Alert archive / Arizona / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 27, NWS Phoenix, AZ

July 22, 2002Gila County, Arizona

NWS Phoenix, AZ issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 22, 2002, 3:06 PM MST for Gila County, Arizona. It was in force for 39 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jul 22, 2002, 3:06 PM MST (22:06 UTC)
Expired
Jul 22, 2002, 3:45 PM MST
In force
39 min
Issued by
NWS Phoenix, AZ
Area
Whole counties

County Gila County, AZ

The radar

The Flagstaff radar (KFSX), 93 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:08 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, 10.1 hours before the alert went out and 181 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 12:00Z on 2002-07-22Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 146 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 12:00Z on 2002-07-22The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 47 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
146 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-163 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1865 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
11 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
47 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
150 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.

410 
WUUS55 KPSR 222206
SVRPSR
AZC007-222245-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
304 PM MST MON JUL 22 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PHOENIX HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  SOUTH CENTRAL GILA COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL ARIZONA

* UNTIL 345 PM MST

* AT 300 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR 
INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 3 MILES EAST OF GLOBE...  MOVING 
NORTHWEST AT 35 MPH. GLOBE...MIAMI...AND CLAYPOOL ARE IN THE PATH OF 
THIS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM.  LARGE HAIL AND HEAVY RAIN IS POSSIBLE.

REPORT SEVERE WEATHER TO THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY. THEY
WILL RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST
OFFICE IN PHOENIX.

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 Phoenix, AZ wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Jul 22, 10:30 AM MST, 4 hours 36 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 22, 10:30 AM MST, 4 hours 36 minutes before
AZZ020>028-CAZ030>033-222245-

SOUTHWEST ARIZONA/SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
1030 AM MST MON JUL 22 2002

.SYNOPSIS...
HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT WILL CONTINUE NEAR THE ARIZONA-NEW MEXICO BORDER
THROUGH WEDNESDAY. THE CLOCKWISE FLOW OF AIR AROUND THE HIGH IS
BRINGING AN INCREASE IN HUMIDITY FROM THE EAST. AS A RESULT...THE
CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL INCREASE OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF
SOUTH CENTRAL ARIZONA THIS AFTERNOON. ALSO...THERE WILL BE A CHANCE
OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER SOUTH CENTRAL ARIZONA BEGINNING TONIGHT...AND
SOUTHWEST ARIZONA AND SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA BY TUESDAY AFTERNOON.
A DRYING TREND IS EXPECTED OVER SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA THIS WEEKEND.

.DISCUSSION...
HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT WILL CONTINUE NEAR THE ARIZONA-NEW MEXICO BORDER
THROUGH WEDNESDAY. MORE HUMID AIR HAS SPREAD AS FAR WEST AS
SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA THIS MORNING AHEAD OF A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM
OVER NEW MEXICO. THE HUMID AIR AND LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM ARE EXPECTED
TO CONTINUE MOVING WEST AND INCREASE THE CHANCES OF SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS OVER SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA TONIGHT...SPREADING WEST TO
FAR SOUTHWEST ARIZONA AND SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA BY LATE TUESDAY AND
WEDNESDAY. AS A RESULT...AFTER TEMPERATURES PEAKING TODAY...EXPECT
SOME LOWERING OF DAYTIME HIGHS TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. NO UPDATES.

PSR...NONE

ELLIS

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 22, 12:30 PM MST, 2 hours 36 minutes before
AZZ022>024-027-028-230100-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
1230 PM MST MON JUL 22 2002

...HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS POSSIBLE OVER SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA THIS
AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...

COUNTIES IN THE RISK AREA INCLUDE...MARICOPA...NORTHWEST PINAL...AND
SOUTHERN GILA.

THE PRIMARY HAZARDOUS WEATHER RISKS INCLUDE...THUNDERSTORMS WITH
STRONG...GUSTY...POSSIBLY DAMAGING WINDS TO OVER 50 MPH...AND A
SUDDEN DROP IN VISIBILITY IN THE DESERT AREAS DUE TO BLOWING DUST
AND SAND. THE VISIBILITY COULD DROP TO LESS THAN QUARTER OF A MILE.

ADDITIONAL THREATS INCLUDE...INTENSE CLOUD-TO-GROUND LIGHTNING...
LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WITH STREET FLOODING...FLOODING OF NORMALLY
DRY WASHES...AND POSSIBLY HAIL.

STORM MOVEMENT WILL BE TOWARD THE WEST AT 15 TO 20 MPH.

THE PHOENIX METROPOLITAN AREA IS INCLUDED IN THE OUTLOOK AREA...BUT
ANY HAZARDOUS WEATHER WILL PROBABLY OCCUR AFTER 5 PM.

STORM SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NECESSARY LATE THIS AFTERNOON OR
TONIGHT.

ELLIS

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Arizona, 2002Every severe thunderstorm warning 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.