Alert archive / Arizona / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 73, NWS Phoenix, AZ

October 17, 2002La Paz County, Arizona

NWS Phoenix, AZ issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Oct 17, 2002, 5:05 PM MST for La Paz 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 as issued.

The facts

Issued: Oct 17, 2002, 5:05 PM MST (00:05 UTC)
Expired: Oct 17, 2002, 5:45 PM MST
In force: 40 min
Issued by: NWS Phoenix, AZ
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County La Paz County, AZ

The radar

The Yuma radar (KYUX), 165 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:09 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.

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 text

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

482 
WUUS55 KPSR 180005
SVRPSR
AZC012-180045-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
503 PM MST THU OCT 17 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PHOENIX HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  EAST CENTRAL LA PAZ COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL ARIZONA

* UNTIL 545 PM MST

* AT 448 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER EXTREME EAST CENTRAL LA PAZ COUNTY...OR
  ABOUT 27 MILES WEST OF TONOPAH...MOVING NORTHWEST AT 10 MPH.

* AFFECTED LOCATIONS INCLUDE MOTORISTS ON INTERSTATE 10 OVER FAR WEST
  CENTRAL LA PAZ COUNTY

DAMAGING MICROBURST WINDS ARE LIKELY WITH THIS STORM. VERY HEAVY RAIN
IS ALSO POSSIBLE. TAKE COVER IN A SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER UNTIL THE STORM
PASSES.

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 3344 11335 3373 11335 3377 11356 3354 11368

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 Oct 17, 3:05 PM MST, 2 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 17, 3:05 PM MST, 2 hours before

AZZ020>028-CAZ030>033-180545-

SOUTHWEST ARIZONA/SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
305 MST THU OCT 17 2002

.SYNOPSIS...
A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL MOVE INTO SOUTH CENTRAL ARIZONA TONIGHT.
THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO BE MOST NUMEROUS OVER
THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF SOUTH CENTRAL ARIZONA. AS THE LOW MOVES INTO
NEW MEXICO TOMORROW...CLEARING SKIES WILL SPREAD FROM WEST TO EAST.
DRIER AIR...WITH MORE SUNSHINE IS EXPECTED FOR THE WEEKEND...HOWEVER
A WEAK LOW PRESSURE AREA WILL REMAIN OVER THE EASTERN PACIFIC FOR
SOME CLOUDS FROM TIME TO TIME NEXT WEEK.

.DISCUSSION...
STRONG UPPER LOW MOVED ACROSS SE CALIF TODAY...WITH BEST DYNAMICS
AND MOISTURE FIELDS COMBINING FOR SHOWERS AND TSTMS EARLIER TODAY.
THE LOW AND MID LEVEL MSTR INCREASED A BIT...BUT BY EARLY THIS
AFTERNOON...SOME DECREASE IN DEW POINTS HAD TAKEN OVER AND THERE WAS
SOME LIMIT OR CAP ON THE DEPTH OF CONVECTION. POSSIBLE FRONTAL
BOUNDARY ALSO ANALYZED BTWN YUMA AND PHOENIX THIS AFTN. COVERAGE OF
SHOWERS AND TSTMS WAS INCREASED TO SCATTERED...FROM ABOUT GILA BEND
EASTWARD.  SMALL BANDS OR CLUSTERS OF SHOWERS/TSTMS MAY STILL FORM
WITH THE COLDEST AIR ALOFT...-20C AT 500MB.  WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO
GET SOME 1/4 INCH TO LCLLY 1/2 INCH AMOUNTS AS THE LOW SLOWLY FILLS
BY 12Z FRIDAY.

PCPN SHOULD SLOWLY TAPER OFF FROM WEST TO EAST ON FRIDAY...BUT THERE
WILL STILL BE SOME WRAP AROUND MSTR MAINLY IN ZONE 24 ON  FRI NIGHT.
THE COOLER AIR WILL BE SEEN IN SOME ZONES FRIDAY NIGHT...UNDER CLEAR
SKIES BUT LITTLE DAY TO DAY TEMP CHANGES THEREAFTER AS HIGH LEVEL
MSTR RACES INTO AZ UNDER THE CANADIAN BLOCK NEXT WEEK. WILL NOT
MENTION ANY PRECIPITATION AT THIS TIME.  SIPPLE

.PSR...NONE.

Hazardous weather outlook, Oct 17, 8:50 AM MST, 8 hours 15 minutes before

AZZ020>028-CAZ030>033-180100-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
850 AM MST THU OCT 17 2002

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHWEST AND
SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA...AND SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA

.DAY ONE... TODAY

AN UPPER LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVING THROUGH SOUTHERN ARIZONA WILL
HELP TO PRODUCE SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY FROM LATE THIS
MORNING THROUGH THE AFTERNOON HOURS. THE MOST LIKELY AREAS FOR
STRONG STORMS WILL BE FROM THE ARIZONA SOUTH-CENTRAL DESERTS
EASTWARD. THE MAIN THREAT FROM THESE STORMS WILL BE LARGE
HAIL...STRONG...GUSTY WINDS AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL.

.INSTRUCTIONS TO SPOTTERS...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

ESTLE

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Arizona, 2002 Every 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.