Alert archive / Arizona / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2001

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 18, NWS Tucson, AZ

July 14, 2001Pima County, Arizona

NWS Tucson, AZ issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 14, 2001, 1:42 PM MST for Pima County, Arizona. It was in force for 48 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
Jul 14, 2001, 1:42 PM MST (20:42 UTC)
Expired
Jul 14, 2001, 2:30 PM MST
In force
48 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, 8.7 hours before the alert went out and 24 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 2001-07-14Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 182 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, Tuscon, AZ at 12:00Z on 2001-07-14The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -27 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
182 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-217 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2703 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
13 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-27 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-27 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 
WUUS55 KTWC 142044
SVRTUS

AZC019-142130-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
142 PM MST SAT JUL 14 2001

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  EAST CENTRAL PIMA COUNTY IN ARIZONA
  THIS INCLUDES GREEN VALLEY AND FAR SOUTHERN TUCSON

* UNTIL 230 PM MST

* AT 140 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED 
  A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 3 MILES NORTH OF GREEN VALLEY ALONG INTERSTATE
  19...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 6 TO 8 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  SOUTHERN TUCSON AT 215 PM MST

REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAN PRODUCE LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING
WINDS IN EXCESS OF 55 MPH...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND HEAVY RAIN.

LAT...LON 3194 11110 3179 11098 3195 11063 3216 11080

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 Jul 14, 9:30 AM MST, 4 hours 12 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 14, 9:30 AM MST, 4 hours 12 minutes before
SOUTHEAST ARIZONA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
930 AM MST SAT JUL 14 2001

SYNOPSIS...A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE WILL REMAIN STATIONARY ALONG
THE WEST COAST FOR THE NEXT WEEK. THIS WILL BRING A LITTLE DRIER
SOUTHWEST FLOW OVER MUCH OF THE REGION. HIGH PRESSURE WILL REMAIN
NEARLY STATIONARY IN NEW MEXICO WHICH WILL CONTINUE TO PUSH SOME
MOISTURE INTO FAR EASTERN ARIZONA. LOOK FOR TEMPERATURES TO REMAIN
NEAR OR SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL AND ONLY A SMALL CHANCE OF
THUNDERSTORMS.

DISCUSSION...MORE COMPLICATED WEATHER PATTERN IN PLACE TODAY...WITH
A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OVER NORTHERN CALIFORNIA AND AN UPPER LOW OVER
SOUTHWEST TEXAS. MOISTURE ACROSS THE STATE WAS STARTING TO PINCH OFF
WITH DRIER AIR OVER NEW MEXICO AND A DRY SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT
STARTING TO MERGE. LATEST SATELLITE WATER VAPOR AND PWATER IMAGERY
INDICATED THAT THE DEEPEST MOISTURE HAD SHIFTED FARTHER EAST INTO
OUR EXTREME EASTERN ZONES AND FAR WESTERN NEW MEXICO. IR AND VISIBLE
IMAGERY WAS STILL SHOWING A NARROW CLOUD BAND EXTENDED ACROSS
EASTERN SANTA CRUZ...COCHISE...INTO GRAHAM AND GREENLEE COUNTIES
THIS MORNING. CURRENT THINKING IS THAT MOST OF THE THUNDERSTORM
ACTIVITY WILL BE CONFINED TO OUR EASTERN ZONES AGAIN TODAY. THE
ONLY CONCERN WOULD BE SOME DIFFERENTIAL HEATING ALONG THE WESTERN
AND EASTERN EDGES OF THE CLOUD BAND THAT COULD TRIGGER STORMS A
LITTLE FARTHER WEST LATER TODAY. HOWEVER...THJE STRONG SOUTHWESTERLY
FLOW ALOFT SHOULD INHIBIT CONVECTION FROM TUCSON WESTWARD. WILL MAKE
MINOR ADJUSTMENTS TO THE CURRENT FORECAST ON THE MORNING UPDATE.

.TWC...NONE.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 14, 11:45 AM MST, 1 hour 57 minutes before
AZZ019-029>035-150700-

SOUTHEAST ARIZONA HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
1145 AM MST SAT JUL 14 2001

.SYNOPSIS...DRIER AIR HAS STARTED TO WORK ITS WAY INTO WESTERN
PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN ARIZONA...ESPECIALLY IN THE MID LEVELS. DEEPER
MOISTURE CONTINUES ACROSS EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA.
AGAIN THE HIGHER TERRAIN WILL PROVIDE THE FOCUSING MECHANISM TO
SPARK THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT. WITH LESS OVERALL MOISTURE TO WORK
WITH...AND HIGHER WINDS ALOFT THE THREAT OF FLASH FLOODING WILL BE
NEAR CLIMATOLOGY ACROSS ALL OF SOUTHERN ARIZONA. WITH SOUTHWEST FLOW
AT MID AND UPPER LEVELS PULLING IN DRIER AIR ALOFT...THE THREAT OF
SEVERE WEATHER IS LOW.

.DISCUSSION...LOOK FOR THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP OVER THE HIGHER
TERRAIN DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS...MAINLY FROM TUCSON EAST. THE
MORNING TUCSON UPPER AIR SOUNDING INDICATED SOMEWHAT DRIER AIR IN
PLACE COMPARED TO YESTERDAY...WITH A PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUE OF
1.23 INCHES. MID LEVEL STEERING FLOW IS STRONG ENOUGH FOR THE STORMS
TO MOVE OFF THE MOUNTAINS AND INTO THE VALLEYS...HOWEVER THE
STRONGER FLOW WILL REDUCE THE THREAT OF FLASH FLOODING TO NEAR
CLIMATOLOGY ACROSS ALL OF SOUTHERN ARIZONA EXCEPT FAR EASTERN
PORTIONS WHERE DEEPER MOISTURE REMAINS. THE THREAT OF SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE NEAR CLIMATOLOGY TODAY OVER A GOOD PORTION OF
SOUTHEAST ARIZONA...WITH A BELOW NORMAL THREAT OVER FAR WESTERN PIMA
COUNTY. THE HIGHEST THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE OVER EASTERN
PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST ARIZONA (FAR EASTERN PIMA...COCHISE AND GRAHAM
COUNTIES) WHERE DIFFERENTIAL HEATING DUE TO MORNING CLOUDS AND THE
BOUNDARY BETWEEN DRIER AND MORE MOIST AIR EXISTS.

STORM MOTION WILL BE TOWARDS THE NORTHEAST AT 10 MPH.

ZELL

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 13, 5:27 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCCochise48 min
Jul 14, 2:42 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCGraham, Pima48 min

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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.