Alert archive / Arizona / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2001
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 29, NWS Tucson, AZ
NWS Tucson, AZ issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 5, 2001, 4:26 PM MST for Cochise County, Arizona. It was in force for 34 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 5, 2001, 4:26 PM MST (23:26 UTC)
- Expired
- Aug 5, 2001, 5:00 PM MST
- In force
- 34 min
- Issued by
- NWS Tucson, AZ
- Area
- Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction
County Cochise County, AZ
The radar
The Tucson radar (KEMX), 102 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:29 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.
The nearest sounding before it
Tuscon, AZ (KTUS), launched 12:00Z, 11.4 hours before the alert went out and 140 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 196 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -330 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1861 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 9 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -27 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- -28 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 WUUS55 KTWC 052328 SVRTUS AZC003-060000- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ 426 PM MST SUN AUG 5 2001 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON HAS ISSUED A * SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR... SOUTH CENTRAL COCHISE COUNTY IN ARIZONA THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF DOUGLAS * UNTIL 500 PM MST * AT 420 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A PAIR OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS 10 MILES NORTH OF DOUGLAS...AND JUST SOUTH OF DOUGLAS...MOVING NORTHWEST AT 15 MPH. * THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR... DOUGLAS THROUGH 440 PM MST WIND GUSTS TO 65 MPH...LARGE HAIL...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN ARE LIKELY WITH THESE STORMS. LAT...LON 3132 10958 3152 10942 3174 10978 3153 10994 PYTLAK
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 5, 2:08 PM MST, 2 hours 18 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Aug 5, 2:08 PM MST, 2 hours 18 minutes before
SOUTHEAST ARIZONA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ 208 PM MST SUN AUG 5 2001 .SYNOPSIS...ALTHOUGH THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WILL BE SOMEWHAT LIMITED THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT...HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT WILL REMAIN OVER THE GREAT BASIN THIS WEEK. THIS WILL BRING AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WEST FROM THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY INTO ARIZONA BY TUESDAY NIGHT. THIS DISTURBANCE WILL LIKELY CAUSE AN INCREASE IN RAINFALL BY MIDWEEK. .DISCUSSION...WE'RE DEFINITELY FEELING THE EFFECTS OF YESTERDAY'S BIG CONVECTION IN SE AZ. TEMPS ARE RUNNING 3 TO 7 DEGREES BELOW YESTERDAY, WITH TSTMS JUST GETTING STARTED OVER THE MOUNTAINS. WE DO HAVE A CU FIELD OVER W PIMA COUNTY ON THE N EDGE OF THE MESOSCALE VORTEX CENTER HEADING WNW TOWARD THE NORTHERN GULF OF CA. OTHER STORMS ON THE RIM ARE TRYING TO THROW A SMALL OUTFLOW BOUNDARY OUT TOWARD N GRAHAM COUNTY. THOUGHTS FROM THIS MORNING ARE PRETTY MUCH UNCHANGED: WE WILL SEE A FEW STORMS THIS EVENING, WITH PERHAPS SLIGHTLY BETTER COVERAGE NEAR THE RIM AND W PIMA COUNTY, BUT WE'RE GOING TO BE DOWN OVERALL. I MAY TWEAK A POP HERE AND THERE BASED ON RADAR TRENDS, BUT CURRENT FORECAST WORDING LOOKS GOOD. MON/MON NIGHT WILL BE WARMER, BUT SO WILL OUR 400-300MB TEMPS DUE TO SHORT WAVE RIDGING. E FLOW WILL TRY TO FEED DRIER AIR IN FROM NM WHICH COULD CONCEIVABLY SET UP SOME KIND OF MOISTURE BOUNDARY AND PUSH A STORM OR TWO INTO THE VALLEYS. WE COULD EVEN END UP WITH A MICROBURST OR TWO IF THE 700-500 MB LAYER DRIES OUT AS MUCH AS THE AVN