHING THROUGH THE UPPER LEVEL INVERSION.
EXPECT THE STORMS TO STAY NEAR THE MOUNTAINS AND DIE AFTER SUNSET
TONIGHT. SUNDAY WILL LIKELY BE VERY SIMILAR THEN POSSIBILITY OF
ANOTHER EASTERLY WAVE SUNDAY NIGHT OR MONDAY MORNING. DEPENDING ON
WHEN THE WAVE MOVES IN WILL DETERMINE HOW STRONG THE STORMS ARE WHEN
THE WAVE MOVES IN. HOPEFULLY TOMORROW WE CAN TIME THE SYSTEM
BETTER.  PRF

.TWC...NONE.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Aug 12, 11:15 AM MST, 4 hours 2 minutes before
PHXWRKSPS 000
TTAA00 KTUS DDHHMM

AZZ019-029>035-130600-
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...SOUTHEAST ARIZONA CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
1115 AM MST SAT AUG 12 2000

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

COCHISE              20           1          1         0      S   2
GRAHAM               20           1          1         0      S   2
GREENLEE             40           4          4         0      S   2
TUCSON/ERN PIMA      10           0          0         0      S   2
TOHONO OODHAM       15           0          3         0     SW   5
SOUTHEAST PINAL      15           0          2         0      S   5
WESTERN PIMA         20           0          5         0     SW  10
SANTA CRUZ           20           1          1         0      S   2

SYNOPSIS...WEAK UPPER LEVEL INSTABILITY RESIDES WEST OF TUCSON IN
CENTRAL AND WESTERN PIMA COUNTY.  THUS EXPECT CONVECTION TO OCCUR
PRIMARILY OVER THE MOUNTAINS DURING THE AFTERNOON AND IN THE WESTERN
DESERTS.  STORMS OVER THE MOUNTAINS ARE UNLIKELY TO MOVE INTO THE
LOWER ELEVATIONS SINCE WINDS ALOFT ARE WEAK.  MOIST ATMOSPHERE
REMAINS OVER ENTIRE AREA...SO HIGHER PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS CAN STILL
OCCUR WITH THESE STORMS.
*****************************************************************
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/

NNNN

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 12, 4:56 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCSanta Cruz94 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.