Alert archive / Arizona / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2001

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 42, NWS Tucson, AZ

August 15, 2001Pima County, Arizona

NWS Tucson, AZ issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 15, 2001, 7:20 PM MST for Pima County, Arizona. It was in force for 40 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 15, 2001, 7:20 PM MST (02:20 UTC)
Expired
Aug 15, 2001, 8:00 PM MST
In force
40 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 00:00Z, 2.3 hours before the alert went out and 21 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 00:00Z on 2001-08-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1307 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 00:00Z on 2001-08-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -11 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
1307 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-8 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2414 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
11 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-11 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
17 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.

989 
WUUS55 KTWC 160221
SVRTUS
AZC019-160300-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
720 PM MST WED AUG 15 2001

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  EAST CENTRAL PIMA COUNTY IN ARIZONA

* UNTIL 800 PM MST

* AT 713 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED   
  A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM ABOUT 15 MILES SOUTHWEST OF TUCSON...MOVING  
  SOUTHWEST AT 10 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  THE SAN XAVIER MISSION BY 740 PM

HAIL...INTENSE RAIN AND DAMAGING WINDS ARE LIKELY WITH THIS STORM. 
TAKE COVER IN A SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER UNTIL THE STORM PASSES.

LAT...LON 3204 11088 3216 11104 3198 11126 3183 11106

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 15, 2:30 PM MST, 4 hours 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 15, 2:30 PM MST, 4 hours 50 minutes before
SOUTHEAST ARIZONA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
230 PM MST WED AUG 15 2001

.SYNOPSIS...HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD IN FROM THE WEST COAST THE
REMAINDER OF THE WEEK. THE RESULTING FLOW WILL GENERALLY DIMINISH
THUNDERSTORM COVERAGE...PARTICULARLY WEST OF TUCSON. BY EARLY NEXT
WEEK...THE HIGH MOVES EAST OF ARIZONA AND THE FLOW BECOMES FAVORABLE
FOR A RETURN TO NORMAL THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY.

.DISCUSSION...AS EXPECTED THE FLOW HAS BECOME NORTHEASTERLY WITH US
ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE NOW DOMINANT WEST COAST RIDGE. WEAK
DEFORMATION ZONE STRETCHING AND SETTLING INTO SOUTHEAST
ARIZONA...BUT RAPIDLY BECOMING NEUTRAL. DRY AIR TRYING WRAP IN FROM
THE NORTH AND NORTHEAST...BUT IT LOOKS LIKE WERE HOLDING ON TO
MOISTURE ACROSS MOST OF THE AREA. 10 TO 15KT STEERING FLOW NICE FOR
STORMS TO COME OFF TERRAIN (OUTFLOW FROM THE RIM?)...BUT EARLY
AFTERNOON DEVELOPMENT IS BEHIND WHAT ONE MIGHT EXPECT WITH THE
AMOUNT OF MOISTURE STILL AVAILABLE AND CAPE VALUES.

EVEN SOUTHEAST ARIZONA SHOULD SEE SOME DRYING EFFECTS TOMORROW AS
UPSTREAM DOESNT HAVE MUCH TO OFFER WHILE WERE ON THE WRONG SIDE OF
THE RIDGE AXIS. WELL STILL SEE CONVECTION...BUT MORE EMPHASIS WILL
BE PLACED ON MOUNTAIN DEVELOPMENT IN THE FORECAST...AND FLASH
FLOODING CONCERNS WILL DIMINISH.

SYNOPTIC FEATURES WILL ONCE AGAIN BE FAVORABLE FOR INCREASING
COVERAGE OF THUNDERSTORMS BY EARLY NEXT WEEK. AT ANY
RATE...NORTHWEST MEXICO WILL REMAIN ACTIVE...AND OUTFLOWS FROM
COMPLEXES WILL COUNTER MUCH OF ANY ATTEMPTED DRYING TREND THIS FAR
SOUTH. M

.TWC...NONE.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Aug 15, 6:37 PM MST, 43 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON ARIZONA
0637 PM MST WED AUG 15 2001

TIME (MST) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0530 PM    GREEN VALLEY              AZ   WIND DAMAGE
08/15/01   PIMA                           LARGE TREE BLOWN DOWN ON SOUTH SIDE
                                          OF TOWN.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 15, 5:18 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCPima, Santa Cruz27 min
Aug 15, 6:01 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCPima29 min
Aug 16, 4:51 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCPima54 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.