SUGGESTS. HOWEVER, WITHOUT A CONCRETE TRIGGER AND WITH WEAK CONVERGENT FLOW ALOFT, COVERAGE WILL REMAIN RATHER ISOLATED. OUR NEXT INTERESTING FEATURE ARRIVES LATE TUE. EASTERLY WAVE WHICH HAS HAD QUITE A HISTORY (FLASH FLOODS IN KY/TN, CURRENTLY YANKING T.S. BARRY TOWARD THE FL COAST) IS PROGGED BY ALL MODELS TO MOVE W UNDER THE RIDGE FROM MS/AL, PICK UP AN OTHER EASTERLY WAVE OVER THE W GULF OF MEXICO, AND THEN MOVE INTO THE NEIGHBORHOOD LATE TUE. EVEN THOUGH THE ETA/NGM/AVN ARE A LITTLE DIFFERENT WITH THE DETAILS, THEY ALL FIRE TSTMS OVER THE RIM TUE AFTERNOON AND THEN DROP THEM SW. RIM SHOTS HAVE BEEN AS MYTHICAL AROUND HERE AS PIXIES AND THE TOOTH FAIRY SINCE 1998, BUT IT'S HARD TO GO AGAINST SUCH A SCENARIO AFTER 2 DAYS OF STRONG HEATING, NE FLOW OF 20KTS BY 00Z WED, AND 2-3C OF COOLING IN THE 400-300MB LAYER JUST AHEAD OF THE WAVE(S). WE'LL START TO RAMP POPS UP ON TUE TO SHOW THE TREND, ALTHOUGH IF WE DO INDEED GET A RIM SHOT, CLIMATOLOGY WOULD FAVOR TUE EVENING JUST AFTER 00Z. OBVIOUS CAUTION IS ALSO REQUIRED IN TERMS OF TIMING SINCE ALL 3 MODELS WERE TOO SLOW WITH THE WAVE WHICH DUMPED ON US YESTERDAY. AVN/MRF ARE IN MUCH BETTER AGREEMENT WITH UKMET/ECMWF IN FAVORING A DEEPER LOW OVER THE CANADIAN MARITIMES AND A CLOSED HIGH TO OUR N. WITH BARRY GETTING OUT OF THE WAY, THE EASTERLY WAVE(S) MOVING INTO US LATE TUE MAY BE THE FIRST OF SEVERAL. STANDARD MID/HIGH GRADE FORECAST STILL LOOKS GOOD, ALTHOUGH I'M SURE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A DOWN DAY SOMEWHERE IN THERE, MUCH LIKE WE'RE EXPERIENCING TODAY. PYTLAK .TWC...NONE.
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Aug 5, 11:15 AM MST, 5 hours 11 minutes before
AZZ019-029>035-060700- SOUTHEAST ARIZONA HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ 1115 AM MST SUN AUG 5 2001 .SYNOPSIS...SEVERAL WEAK UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES WILL REMAIN IN THE AREA THROUGH THIS EVENING. ANY ONE OF THESE COULD TRIGGER THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...ALTHOUGH COVERAGE WILL BE CONSIDERABLY LESS COMPARED TO YESTERDAY AND THEY WILL HAVE A DIFFICULT TIME MOVING OFF THE MOUNTAINS. .DISCUSSION...ALTHOUGH ACTIVITY WILL BE DOWN AFTER LAST NIGHT/S STORMS...UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES OVER EAST CENTRAL ARIZONA...JUST SOUTH OF THE PIMA COUNTY-MEXICAN BORDER...AND MOVING NORTH OVER NORTHWEST CHIHUAHUA COULD ALL TRIGGER A FEW THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON. ONCE AGAIN...THERE IS A WEAK INVERSION AT AROUND 20000 FEET WHICH SHOULD SLOW STORM DEVELOPMENT AND ALLOW THE VALLEYS AND DESERTS TO HEAT UP. ALTHOUGH WE WILL NOT BE AS WARM AS YESTERDAY... DEWPOINTS ARE SLIGHTLY HIGHER AND COULD STILL SUPPORT A FEW VALLEY STORMS...ESPECIALLY FROM TUCSON WEST. MODELS SUGGEST THAT STEERING WINDS WILL AGAIN INCREASE OUT OF THE EAST THIS AFTERNOON AS THE WESTERN CHIHUAHUA DISTURBANCE MOVES CLOSER TO THE REGION. IF TRUE... THAT COULD HELP TO PUSH A COUPLE OF STORM OFF THE MOUNTAINS LATE THIS AFTERNOON OR EARLY THIS EVENING. THE RISK OF SEVERE STORMS AND FLASH FLOODING WILL BE A BIT HIGHER THAN CLIMATOLOGY WEST OF TUCSON WHERE MOISTURE PROFILES ARE DEEPER DUE TO A RENEWED SURGE OF MOISTURE FROM THE GULF OF CALIFORNIA. FURTHER EAST IN GRAHAM...GREENLEE AND COCHISE COUNTIES...LESS LOW LEVEL MOISTURE HAS REDUCED THE THREAT OF BOTH SEVERE STORMS AND FLASH FLOODING BELOW CLIMATOLOGY. DUE TO THE EXPECT>ED LOW LEVEL WIND FIELDS...A COUPLE OF STORMS COULD LINGER PAST SUNSET BUT SHOULD NOT CONTINUE AS LATE AS THEY DID LAST NIGHT. STORM MOVEMENT WILL BE TO THE WEST AT 15 MPH. PYTLAK
The office that day
Everything else NWS Tucson, AZ issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 4, 5:29 PM MST | Flash Flood Warning | TWC | Pinal | 31 min |
| Aug 4, 7:07 PM MST | Flash Flood Warning | TWC | Pinal |
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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.