Alert archive / Arizona / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 10, NWS Tucson, AZ
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.
- 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
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.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 9, 5:05 PM MST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TWC | Pima | 40 min |
| Jul 9, 5:16 PM MST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TWC | Pinal | 29 min |
| Jul 9, 7:11 PM MST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TWC | Pinal | 34 min |
| Jul 10, 2:26 PM MST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TWC | Pinal | 34 min |
| Jul 10, 3:20 PM MST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TWC | Pima, Pinal | 40 min |
| Jul 10, 4:00 PM MST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TWC | Pinal | 30 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.