Alert archive / Arizona / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 10, NWS Tucson, AZ

July 10, 2002Pima County, Arizona

NWS Tucson, AZ issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 10, 2002, 2:57 PM MST for Pima County, Arizona. It was in force for 48 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
Jul 10, 2002, 2:57 PM MST (21:57 UTC)
Expired
Jul 10, 2002, 3:45 PM MST
In force
48 min
Issued by
NWS Tucson, AZ
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Pima County, AZ

The radar

The Tucson radar (KEMX), 88 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:57 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 nearest sounding before it

Tuscon, AZ (KTUS), launched 12:00Z, 10.0 hours before the alert went out and 70 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 2002-07-10Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 396 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Tuscon, AZ at 12:00Z on 2002-07-10The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 42 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
396 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-292 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1881 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
9 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
42 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
112 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.

857 
WUUS55 KTWC 102157
SVRTWC
AZC019-102245-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
256 PM MST WED JUL 10 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL PIMA COUNTY IN ARIZONA

* UNTIL 345 PM MST

* AT 247 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM NEAR KITT PEAK...OR ABOUT 17 MILES EAST OF
  SELLS...MOVING NORTHWEST AT 30 MPH.

DAMAGING WIND...INTENSE RAIN AND HAIL IS LIKELY WITH THIS STORM. 

LAT...LON 3176 11149 3196 11140 3207 11166 3182 11176

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 Jul 10, 1:45 PM MST, 1 hour 12 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 10, 1:45 PM MST, 1 hour 12 minutes before
SOUTHEAST ARIZONA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
145 PM MST WED JUL 10 2002

.SYNOPSIS...STRONG HIGH PRESSURE OVER UTAH WILL KEEP DEEP EASTERLY
FLOW OVER THE REGION FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK. THIS WILL STEER A
SERIES OF DISTURBANCES OFF THE GULF OF MEXICO AND SOUTHERN PLAINS...
LEADING TO A DAILY RISK OF THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK.
ONE SUCH DISTURBANCE IS EXPECTED TO APPROACH THE AREA THIS
EVENING...WITH A SOMEWHAT STRONGER ONE EXPECTED THURSDAY NIGHT.

.DISCUSSION...YET ANOTHER DAY WHERE A SUBTLE MID LEVEL FEATURE COULD
CAUSE US PROBLEMS HEADING INTO THE EVENING. WATER VAPOR AND WHITE
SANDS WIND PROFILER SHOW ANOTHER WEAK RIPPLE HEADING W ACROSS NM
THIS AFTERNOON, WHICH IS APPARENTLY HELPING THE CONVECTION ALONG
OVER THE WHITES AND GILA MOUNTAINS OF NM. UNLIKE YESTERDAY WHERE OUR
CWA WAS WORKED OVER RELATIVELY EARLY IN THE AFTERNOON...SKIES ARE
STILL PRETTY CLEAR WITH JUST A FEW TSTMS BUILDING OVER THE
MOUNTAINS. DEWPOINTS HAVE SLIPPED INTO THE 40S-LOWER 50S WHICH MEANS
IF SOMETHING DOES ORGANIZE AND PUSH OFF THE RIM/WHITES/GILAS, WE
COULD FACE MORE STRONG WINDS AND BLOWING DUST -- ONLY THIS TIME OVER
LARGER PORTIONS OF THE CWA. HAVE COORDINATED WITH SPC ALREADY (SEE
LATEST DAY 1 OUTLOOK), AND WELL RETAIN WIND/DUST WORDING IN THE
EVENING FORECAST.

WE WERE ALREADY ADVERTISING SOMEWHAT OF A DOWN DAY ON THU AHEAD OF
THE NEXT EASTERLY WAVE. IT COULD BE EVEN MORE DOWN IF WE GET
WORKED OVER THIS EVENING, BUT WELL STICK WITH GOING POPS UNTIL WE
GET OUT OF THE EVENING AND SEE HOW WIDESPREAD ANY RAINS END UP. A
SIGNIFICANT UPSWING STILL LOOKS GOOD FOR THU EVENING AS THE NEXT
WAVE MOVE WNW TOWARD THE BIG BEND BEFORE TURNING E INTO CHIHUAHUA
AND SONORA. AS WAS THE CASE YESTERDAY, THE MODELS PICK IT UP BUT ARE
EITHER TOO WEAK, TOO SLOW, OR NOT MOIST ENOUGH. THE INTRODUCTION OF
DYNAMICS WITH RATHER DRY LOW LEVELS AND AN INCREASE IN E FLOW COULD
MEAN A BUSY THU NIGHT, ASSUMING WE DONT GET TOO DRY AND DROP OUR
CONVECTIVE AVAILABLE POTENTIAL ENERGY (CAPE) TOO LOW. WELL CONTINUE
WITH FAIRLY HIGH POPS THU NIGHT WITH A SOMEWHAT DOWN DAY FRI. WE
HAVE YET TO HAVE A SIGNIFICANT GULF SURGE SO FAR, BUT THIS WAVE
COULD DO IT IF IT MAINTAINS INTEGRITY AS IT CROSSES SONORA. IF IT
PASSES A LITTLE TOO FAR N, WE MAY HAVE TO WAIT FOR EITHER ANOTHER
WAVE TO PASS THROUGH THE SOUTHERN GULF, OR FOR THE ENTIRE UPPER HIGH
TO SHIFT E INTO THE PLAINS. EVEN WITH THE PRECIP WATERS HOVERING
NEAR OR EVEN A LITTLE BELOW CLIMO, THE OVERALL FLOW PATTERN IS IN
MID-HIGH GRADE MONSOON THROUGH DAY 7 WITH LOTS OF ROOM FOR EASTERLY
WAVES TO PERIODICALLY ENHANCE OUR CONVECTION. WELL EVENTUALLY HAVE
TO WATCH TO OUR S (PROBABLY AFTER DAY 6) SINCE TD-4E SW OF
MANZANILLO IS STRENGTHENING NICELY AND EXPECTED TO BECOME A
HURRICANE IN 48HRS. PYTLAK

