Alert archive / Arizona / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2001

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 103, NWS Flagstaff, AZ

October 3, 2001Coconino County, Gila County, Arizona

NWS Flagstaff, AZ issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Oct 3, 2001, 3:15 PM MST for Coconino County, Gila County, Arizona. It was in force for 30 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
Oct 3, 2001, 3:15 PM MST (22:15 UTC)
Expired
Oct 3, 2001, 3:45 PM MST
In force
30 min
Issued by
NWS Flagstaff, AZ
Area
Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction

Counties Coconino County, AZ, Gila County, AZ

The radar

The Flagstaff radar (KFSX), 29 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:15 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
Oct 3, 3:30 PM MSTHail 0.75Payson, AZThree quarter inch hail was reported in Payson.

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 12:00Z, 10.3 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, Flgstf/Belemont, AZ at 12:00Z on 2001-10-03Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 24 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Flgstf/Belemont, AZ at 12:00Z on 2001-10-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 46 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
24 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-170 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2035 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
8 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
46 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
49 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.

474 
WUUS55 KFGZ 032217
SVRFLG
AZC005-007-032245-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ
315 PM MST WED OCT 3 2001

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  NORTHWESTERN GILA COUNTY IN ARIZONA
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF PAYSON

* UNTIL 345 PM MST

* AT 315 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM ABOUT 2 MILES NORTHEAST OF PAYSON...MOVING
  SOUTHWEST AT 15 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT OR PASS CLOSE TO...
  PAYSON AT 320 PM MST

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

LAT...LON 3426 11146 3414 11130 3438 11097 3454 11116

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 Flagstaff, AZ wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Oct 3, 2:30 PM MST, 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 3, 2:30 PM MST, 45 minutes before
NORTHERN ARIZONA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ
230 PM MST WED OCT 03 2001

.SYNOPSIS...DRIER AND MORE STABLE AIR WILL BRING MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES
TO THE AREA THURSDAY...WITH THE ONLY CHANCE FOR SHOWERS OVER THE
EASTERN MOGOLLON RIM AND WHITE MOUNTAINS. A DEVELOPING LOW PRESSURE
SYSTEM WILL BRING A CHANCE OF SHOWERS BACK TO THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS
EAST OF FLAGSTAFF FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. THIS STORM SYSTEM WILL MOVE
THROUGH NORTHERN ARIZONA LATE IN THE WEEKEND...WITH WINDY CONDITIONS
EXPECTED...AND A CHANCE FOR SHOWERS ACROSS ALL OF THE AREA BY
SUNDAY. MUCH COLDER TEMPERATURES WILL ALSO ACCOMPANY THIS STORM
SUNDAY AND MONDAY. A SECOND STORM SYSTEM WILL KEEP THE CHANCE FOR
SHOWERS ACROSS NORTHERN ARIZONA WELL INTO NEXT WEEK...WITH BELOW
NORMAL TEMPERATURES CONTINUING.

.DISCUSSION...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAVE BEEN FIRING ALONG THE
RIM AND EASTERN MOUNTAINS EASILY THIS AFTERNOON. STORM MOTION HAS
BEEN FOLLOWING THE MEAN FLOW SOUTHWARD OFF THE RIM AND EVENTUALLY
INTO THE PHX CWA. COOL POCKET OF AIR AT THE MID-LEVELS WILL SINK A
BIT FURTHER SOUTH TONIGHT. WARMER AIR ALOFT WILL REPLACE THIS
AIRMASS THURSDAY...WITH MOST OF NORTHERN ARIZONA BECOMING CAPPED.
THE EXCEPTION WILL BE THE FARTHEST SOUTH AND EAST ZONES...WILL BE
CARRYING SLIGHT CHANCE POPS OVER THE WHITES AND EASTERN RIM AGAIN ON
THURSDAY.

BY FRIDAY...ANOTHER SHOT OF COLDER AIR AT THE MID-LEVELS WILL ENTER
THE NORTHERN SECTIONS OF THE STATE...DESTABILIZING THE AIRMASS YET
AGAIN. WOULD EXPECT CONVECTION TO DEVELOP OVER THE SAME AREAS AS WE
ARE SEEING TODAY AGAIN ON FRIDAY. LOCALLY BREEZY CONDITIONS WILL
ALSO DEVELOP AS A TROUGH BEGINS TO DROP INTO THE GREAT BASIN.

THIS TROUGH WILL NOT BE AS STRONG OR AS FAR SOUTH AS TUESDAYS AVN
RUNS INDICATED. HOWEVER...THIS IS NOT BECAUSE THE SPLIT IS NOT
DEVELOPING AS PROMISED...OR BECAUSE THERE WILL NOT BE AS MUCH ENERGY
IN THE SOUTHERN BRANCH. IT IS SIMPLY BECAUSE THE AVN/MRF MEMBERS ARE
FORECASTING AN EVEN STRONGER TRAILING SYSTEM WHICH WILL SAP THE LEAD
SYSTEM OF ITS STRENGTH. WILL EXPECT WINDY CONDITIONS TO DEVELOP OVER
THE WEEKEND WITH THE LEAD SYSTEM...AND EXPECT A GOOD DEAL OF THE
STILL PLENTIFUL MOISTURE TO THE SOUTH TO BE ADVECTED NORTHWARD
TOWARDS THE LOW PRESSURE. THE TRAILING SYSTEM WILL ALSO HAVE THIS
MOISTURE TO WORK WITH...AND POSSIBLY EVEN MORE DYNAMICS. WILL BRING
IN SCATTERED POPS EAST OF FLAGSTAFF SATURDAY...WITH CWA-WIDE POPS
BROADBRUSHED IN SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY WITH THE DUAL LOW PRESSURE
SYSTEMS. TEMPERATURES WILL ALSO TAKE QUITE THE NOSE-DIVE WITH LEAD
SYSTEM AND STAY DOWN WELL INTO NEXT WEEK. FROM TODAY...EXPECT NEARLY
15 TO 20 DEGREES OF COOLING BY SUNDAY OR MONDAY. WILL NOT BE
FORECASTING HIGH ELEVATION WET SNOW AS OF YET...BUT COLD POOL WILL
NEED CAREFUL WATCHING THIS WEEKEND. PETERSON.

.FGZ...NONE.

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Arizona, 2001Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2001

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.