Alert archive / Arizona / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2001
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 50, NWS Tucson, AZ
NWS Tucson, AZ issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 19, 2001, 1:35 PM MST for Santa Cruz 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 19, 2001, 1:35 PM MST (20:35 UTC)
- Expired
- Aug 19, 2001, 2:15 PM MST
- In force
- 40 min
- Issued by
- NWS Tucson, AZ
- Area
- Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction
County Santa Cruz County, AZ
The nearest sounding before it
Tuscon, AZ (KTUS), launched 12:00Z, 8.6 hours before the alert went out and 61 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
- 763 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -182 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1715 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 15 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 39 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 93 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
502 WUUS55 KTWC 192035 SVRTUS AZC023-192115- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ 135 PM MST SUN AUG 19 2001 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON HAS ISSUED A * SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR... NORTHEASTERN SANTA CRUZ COUNTY IN ARIZONA * UNTIL 215 PM MST * AT 130 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER EXTREME NORTHEASTERN SANTA CRUZ COUNTY... JUST EAST OF SONOITA...MOVING NORTHWEST AROUND 5 MPH. THIS STORM WILL AFFECT THE TOWN SONOITA THROUGH 200 PM. HAIL...HEAVY RAIN AND STRONG DAMAGING WINDS ARE LIKELY WITH THIS STORM. TAKE COVER IN A SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER UNTIL THE STORM PASSES. REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAN PRODUCE LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND HEAVY RAIN. LAT...LON 3168 11070 3162 11060 3171 11055 3174 11069
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 19, 9:30 AM MST, 4 hours 5 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Aug 19, 9:30 AM MST, 4 hours 5 minutes before
SOUTHEAST ARIZONA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ 930 AM MST SUN AUG 19 2001 .SYNOPSIS...AN INCREASE IN MOISTURE IS EXPECTED THE NEXT FEW DAYS AS HIGH PRESSURE ALLOWS A MORE SOUTHEAST WIND FLOW. THIS WILL INCREASE THE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY ACROSS SOUTHEAST ARIZONA THROUGH MONDAY. THEN A TROUGH OFF THE WEST COAST WILL BRING SOME DRY AIR INTO THE STATE WITH A DECREASE IN THE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY BY MIDWEEK. .DISCUSSION...THE INITIAL BAND OF CLOUDINESS THAT WAS SPREADING NORTHWARD AHEAD OF THE BAJA LOW CONTINUED TO THIN AND MOVE OUT OF THE AREA THIS MORNING. NOT MUCH IN THE WAY OF SHOWER OR THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY YET AS PREVIOUSLY EXPECTED. HOWEVER...THE CLEARING THIS MORNING WILL PROVIDE SOUTHERN ARIZONA WITH MORE INSOLATION THAN YESTERDAY. THIS WILL HELP GET STORMS GOING THIS AFTERNOON...WITH AN EARLIER START IN THE MOUNTAINS ANTICIPATED TODAY COMPARED TO THE PAST SEVERAL DAYS. THE UPWARD VERTICAL MOTION FIELD ASSOCIATED WITH THE BAJA SYSTEM BECOMES MORE FAVORABLE THIS EVENING INTO MONDAY AS THE LOW LIFTS NORTH AND TRACKS WEST ACROSS THE STATE. AT ANY RATE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT LOOKS VERY ACTIVE THUNDERSTORM WISE AS MANY OF THE NEEDED INGREDIENTS ARE COMING TOGETHER. CURRENT FORECAST LOOKS ON TRACK...SO NO UPDATES THIS MORNING. .TWC...NONE.
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Aug 19, 12:03 PM MST, 1 hour 32 minutes before
AZZ019-029>035-200700- SOUTHEAST ARIZONA HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ 12 NOON MST SUN AUG 19 2001 .SYNOPSIS...THE COMBINATION OF INCREASED SUNSHINE...A MOIST ATMOSPHERE...AND DYNAMICS ASSOCIATED WITH AN UPPER LOW OFF THE BAJA COAST WILL LEAD TO AN INCREASE IN THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. A FEW STORMS MAY LINGER ON OVERNIGHT. .DISCUSSION...A LOT MORE SUNSHINE THIS MORNING THAN THE PREVIOUS MORNINGS WHICH WILL ALLOW THE LOWER PART OF THE ATMOSPHERE TO WARM UP TO ITS POTENTIAL THIS AFTERNOON. AS OF 12 NOON...TEMPERATURES WERE RUNNING 3 TO 6 DEGREES ABOVE SATURDAY READINGS. PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES ARE STILL A LITTLE ABOVE NORMAL AND RANGE FROM JUST OVER AN INCH IN PARTS OF GRAHAM AND COCHISE COUNTIES TO OVER 1.50 WEST OF TUCSON. UPPER AIR ANALYSIS AND SATELLITE IMAGERY THIS MORNING SHOWED AN ELONGATED UPPER LOW EXTENDING FROM OFF THE BAJA COAST NORTHEAST INTO SOUTHWEST ARIZONA. UPPER LEVEL HIGH PRESSURE EXTENDS FROM NORTHERN ARIZONA SOUTHEAST INTO CHIHUAHUA MEXICO. SOUTHERN ARIZONA LIES IN DIVERGENCE AREA BETWEEN THESE TWO FEATURES. MORNING MODELS SLOWLY MOVE THE BAJA LOW SLOWLY TO THE NORTH-NORTHEAST AND INCREASE UPWARD VERTICAL MOTION FIELDS TONIGHT. WITH THE INCREASED SUNSHINE THIS MORNING...TOWERING CUMULUS CLOUDS ARE ALREADY DEVELOPING OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN. THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOP EARLY THIS AFTERNOON WILL WILL NOT MOVE OFF THEM UNTIL LATER THIS AFTERNOON. STORMS THAT DEVELOP LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR STRONG DOWNBURST WINDS... ESPECIALLY FROM TUCSON WEST...AS AFTERNOON SOUNDINGS WILL LIKELY HAVE AN INVERTED-V LOOK TO THEM. THUS WILL GO ABOVE CLIMATOLOGY FROM TUCSON WEST. ALTHOUGH THE STORMS WILL BE MOVING AROUND 15 TO 20 MPH WHICH WILL REDUCE THE RISK FOR FLASH FLOODING...SOME OF THE STORMS MAY BE BIG ENOUGH TO PRODUCE HEAVY RAINFALL. WILL SLIGHTLY GO ABOVE CLIMATOLOGY FROM TUCSON WEST. STORM MOVEMENT WILL BE GENERALLY TO THE WEST AT 15 TO 20 MPH.
