Alert archive / Arizona / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 59, NWS Flagstaff, AZ

August 22, 2003Coconino County, Arizona

NWS Flagstaff, AZ issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 22, 2003, 5:39 PM MST for Coconino County, Arizona. It was in force for 21 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
Aug 22, 2003, 5:39 PM MST (00:39 UTC)
Expired
Aug 22, 2003, 6:00 PM MST
In force
21 min
Issued by
NWS Flagstaff, AZ
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Coconino County, AZ

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

Flgstf/Belemont, AZ (KFGZ), launched 00:00Z, 0.7 hours before the alert went out and 69 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 00:00Z on 2003-08-23Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 174 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 00:00Z on 2003-08-23The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 21 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
174 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-3 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2030 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
20 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
21 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
53 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS55 KFGZ 230039
SVRFGZ
AZC005-230100-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ...CORRECTION FOR TOWN NAME
537 PM MST FRI AUG 22 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN FLAGSTAFF HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  EAST CENTRAL COCONINO COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL ARIZONA

* UNTIL 600 PM MST

* AT 534 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER LUEPP...OR ABOUT 24 MILES NORTHWEST OF
  WINSLOW...MOVING NORTH AT 30 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
RURAL EASTERN COCONINO COUNTY AT 550 PM MST

HAIL UP TO 1 INCH IN DIAMETER IS POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. IF YOU ARE
IN THE PATH OF THE STORM...TAKE NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS AND MOVE TO A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER.

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

LAT...LON 3519 11115 3516 11094 3544 11086 3548 11110

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 Flagstaff, AZ wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Aug 22, 2:30 PM MST, 3 hours 9 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 22, 2:30 PM MST, 3 hours 9 minutes before
NORTHERN ARIZONA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ
230 PM MST FRI AUG 22 2003

.SYNOPSIS...HIGH PRESSURE CENTERED NORTHEAST OF ARIZONA WILL
CONTINUE TO CIRCULATE MOISTURE OVER THE NORTHLAND. EXPECT AFTERNOON
AND EVENING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO CONTINUE EACH DAY THROUGH
THIS WEEKEND...AND INTO NEXT WEEK.

.DISCUSSION...CONVERGENT/DIVERGENT COUPLET WE DISCUSSED THIS MORNING
LINED UP ALONG AN AXIS OF DEEP MOISTURE THROUGH WESTERN YAVAPAI AND
COCONINO COUNTIES THIS AFTERNOON. LOTS AND LOTS OF CONVECTION ALONG
THIS LINE...MOST OF IT TORRENTIAL RAIN...WITH ISOLATED SEVERE. THIS
WILL BE THE TROUBLE AREA THROUGH THE EVENING...AND THE FLASH FLOOD
WATCH WILL CONTINUE AS SCHEDULED. REGION AFFECTED BY AN EASTERLY
WAVE OVER THE WEEKEND WITH A VERY FAVORABLE STORM ENVIRONMENT IN
PLACE AT LEAST THROUGH SUNDAY.

THE REMAINDER OF NEXT WEEK FEATURES A CLIMATOLOGICALLY NORMAL
CIRCULATION...AND WE WILL CARRY A MODERATE GRADE MONSOON FORECAST
RIGHT ON THROUGH DAY SEVEN. PETERSON.

.FGZ...FFA ALL OF YAVAPAI/COCONINO COUNTIES UNTIL 11 PM MST.

.CODED TEMPERATURES/POPS FOR SELECTED CITIES IN NORTHERN ARIZONA

CITY             TEMPERATURES LO/HI           PROBABILITY OF PRECIP
                 TON SAT   SUN     MON        TON SAT   SUN     MON
FLAGSTAFF        052/075 050/074 049/076      040 050 040 050 030 040
WINSLOW          065/088 064/086 063/088      030 040 030 040 020 030
PRESCOTT         063/083 062/081 061/083      030 050 040 050 030 040
PAGE             068/090 067/087 066/089      030 030 030 030 020 030
WINDOW ROCK      054/082 053/078 052/080      030 040 040 050 030 040
CANYON DE CHELLY 062/088 061/084 060/086      030 040 040 040 030 040
COTTONWOOD       071/094 070/092 069/094      020 040 030 040 020 030
GRAND CANYON     052/076 050/075 049/077      040 040 040 050 030 040
GREER            049/070 047/069 046/071      030 050 040 050 040 050
HEBER            054/080 052/079 051/081      030 050 040 050 030 040
JACOB LAKE       052/073 050/072 049/074      040 050 040 050 030 040
NAVAJO N.M.      059/082 058/078 057/080      040 040 040 040 030 040
PAYSON           064/087 063/085 062/087      020 030 040 040 030 030
SEDONA           069/091 068/089 067/091      030 040 030 040 030 030
SELIGMAN         056/086 055/084 054/086      030 050 040 050 030 040
SHOW LOW         060/080 058/079 057/081      030 050 040 050 040 050
ST. JOHNS        060/083 059/081 058/083      040 050 040 050 030 040
WUPATKI N.M.     066/090 065/088 064/090      030 040 030 040 020 030
Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 22, 10:10 AM MST, 7 hours 29 minutes before
AZZ004>018-037>040-230200-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ
1010 AM MST FRI AUG 22 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 ALL OF COCONINO AND YAVAPAI COUNTIES FROM
NOON MST UNTIL 11 PM MST TODAY...

STRONG STORMS CONTAINING HEAVY RAIN ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP TODAY
ALONG A PLUME OF DEEP MOISTURE EXTENDING NORTHWARD THROUGH MOST OF
YAVAPAI AND COCONINO COUNTIES. STORMS WILL DEVELOP OVER THE WATCH
AREA BY 11 AM MST...WITH THE STRONGEST STORMS IN THE AFTERNOON
HOURS. SOME STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE THIS AFTERNOON WITH HAIL SIZES
OF AROUND AN INCH WITH THE STRONGEST STORMS.

SOIL CONDITIONS OVER YAVAPAI AND COCONINO COUNTIES ARE
SATURATED...AND ANY ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAIN MAY LEAD TO FLOODING.

STORMS THAT DEVELOP MAINLY EAST OF FLAGSTAFF WILL BE MORE BENIGN AND
LESS WIDESPREAD. ONLY ISOLATED STRONGER STORMS ARE EXPECTED IN THESE
AREAS...WITH MUCH LESS OF A CHANCE FOR FLOODING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

A MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR MASS WILL REMAIN OVER ARIZONA RESULTING IN
A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EACH DAY. FLOODING POTENTIAL
OVER THE WEEKEND WILL REMAIN MODERATE OVER YAVAPAI AND COCONINO
COUNTIES.

.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
Aug 22, 5:37 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZCoconino23 min
Aug 23, 11:15 AM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZYavapai30 min
Aug 23, 12:07 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZCoconino23 min
Aug 23, 12:11 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningFGZYavapai64 min
Aug 23, 12:32 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZYavapai18 min
Aug 23, 12:35 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZYavapai15 min
Aug 23, 1:09 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningFGZYavapai66 min
Aug 23, 1:11 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZYavapai19 min
Aug 23, 1:25 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningFGZCoconino65 min
Aug 23, 2:20 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningFGZYavapai55 min
Aug 23, 2:30 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZYavapai30 min
Aug 23, 3:03 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZYavapai27 min
Aug 23, 4:22 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningFGZYavapai53 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Arizona, 2003Every severe thunderstorm 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.