Alert archive / Arizona / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003

Flash Flood Warning 1, NWS Flagstaff, AZ

July 25, 2003Coconino County, Arizona

NWS Flagstaff, AZ issued this flash flood warning at Jul 25, 2003, 1:50 PM MST for Coconino County, Arizona. It was in force for . 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 25, 2003, 1:50 PM MST (20:50 UTC)
Expired
Jul 25, 2003, 1:50 PM MST
In force
Issued by
NWS Flagstaff, AZ
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Coconino County, AZ

The radar

The Las Vegas radar (KESX), 164 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:49 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 flash flood 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

Flgstf/Belemont, AZ (KFGZ), launched 12:00Z, 8.8 hours before the alert went out and 136 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, Flgstf/Belemont, AZ at 12:00Z on 2003-07-25Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 294 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Flgstf/Belemont, AZ at 12:00Z on 2003-07-25The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 12 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
294 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-88 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1384 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
17 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
12 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-5 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.

000 
WGUS55 KFGZ 252052
FFWFGZ
AZC005-252150-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ
150 PM MST FRI JUL 25 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN FLAGSTAFF HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  WEST CENTRAL COCONINO COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL ARIZONA

* UNTIL 250 PM MST

* AT 150 PM MST...SPOTTERS REPORTED A FLASH FLOOD WEST OF FRAZIERS
  WELL.

FLOOD WATERS ARE MOVING DOWN DIAMOND CREEK...AND OTHER AREA CREEKS 
ARE EXPECTED TO RISE IN WEST CENTRAL COCONINO COUNTY. 

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR IS
IMMINENT. MOST FLASH FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES. DO NOT DRIVE
YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE ROADWAY. VEHICLES
CAUGHT IN RISING WATER SHOULD BE ABANDONED QUICKLY. MOVE TO HIGHER
GROUND.

TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER HAVE THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY
RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE IN
FLAGSTAFF.

LAT...LON 3589 11316 3561 11329 3550 11282 3624 11281
          3605 11324

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Flagstaff, AZ wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flash flood warning went out at Jul 25, 2:15 AM MST, 11 hours 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 25, 2:15 AM MST, 11 hours 35 minutes before
NORTHERN ARIZONA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ
215 AM MST FRI JUL 25 2003

.SYNOPSIS...A MOIST AIRMASS WILL CONTINUE TO CIRCULATE AROUND HIGH
PRESSURE EAST OF ARIZONA THROUGH THE WEEKEND. THIS WILL KEEP THE
CHANCE FOR DAILY SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY IN THE FORECAST
WELL INTO NEXT WEEK. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL INCREASE ACROSS
THE AREA SUNDAY AND MONDAY AS A WEAK WEATHER SYSTEM MOVES THROUGH
THE STATE. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN NEAR OR SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL
FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR.

.DISCUSSION...TODAY AND SATURDAY WILL FEATURE MORE OF THE SAME WITH
MODERATE LEVELS OF MOISTURE CIRCULATING AROUND HIGH PRESSURE NEAR
THE 4-CORNERS. BY SATURDAY AFTERNOON...THE STEERING FLOW STARTS TO
CHANGE AS LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPS IN NORTHERN MEXICO AND THE UPPER
LEVEL HIGH RETROGRADES INTO NEVADA. AT THE SAME TIME...MODELS STILL
ADVERTISING A SIGNIFICANT EASTERLY WAVE ACROSS THE AREA BY SUNDAY
AND MONDAY. THIS SHOULD MAKE FOR A DECENT CONVECTIVE OUTBREAK AND
THE CURRENT GRIDS REFLECT THIS WITH LIKELY POPS. FLOW REMAINS
EASTERLY TO ALMOST NORTHEASTERLY AFTER THIS FEATURE GOES BY...BUT
BY THIS TIME...THE REGION IN ENTRENCHED WITH THE DEEPEST MOISTURE
SO FAR THIS SEASON. WILL CONTINUE A MODERATE GRADE MONSOON FORECAST
AFTER MONDAY THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE EXTENDED PERIOD.
PETERSON.

.FGZ...NONE.

.CODED TEMPERATURES/POPS FOR SELECTED CITIES IN NORTHERN ARIZONA

CITY             TEMPERATURES HI/LO           PROBABILITY OF PRECIP
                 TDY TON   SAT     SUN        TDY TON   SAT   SUN
FLAGSTAFF        082/056 083/057 079/054      050 030 050 030 060
WINSLOW          094/067 096/068 092/065      030 030 030 030 040
PRESCOTT         089/068 091/069 088/066      050 030 050 040 060
PAGE             097/078 098/078 093/075      030 030 020 030 040
WINDOW ROCK      088/057 090/058 086/055      040 030 040 040 060
CANYON DE CHELLY 094/067 096/068 092/065      030 020 030 020 050
COTTONWOOD       100/076 102/077 099/074      030 020 040 030 040
GRAND CANYON     084/055 085/056 081/053      050 030 040 030 060
GREER            078/052 079/053 075/050      050 030 050 040 060
HEBER            087/057 088/058 084/055      050 030 050 030 060
JACOB LAKE       080/056 081/057 077/054      050 030 040 030 060
NAVAJO N.M.      088/061 090/062 086/059      040 030 030 030 050
PAYSON           094/069 096/070 093/067      040 030 040 040 050
SEDONA           098/074 100/075 097/072      040 030 040 030 050
SELIGMAN         092/061 094/062 091/059      050 030 040 030 050
SHOW LOW         088/064 089/065 085/062      050 030 050 040 060
ST. JOHNS        088/062 090/063 086/060      030 030 030 030 050
WUPATKI N.M.     096/070 098/071 094/068      030 030 030 030 040
Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 25, 10:20 AM MST, 3 hours 30 minutes before
AZZ004>018-037>040-260200-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ
1020 AM MST FRI JUL 25 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR APACHE...COCONINO...NORTHERN
GILA...NAVAJO...AND YAVAPAI COUNTIES IN NORTHERN ARIZONA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY

STRONG SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED MAINLY WEST OF
FLAGSTAFF. THE COMBINATION OF STRONGER WINDS ALOFT AND MORE
INSTABILITY WILL HELP THUNDERSTORM BECOME MORE ORGANIZED. THERE WILL
BE A THREAT OF A FEW STORMS ABLE TO PRODUCE LARGE HAIL.
THERE WILL BE A POTENTIAL FOR A FEW OF THE STRONGER STORMS
IN THIS AREA TO PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN AS WELL. FOR THE REST OF
NORTHERN ARIZONA THERE WILL BE ONLY A THREAT OF ISOLATED STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING HAIL AND HEAVY RAINS. THUNDERSTORM
DEVELOPMENT WILL OCCUR BETWEEN NOW AND 1100 AM MST.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

MOISTURE WILL REMAIN OVER ARIZONA THROUGH THE PERIOD FOR A CONTINUED
THREAT OF MAINLY AFTERNOON AND EVENING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. A
WEATHER SYSTEM WILL APPROACH THE AREA SUNDAY INTO MONDAY...WITH
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS INCREASING DURING THIS TIME PERIOD. THERE
WILL BE AN INCREASED THREAT OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS AND LOCALLY
HEAVY RAIN SUNDAY AND MONDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

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

DEFINITION OF HAZARDOUS WEATHER...A WEATHER EVENT POSING A THREAT
TO LIFE AND PROPERTY.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 24, 5:33 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZCoconino27 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Arizona, 2003Every flash flood warning in 2003

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.