Alert archive / Arizona / Tornado Warnings in 2003

Tornado Warning 7, NWS Flagstaff, AZ

October 3, 2003Apache County, Arizona

NWS Flagstaff, AZ issued this tornado warning at Oct 3, 2003, 5:16 PM MST for Apache County, Arizona. It was in force for 29 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, 5:16 PM MST (00:16 UTC)
Expired
Oct 3, 2003, 5:45 PM MST
In force
29 min
Issued by
NWS Flagstaff, AZ
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Apache County, AZ

The radar

The Flagstaff radar (KFSX), 173 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:18 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 00:00Z, 0.3 hours before the alert went out and 209 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 2003-10-04Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 126 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 2003-10-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 148 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
126 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-20 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1453 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
59 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
148 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
202 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
3.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS55 KFGZ 040016 CCA
TORFGZ
AZC001-040045-

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN FLAGSTAFF HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL APACHE COUNTY IN NORTHEAST ARIZONA

* UNTIL 545 PM MST

* AT 508 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  TORNADO 7 MILES WEST OF CHAMBERS...OR ABOUT 41 MILES WEST OF ZUNI
  PUEBLO...MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.

* THE TORNADO PRODUCING STORM IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  5 MILES NORTH OF SANDERS AT 540 
  4 MILES NORTH OF CHAMBERS AT 525 PM MST
  4 MILES NORTH OF SANDERS AT 540 PM MST. THIS STORM WILL CROSS 
    HIGHWAY 191 AT 540 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 3529 10968 3512 10962 3515 10916 3539 10933

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Oct 3, 5:13 PM MSTTornado WarningFGZApache32 min
Oct 3, 5:50 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZApache25 min
Oct 3, 7:28 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZApache32 min

Nearby

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