Alert archive / Arizona / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2001

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 46, NWS Tucson, AZ

August 16, 2001Pinal County, Arizona

NWS Tucson, AZ issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 16, 2001, 9:16 PM MST for Pinal County, Arizona. It was in force for 29 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 16, 2001, 9:16 PM MST (04:16 UTC)
Expired
Aug 16, 2001, 9:45 PM MST
In force
29 min
Issued by
NWS Tucson, AZ
Area
Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction

County Pinal County, AZ

The nearest sounding before it

Tuscon, AZ (KTUS), launched 00:00Z, 4.3 hours before the alert went out and 93 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 2001-08-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 378 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 2001-08-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 7 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
378 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-80 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2903 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
16 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
7 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
22 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.

370 
WUUS55 KTWC 170417
SVRTUS
AZC021-170445-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
916 PM MST THU AUG 16 2001

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 945 PM MST

* AT 915 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 6 MILES NORTHEAST OF KEARNY...OR ABOUT 21 MILES
  SOUTH OF GLOBE...MOVING SOUTHWEST AT 10 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  KEARNY AND KELVIN AT 935 PM MST

WIND GUSTS TO 60 MPH...LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 
MPH...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND HEAVY RAIN CAN BE EXPECTED.

LAT...LON 3300 11079 3316 11090 3303 11114 3286 11099

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 16, 9:13 PM MST, 3 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 16, 9:13 PM MST, 3 minutes before
SOUTHEAST ARIZONA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
913 PM MST THU AUG 16 2001

.SYNOPSIS...HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD IN FROM THE WEST THE NEXT FEW
DAYS. THE RESULTING FLOW PATTERN WILL DIMINISH THUNDERSTORM
COVERAGE...ESPECIALLY OVER THE WESTERN DESERTS...WITH DRIER AIR TO
THE NORTH AND DEEPER MOISTURE IN NORTHERN MEXICO. BY EARLY NEXT
WEEK...THE HIGH MOVES EAST OF ARIZONA AND THE FLOW BECOMES FAVORABLE
FOR A RETURN TO NORMAL THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY.

.DISCUSSION...SOMEWHAT DISORGANIZED, RATHER ISOLATED, BUT STRONG
TSTMS CONTINUE TO DROP SW THROUGH THE CWA AS THE DEFORMATION AXIS
CONTINUES TO SHIFT W. COCHISE COUNTY GOT WORKED OVER THIS EVENING,
BUT UPPER DIVERGENCE ZONE REMAINS FOCUSED NEAR THE SONORA-ARIZONA-
NEW MEXICO TRIPLE POINT. THE ONE SAVING GRACE IN THE PAST 2-3HRS IS
THAT THE STORMS ARE NOW WORKING OFF THE FASTER MID LEVEL FLOW AND
ARE NOW CRUISING AT 15-20KTS. THATLL KEEP THE THREAT OF FLASH
FLOODING DOWN, ALTHOUGH WE COULD STILL GET SOME GUSTY WINDS. WELL
DO A QUICK UPDATE TO KEEP SLIGHT CHANCE/ISOLATED STORMS GOING FOR
MUCH OF THE NIGHT, EVEN TO THE FAR SE WHERE THE UPPER FORCING IS
STRONGEST.

TOOK A QUICK LOOK AT 00Z ETA AND THERE ARE NO REAL SURPRISES. UPPER
DIVERGENCE BULLSEYE REMAINS OVER SE AZ THROUGH FRI NIGHT, PERHAPS
ENHANCED A BIT AS THE UPPER LOW OVER SONORA MAKES A SLIGHT JOG TO
THE W. INCOMING MOS GUIDANCE, JUST LIKE LAST NIGHT, IS RAMPING UP
POPS FOR FRI AND ESPECIALLY FRI NIGHT. AFTER A BIG NIGHT LIKE THIS
EVENING, WE USUALLY HAVE A DOWN DAY. HOWEVER, IM NOT SURE THAT RULE
WILL WORK THIS TIME AROUND WITH CONTINUED DIVERGENCE ALOFT, DECENT
NE-E FLOW, AND PERHAPS A LITTLE MORE MID LEVEL COOLING. I SUSPECT
THE MOST LIKELY SCENARIO IS A NEAR REPEAT TOMORROW, WITH A SLOW
START AND LIMITED COVERAGE, BUT WITH SOME STRONG STORMS HERE AND
THERE. PYTLAK

.TWC...NONE.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Aug 16, 5:47 PM MST, 3 hours 29 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON ARIZONA
547 PM MST THU AUG 16 2001

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

0500 PM    PISINEMO                  AZ   WIND DAMAGE
08/16/01   PIMA                           ROOF RIPPED OFF HOUSE IN PISINIMO
                                          WITH POWER LINES DOWN.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 16, 7:02 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCCochise28 min
Aug 16, 7:29 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCCochise, Pima31 min
Aug 16, 10:03 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCPinal57 min
Aug 17, 1:15 AM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCPima30 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.