Alert archive / Arizona / Tornado Warnings in 2002

Tornado Warning 1, NWS Flagstaff, AZ

September 10, 2002Apache County, Arizona

NWS Flagstaff, AZ issued this tornado warning at Sep 10, 2002, 5:01 PM MST for Apache County, Arizona. It was in force for 29 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Sep 10, 2002, 5:01 PM MST (00:01 UTC)
Expired
Sep 10, 2002, 5:30 PM MST
In force
29 min
Issued by
NWS Flagstaff, AZ
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Apache County, AZ

The radar

The Flagstaff radar (KFSX), 154 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:03 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.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Sep 10, 5:06 PM MSTHail 1.75St Johns, AZApache County Sheriffs reported 1.75 inch (golf ball) hail in St Johns.

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in.

The nearest sounding before it

Flgstf/Belemont, AZ (KFGZ), launched 00:00Z, 0.0 hours before the alert went out and 223 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, Flgstf/Belemont, AZ at 00:00Z on 2002-09-11Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 213 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Flgstf/Belemont, AZ at 00:00Z on 2002-09-11The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 514 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
213 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-54 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
936 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
87 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
514 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
537 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.6
Supercell composite
10.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

421 
WFUS55 KFGZ 110001
TORFGZ
AZC001-110030-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ
501 PM MST TUE SEP 10 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTH CENTRAL APACHE COUNTY IN NORTHEAST ARIZONA
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF ST. JOHNS

* UNTIL 530 PM MST

* AT 457 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  TORNADO 12 MILES WEST OF ST. JOHNS...OR ABOUT 3 MILES SOUTHEAST OF
  CONCHO...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  5 MILES NORTHWEST OF ST. JOHNS AT 525 PM MST

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

LAT...LON 3449 10958 3439 10953 3451 10935 3464 10954

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 10, 5:01 PM MSTTornado WarningFGZApache29 min
Sep 10, 5:08 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZCoconino, Gila37 min
Sep 10, 5:26 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZCoconino, Yavapai34 min
Sep 10, 5:43 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningFGZCoconino, Yavapai2 hr
Sep 10, 5:44 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningFGZCoconino, Yavapai3 hr
Sep 10, 5:45 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningFGZApache, Navajo3 hr
Sep 10, 5:45 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningFGZApache, Navajo2 hr
Sep 10, 5:55 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningFGZCoconino2 hr
Sep 10, 5:58 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningFGZCoconino3 hr
Sep 10, 7:45 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningFGZApache105 min
Sep 10, 7:45 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningFGZApache45 min
Sep 10, 8:35 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZYavapai25 min
Sep 10, 8:54 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZYavapai36 min
Sep 10, 9:40 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningFGZApache65 min
Sep 10, 9:49 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningFGZApache116 min
Sep 11, 1:25 AM MSTFlash Flood WarningFGZCoconino3 hr
Sep 11, 1:25 AM MSTFlash Flood WarningFGZCoconino2 hr
Sep 11, 12:25 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningFGZCoconino3 hr
Sep 11, 12:25 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningFGZCoconino110 min
Sep 11, 12:28 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZCoconino, Navajo32 min
Sep 11, 2:00 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZNavajo45 min
Sep 11, 3:05 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningFGZCoconino3 hr
Sep 11, 3:05 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningFGZCoconino2 hr

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Arizona, 2002Every tornado warning in 2002Tornadoes in 2002

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.