Alert archive / Arizona / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 92, NWS Flagstaff, AZ

September 9, 2003Apache County, Navajo County, Arizona

NWS Flagstaff, AZ issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Sep 9, 2003, 5:33 PM MST for Apache County, Navajo County, Arizona. It was in force for 27 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, 5:33 PM MST (00:33 UTC)
Expired
Sep 9, 2003, 6:00 PM MST
In force
27 min
Issued by
NWS Flagstaff, AZ
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Apache County, AZ, Navajo County, AZ

The radar

The Flagstaff radar (KFSX), 247 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:35 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

Flgstf/Belemont, AZ (KFGZ), launched 00:00Z, 0.6 hours before the alert went out and 219 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 2003-09-10Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 187 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 00:00Z on 2003-09-10The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 112 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
187 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-28 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
759 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
39 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
112 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
145 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.1
Supercell composite
3.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS55 KFGZ 100033
SVRFGZ
AZC001-017-100100-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ
531 PM MST TUE SEP 9 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN FLAGSTAFF HAS EXTENDED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  NORTHWESTERN APACHE COUNTY IN NORTHEAST ARIZONA
  NORTH CENTRAL NAVAJO COUNTY IN NORTHEAST ARIZONA

* UNTIL 600 PM MST

* AT 525 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED 
A   SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER CHILCHINBITO...MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE...
5 MILES NORTH OF ROUGH ROCK AT 550 PM MST

HAIL...INTENSE RAIN AND STRONG DAMAGING WINDS ARE LIKELY WITH THIS
STORM. TAKE COVER IN A SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER UNTIL THE STORM PASSES.

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 3665 11028 3646 11025 3645 10966 3671 10968

$$

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 Sep 9, 2:30 PM MST, 3 hours 3 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 9, 2:30 PM MST, 3 hours 3 minutes before
NORTHERN ARIZONA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ
230 PM MST TUE SEP 9 2003

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

.DISCUSSION...A LONG-WAVE TROUGH WILL REMAIN OVER THE WESTERN UNITED
STATES TONIGHT 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 INTO 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.

IN THE EXTENDED...MODELS SHOWING DRY WEATHER THROUGH SUNDAY WITH
FALL-LIKE WEATHER. FOR MONDAY AND BEYOND MODELS ARE HINTING THAT
MOISTURE AND THE CHANCE OF STORMS COULD RETURN BUT FOR NOW JUST WENT
WITH INCREASING CLOUDS.

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 LO/HI           PROBABILITY OF PRECIP
                 TON WED   THU     FRI        TON WED   THU     FRI
FLAGSTAFF        051/066 042/069 039/072      070 060 020 000 000 000
WINSLOW          062/079 051/080 048/083      050 030 010 000 000 000
PRESCOTT         058/077 051/079 048/082      070 040 010 000 000 000
PAGE             068/082 062/083 059/086      040 020 000 000 000 000
WINDOW ROCK      052/070 045/073 042/076      070 050 020 000 000 000
CANYON DE CHELLY 059/076 052/079 049/082      060 040 010 000 000 000
COTTONWOOD       066/088 059/090 056/093      060 050 020 000 000 000
GRAND CANYON     052/067 043/070 040/073      060 030 000 000 000 000
GREER            050/063 041/066 038/069      070 060 030 000 000 000
HEBER            054/071 045/074 042/077      070 050 020 000 000 000
JACOB LAKE       051/063 042/066 039/069      040 000 000 000 000 000
NAVAJO N.M.      058/068 051/071 048/074      060 040 010 000 000 000
PAYSON           058/081 051/083 048/086      060 050 020 000 000 000
SEDONA           065/085 058/087 055/090      060 050 020 000 000 000
SELIGMAN         056/079 049/081 046/084      040 000 000 000 000 000
SHOW LOW         060/072 051/075 048/078      060 040 020 000 000 000
ST. JOHNS        058/075 047/076 044/079      050 040 010 000 000 000
WUPATKI N.M.     064/081 053/082 050/085      060 040 010 000 000 000
Hazardous weather outlook, Sep 9, 10:00 AM MST, 7 hours 33 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.

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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.