Special weather statement, Aug 19, 12:05 PM MST, 1 hour 30 minutes before
AZZ019-029>035-200700- SOUTHEAST ARIZONA HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ 1205 PM MST SUN AUG 19 2001 .SYNOPSIS...THE COMBINATION OF INCREASED SUNSHINE...A MOIST ATMOSPHERE...AND DYNAMICS ASSOCIATED WITH AN UPPER LOW OFF THE BAJA COAST WILL LEAD TO AN INCREASE IN THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. A FEW STORMS MAY LINGER ON OVERNIGHT. .DISCUSSION...A LOT MORE SUNSHINE THIS MORNING THAN THE PREVIOUS MORNINGS WHICH WILL ALLOW THE LOWER PART OF THE ATMOSPHERE TO WARM UP TO ITS POTENTIAL THIS AFTERNOON. AS OF 12 NOON...TEMPERATURES WERE RUNNING 3 TO 6 DEGREES ABOVE SATURDAY READINGS. PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES ARE STILL A LITTLE ABOVE NORMAL AND RANGE FROM JUST OVER AN INCH IN PARTS OF GRAHAM AND COCHISE COUNTIES TO OVER 1.50 WEST OF TUCSON. UPPER AIR ANALYSIS AND SATELLITE IMAGERY THIS MORNING SHOWED AN ELONGATED UPPER LOW EXTENDING FROM OFF THE BAJA COAST NORTHEAST INTO SOUTHWEST ARIZONA. UPPER LEVEL HIGH PRESSURE EXTENDS FROM NORTHERN ARIZONA SOUTHEAST INTO CHIHUAHUA MEXICO. SOUTHERN ARIZONA LIES IN DIVERGENCE AREA BETWEEN THESE TWO FEATURES. MORNING MODELS SLOWLY MOVE THE BAJA LOW SLOWLY TO THE NORTH-NORTHEAST AND INCREASE UPWARD VERTICAL MOTION FIELDS TONIGHT. WITH THE INCREASED SUNSHINE THIS MORNING...TOWERING CUMULUS CLOUDS ARE ALREADY DEVELOPING OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN. THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOP EARLY THIS AFTERNOON WILL NOT MOVE OFF THE HIGHER TERRAIN UNTIL LATER THIS AFTERNOON. STORMS THAT DEVELOP LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR STRONG DOWNBURST WINDS...ESPECIALLY FROM TUCSON WEST...AS AFTERNOON SOUNDINGS WILL LIKELY HAVE AN INVERTED-V LOOK TO THEM. THUS WILL GO ABOVE CLIMATOLOGY FROM TUCSON WEST. ALTHOUGH THE STORMS WILL BE MOVING AROUND 15 TO 20 MPH WHICH WILL REDUCE THE RISK FOR FLASH FLOODING...SOME OF THE STORMS MAY BE BIG ENOUGH TO PRODUCE HEAVY RAINFALL. WILL SLIGHTLY GO ABOVE CLIMATOLOGY FROM TUCSON WEST. STORM MOVEMENT WILL BE GENERALLY TO THE WEST AT 15 TO 20 MPH.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Tucson, AZ issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 19, 2:06 PM MST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TWC | Cochise | 24 min |
| Aug 19, 3:28 PM MST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TWC | Santa Cruz | 47 min |
| Aug 19, 3:55 PM MST | Flash Flood Warning | TWC | Santa Cruz | 35 min |
| Aug 19, 4:28 PM MST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TWC | Pinal | 32 min |
| Aug 19, 4:32 PM MST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TWC | Pima, Santa Cruz | 28 min |
| Aug 19, 4:54 PM MST | Flash Flood Warning | TWC | Pinal | 21 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.