Alert archive / Arizona / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003

Flash Flood Warning 26, NWS Flagstaff, AZ

September 9, 2003Apache County, Coconino County, Navajo County, Arizona

NWS Flagstaff, AZ issued this flash flood warning at Sep 9, 2003, 12:23 PM MST for Apache County, Coconino County, Navajo County, Arizona. It was in force for 67 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
Sep 9, 2003, 12:23 PM MST (19:23 UTC)
Expired
Sep 9, 2003, 1:30 PM MST
In force
67 min
Issued by
NWS Flagstaff, AZ
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Apache County, AZ, Coconino County, AZ, Navajo County, AZ

The radar

The Flagstaff radar (KFSX), 163 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:24 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, 7.4 hours before the alert went out and 122 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 2003-09-09Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 433 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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 2003-09-09The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 105 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
433 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
579 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
33 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
105 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
286 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.2
Supercell composite
2.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WGUS55 KFGZ 091927
FFWFGZ
AZC001-005-017-092130-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ
1223 PM MST TUE SEP 9 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN FLAGSTAFF HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  EAST CENTRAL COCONINO COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL ARIZONA
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF TUBA CITY
  EXTREME NORTHWESTERN APACHE COUNTY IN NORTHEAST ARIZONA
  NORTHERN NAVAJO COUNTY IN NORTHEAST ARIZONA

* UNTIL 230 PM MST

* AT 1219 PM MST...WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED VERY HEAVY
  RAIN 20 MILES EAST OF TUBA CITY.

AT 1219 PM MST THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL WAS OCCURRING OVER DOT KISH 
CANYON AND AND MOENKOP WASH WHERE 1 TO 2 INCHES OF RAIN HAS BEEN 
ESTIMATED BY RADAR. THE OTHER AREA OF FOCUS IS ORAIBI AND POLACCA 
WASHES NORTHEAST OF LEUPP.

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS IMMINENT OR OCCURRING. 
RESIDENTS LIVING ALONG STREAMS AND CREEKS SHOULD TAKE IMMEDIATE 
PRECAUTIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS 
SWIFTLY FLOWING WATERS OR WATERS OF UNKNOWN DEPTH BY FOOT OR BY 
AUTOMOBILE. IF YOUR VEHICLE STALLS, ABANDON IT IMMEDIATELY AND SEEK 
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 3616 11145 3586 11121 3549 11114 3539 11091
          3574 11034 3624 10988 3656 11044 3650 11081

$$

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 Sep 9, 10:00 AM MST, 2 hours 23 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 9, 10:00 AM MST, 2 hours 23 minutes before
NORTHERN ARIZONA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ
1000 AM MST TUE SEP 9 2003

.SYNOPSIS...FREQUENT SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT MUCH OF
THE REGION THROUGH WEDNESDAY. DRIER NORTHERLY FLOW WILL MOVE OVER
ARIZONA BY THURSDAY...WITH NO MORE PRECIPITATION EXPECTED LATE THIS
WEEK AND INTO THE COMING WEEKEND. COOL TEMPERATURES WILL ACCOMPANY
THE RAIN TODAY AND WEDNESDAY...WITH CONDITIONS RETURNING TO NORMAL
BY THE WEEKEND.

.DISCUSSION...A LONG-WAVE TROUGH WILL REMAIN OVER THE WESTERN UNITED
STATES TODAY AND WEDNESDAY WITH A SERIES OF SHORT-WAVE DISTURBANCES
MOVING THROUGH THE FLOW. PLENTY OF TROPICAL MOISTURE HAS MOVED INTO
NORTHERN ARIZONA AND ANY SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS THAT FORM ARE SURE
TO PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN. THE BEST COMBINATION OF UPSLOPE
FLOW...MOISTURE AND UPPER DYNAMIC WILL MOVE ACROSS THE MOGOLLON
RIM...YAVAPAI AND GILA COUNTIES THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. ANOTHER
AREA TO WATCH WILL BE FAR NORTHEAST ARIZONA WHERE MOISTURE...DYNAMICS
AND COLD AIR ALOFT WILL COMBINE TO PRODUCE ANOTHER AREA OF FOCUS FOR
HEAVY STORMS.

THE LONG-WAVE TROUGH MOVES TO THE EAST ON THURSDAY WITH A DRIER AIR
MASS MOVING ACROSS THE AREA.

