Alert archive / Arizona / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 30, NWS Phoenix, AZ
NWS Phoenix, AZ issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 23, 2002, 6:27 PM MST for Maricopa County, Pinal County, Arizona. It was in force for 48 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
- Jul 23, 2002, 6:27 PM MST (01:27 UTC)
- Expired
- Jul 23, 2002, 7:15 PM MST
- In force
- 48 min
- Issued by
- NWS Phoenix, AZ
- Area
- Counties, with a storm outline in the text
Counties Maricopa County, AZ, Pinal County, AZ
The radar
The Phoenix radar (KIWA), 9 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:28 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
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 23, 6:47 PM MST | Thunderstorm Wind 59 M | Chandler Arpt, AZ | Winds toppled about 10 power poles near Lindsay and Pecos roads. |
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.
Did it verify
Not verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow found no qualifying storm report inside this severe thunderstorm warning while it was in force. That is not proof nothing happened: reports are thin where few people live.
Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.
The nearest sounding before it
Phoenix, AZ (KPSR), launched 00:00Z, 1.5 hours before the alert went out and 23 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
- 211 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -34 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 2526 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 9 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 15 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 18 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 WUUS55 KPSR 240127 SVRPSR AZC013-021-240215- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED...CORRECTION SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ 609 PM MST TUE JUL 23 2002 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PHOENIX HAS ISSUED A * SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WIND WARNING FOR... EAST CENTRAL MARICOPA COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL ARIZONA NORTH CENTRAL PINAL COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL ARIZONA * UNTIL 715 PM MST * AT 608 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR DETECTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING 3 MILES SOUTH OF QUEEN CREEK.. MOVING WEST AND NORTH TOWARD THE COMMUNITIES OF MESA...CHANDLER ...GILBERT...TEMPE...SACATON...SUN LAKES...AND OTHER EAST VALLEY AREAS. IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER FROM THE WEATHER IN A STRONG BUILDING. DAMAGING WIND...LARGE HAIL...VERY HEAVY RAIN...AND DEADLY LIGHTNING ARE ALL POSSIBLE IN SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. STAY INSIDE AWAY FROM WINDOWS UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED. THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. IF YOU ARE IN ITS PATH YOU SHOULD PREPARE FOR DAMAGING WIND...LARGE HAIL...AND DEADLY LIGHTNING. PEOPLE OUTSIDE SHOULD TAKE SHELTER...PREFERABLY IN A STRONG BUILDING AWAY FROM WINDOWS. REPORT SEVERE WEATHER TO THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY. THEY WILL RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE IN PHOENIX. LAT...LON 3323 11197 3314 11162 3347 11144 3361 11172
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 23, 3:15 PM MST, 3 hours 12 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jul 23, 3:15 PM MST, 3 hours 12 minutes before
AZZ020>028-CAZ030>033-240545- SOUTHWEST ARIZONA/SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ 315 PM MST TUE JUL 23 2002 .SYNOPSIS... HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT WILL CONTINUE OVER SOUTHERN UTAH THROUGH THURSDAY. THE CLOCKWISE FLOW OF AIR AROUND THE HIGH IS BRINGING AN INCREASE IN HUMIDITY FROM THE EAST. AS A RESULT...SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL SPREAD WEST OVER THE AREA THROUGH TONIGHT WITH A CHANCE OF MAINLY AFTERNOON AND EVENING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUING THROUGH THURSDAY. A PACIFIC LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL MOVE EAST AND BRING A DRYING TREND TO SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA FRIDAY...WITH DRIER AIR SPREADING EAST TO SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA THIS WEEKEND. .DISCUSSION... HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT WILL CONTINUE OVER SOUTHERN UTAH THROUGH THURSDAY. EXPECT MORE HUMID AIR TO MOVE IN FROM THE EAST AND SOUTHEAST IN THE CLOCKWISE FLOW AROUND THE HIGH PRESSURE CENTER. ALSO...THERE MAY BE ADDITIONAL LOW LEVEL MOISTURE FROM THE GULF OF CALIFORNIA IN THE NEXT DAY OR SO. THE AIRMASS IS UNSTABLE ENOUGH WITH THE MOISTURE INCREASE TO SUPPORT THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING FROM THE EAST AND SOUTHEAST INTO THE GREATER PHOENIX AREA TONIGHT...AND EVEN FURTHER WEST AND NORTHWEST. A HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK WAS ISSUED FOR SOUTH-CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ARIZONA...INCLUDING THE GREATER PHOENIX AREA...FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. AS USUAL IT IS UNDER THE SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT HEADER PHXSPSPSR...WMO HEADER WWUS85 KPSR. A PACIFIC LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO MOVE EAST OVER THE WESTERN UNITED STATES BRINGING DRIER AIR OVER SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA FRIDAY...WITH DRIER AIR SPREADING EAST TO SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA THIS WEEKEND...AND SOME CORRESPONDING INCREASE IN DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURES. PSR...NONE ELLIS
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Jul 23, 12:30 PM MST, 5 hours 57 minutes before
AZZ020>028-CAZ031-240100- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ 1230 PM MST TUE JUL 23 2002 ...HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS POSSIBLE OVER SOUTH-CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ARIZONA...AND THE LOWER COLORADO RIVER VALLEY THROUGH TONIGHT... ARIZONA COUNTIES IN THE RISK AREA INCLUDE...MARICOPA...YUMA...LA PAZ ...NORTHWEST PINAL...AND SOUTHERN GILA. SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA COUNTIES IN THE RISK AREA INCLUDE FAR EASTERN RIVERSIDE AND FAR EASTERN IMPERIAL. 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 AND NORTHWEST AT 15 TO 25 MPH. THE PHOENIX METROPOLITAN AREA IS INCLUDED IN THE OUTLOOK AREA...BUT ANY HAZARDOUS WEATHER WILL PROBABLY OCCUR AFTER 4 PM. STORM SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NECESSARY LATE THIS AFTERNOON OR TONIGHT. ELLIS
The office that day
Everything else NWS Phoenix, AZ issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 23, 5:38 PM MST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PSR | Pinal | 37 min |
| Jul 23, 6:23 PM MST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PSR | Maricopa, Pinal | 52 min |
| Jul 23, 6:30 PM MST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PSR | Maricopa, Pinal | 60 min |
| Jul 23, 6:51 PM MST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PSR | Pinal | 39 min |
| Jul 23, 7:06 PM MST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PSR | Maricopa | 54 min |
| Jul 23, 7:49 PM MST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PSR | Maricopa | 71 min |
| Jul 23, 8:45 PM MST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PSR | Maricopa | 45 min |
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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.