.TWC...NONE.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 10, 12:00 PM MST, 2 hours 57 minutes before
AZZ019-029>035-110700-

SOUTHEAST ARIZONA HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
1200 PM MST WED JUL 10 2002

.SYNOPSIS...ALTHOUGH AMPLE LOW TO MID-LEVEL MOISTURE RESIDES WEST OF
TUCSON...DRYING DRYING CONTINUES TO OCCUR AT LOW-LEVELS IN THE
EASTERN VALLEYS. WITH THE LACK OF ANY UPPER LEVEL FORCING MECHANISM
TO AID IN THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT...SOUTHEAST ARIZONA WILL
EXPERIENCE GENERALLY BELOW CLIMATOLOGICAL PROBABILITIES FOR
PRECIPITATION IN EXCESS OF ONE INCH AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. THERE
WILL BE A SLIGHTLY HIGHER PROBABILITY FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN
THE EASTERN VALLEYS AND A SLIGHTLY HIGHER PROBABILITY FOR HEAVY
PRECIPITATION IN THE WESTERN DESERTS.

.DISCUSSION...SATELLITE IMAGERY INDICATES THAT THE DEEP LOW AND
MID-LEVEL MOISTURE RESIDES ACROSS CENTRAL AND WESTERN PIMA COUNTY
TODAY WITH DRY LOW-LEVEL AIR PUSHING INTO THE SOUTHEAST CORNER OF
THE STATE. WITH A LACK OF ANY UPPER LEVEL FORCING MECHANISM TO AID
THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT TODAY...ANY THUNDERSTORMS THAT DO DEVELOP
WILL HAVE TO RELY ON THE AMPLE SOLAR HEATING OCCURRING ACROSS THE
REGION...AND WILL REMAIN DISORGANIZED.

THUNDERSTORMS WILL BEGIN TO DEVELOP OVER THE MOUNTAINS EARLY THIS
AFTERNOON AND WILL EVENTUALLY MOVE OFF THE HIGHER TERRAIN INTO THE
VALLEYS BY LATE IN THE AFTERNOON. ALTHOUGH THESE STORMS WILL HAVE
DIFFICULTY SUSTAINING THEMSELVES OVER THE VALLEYS WITH DRY AIR AT
LOW LEVELS...THIS DOES INCREASES THE POTENTIAL FOR THESE STORMS TO
PRODUCING STRONG...GUSTY AND ERRATIC THUNDERSTORM WINDS. THE RISK OF
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE SLIGHTLY BELOW CLIMATOLOGY TODAY
ACROSS MOST OF THE AREA WITH NEAR CLIMATOLOGICAL PROBABILITIES IN
THE EASTERN VALLEYS WHERE LOW-LEVEL DRY AIR RESIDES.

THUNDERSTORM MOTION WILL BE TOWARD THE WEST TODAY AT 15 MPH. THOSE
THUNDERSTORMS THAT PUSH INTO CENTRAL AND WESTERN PIMA COUNTY WILL BE
CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HEAVIER RAINFALL AMOUNTS DUE TO AMPLE MOISTURE.
THEREFORE...THE RISK OF RECEIVING PRECIPITATION IN EXCESS OF ONE
INCH IS GREATER IN THE WEST TODAY. THE REGION WILL SEE BELOW
CLIMATOLOGICAL ONE INCH PROBABILITIES FOR MOST OF THE AREA WITH
PROBABILITIES NEAR CLIMATOLOGY IN THE WESTERN DESERTS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 9, 5:05 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCPima40 min
Jul 9, 5:16 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCPinal29 min
Jul 9, 7:11 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCPinal34 min
Jul 10, 2:26 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCPinal34 min
Jul 10, 3:20 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCPima, Pinal40 min
Jul 10, 4:00 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCPinal30 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.