MCCOLLUM

.NOTE...EFFECTIVE WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 1 2003...THE TEMPERATURES AND
PROBABILITIES OF PRECIPITATION TABLE (BELOW) WILL NO LONGER BE
APPENDED TO THIS PRODUCT. THE INFORMATION...ALONG WITH PREVAILING
DAYTIME WEATHER...WILL BE AVAILABLE IN THE RECENTLY ADOPTED TABULAR
STATE FORECAST (SFT). THE SFT PROVIDES THESE FORECASTS THROUGH 7
DAYS. THE WMO HEADER FOR THIS PRODUCT IS FPUS65 KPSR. THE PRODUCT
IDENTIFIER IS PHXSFTAZ. USING THE INTERNET...YOU CAN ACCESS THE SFT
DIRECTLY AT HTTP://WWW.WRH.NOAA.GOV/CGI-BIN/GPRODUCT.PL?FLGPHXSFTAZ

.FGZ...FFA UNTIL 8 PM MST AZ ZONES 8/10/11/12/16/16/17/18/37/38/39/40.

.CODED TEMPERATURES/POPS FOR SELECTED CITIES IN NORTHERN ARIZONA

CITY             TEMPERATURES HI/LO           PROBABILITY OF PRECIP
                 TDY TON   WED     THU        TDY TON   WED   THU
FLAGSTAFF        065/051 066/043 068/039      070 050 040 020 020 000
WINSLOW          080/062 079/052 079/048      030 030 020 010 000 000
PRESCOTT         075/058 077/052 078/048      060 050 040 020 000 000
PAGE             085/068 082/063 082/059      030 020 020 000 000 000
WINDOW ROCK      070/052 070/046 072/042      060 040 040 030 020 000
CANYON DE CHELLY 076/059 076/053 078/049      040 030 030 030 020 000
COTTONWOOD       086/066 088/060 089/056      050 040 030 020 000 000
GRAND CANYON     066/052 067/044 069/040      050 040 030 020 000 000
GREER            062/050 063/042 065/038      070 050 040 030 030 000
HEBER            070/054 071/046 073/042      070 050 040 020 020 000
JACOB LAKE       062/051 063/043 065/039      040 030 030 020 000 000
NAVAJO N.M.      068/058 068/052 070/048      050 040 030 020 000 000
PAYSON           079/058 081/052 082/048      060 050 040 020 000 000
SEDONA           083/065 085/059 086/055      060 050 040 020 000 000
SELIGMAN         078/051 080/045 081/041      040 030 030 020 000 000
SHOW LOW         071/060 072/052 074/048      040 040 030 030 020 000
ST. JOHNS        076/058 075/048 075/044      040 040 030 030 020 000
WUPATKI N.M.     082/064 081/054 081/050      040 030 020 010 000 000
Hazardous weather outlook, Sep 9, 10:00 AM MST, 2 hours 23 minutes before
AZZ004>018-037>040-100200-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ
1000 AM MST TUE SEP 9 2003

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHERN ARIZONA
UNTIL 8 PM MST...

A STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OVER THE GREAT BASIN WILL BRING
TROPICAL MOISTURE NORTHWARD INTO NORTHERN ARIZONA THROUGH THIS
EVENING. FREQUENT SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED OVER
NORTHERN ARIZONA...SOME RAIN WILL BE VERY HEAVY. AREAS ALONG AND
SOUTH OF THE MOGOLLON RIM AND WHITE MOUNTAINS WILL RECEIVE THE
MOST RAINFALL.  IN ADDITION...MOISTURE HAS MOVED INTO NORTHEAST
ARIZONA IN THE AREA OF BLACK MESA...CHINLE VALLEY AND THE CHUSKA
MOUNTAINS. SOME AREAS IN THE WATCH AREA WILL RECEIVE TOTALS
OF 1 TO 3 INCHES THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.

.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.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Sep 9, 8:31 AM MST, 3 hours 52 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ
0831 AM MST TUE SEP 09 2003

TIME(MST)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0800 AM    BELLEMONT                 AZ   TORNADO
09/09/03   COCONINO                       TREES DOWN ALONG HWY 180
                                          NORTH OF THE CITY OF
                                          FLAGSTAFF AT 815 AM MST

DF

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.