Alert archive / Arizona / Tornado Warnings in 2003

Tornado Warning 5, NWS Flagstaff, AZ

October 3, 2003Apache County, Navajo County, Arizona

NWS Flagstaff, AZ issued this tornado warning at Oct 3, 2003, 4:51 PM MST for Apache County, Navajo County, Arizona. It was in force for 39 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: Oct 3, 2003, 4:51 PM MST (23:51 UTC)
Expired: Oct 3, 2003, 5:30 PM MST
In force: 39 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), 164 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:53 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Flgstf/Belemont, AZ (KFGZ), launched 12:00Z, 11.9 hours before the alert went out and 172 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 159 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -43 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 784 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 56 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 164 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 220 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS55 KFGZ 032351
TORFGZ
AZC001-017-040030-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ
450 PM MST FRI OCT 3 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN FLAGSTAFF HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  WEST CENTRAL APACHE COUNTY IN NORTHEAST ARIZONA
  EAST CENTRAL NAVAJO COUNTY IN NORTHEAST ARIZONA

* UNTIL 530 PM MST

* AT 448 PM MST...THE PUBLIC REPORTED A TORNADO APPROACHING WHITE 
CONE...WHITE CONE IS LOCATED ABOUT 41 MILES SOUTHWEST OF 
CHINLE...THIS STORM IS MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.

* THE TORNADO PRODUCING STORM IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  6 MILES SOUTH OF STEAMBOAT CANYON AT 510 PM MST
  5 MILES NORTH OF SUNRISE SPRINGS AT 520 PM MST
  3 MILES NORTH OF CORNFIELDS AT 530 PM MST

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS
TO COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

LAT...LON 3570 11022 3553 11018 3555 10956 3584 10970

$$

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Oct 3, 4:34 PM MST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGZ	Apache, Navajo	41 min
Oct 3, 4:41 PM MST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGZ	Apache, Navajo	34 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Arizona, 2003 Every tornado warning in 2003 Tornadoes 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.