Alert archive / Arizona / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 14, NWS Phoenix, AZ

July 22, 2003Gila County, Arizona

NWS Phoenix, AZ issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 22, 2003, 5:29 PM MST for Gila County, Arizona. It was in force for 61 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
Jul 22, 2003, 5:29 PM MST (00:29 UTC)
Expired
Jul 22, 2003, 6:30 PM MST
In force
61 min
Issued by
NWS Phoenix, AZ
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Gila County, AZ

The radar

The Phoenix radar (KIWA), 85 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:30 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

Phoenix, AZ (KPSR), launched 00:00Z, 0.5 hours before the alert went out and 114 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, Phoenix, AZ at 00:00Z on 2003-07-23Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 625 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Phoenix, AZ at 00:00Z on 2003-07-23The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 0 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
625 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-218 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2757 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
23 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
0 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
33 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS55 KPSR 230029
SVRPSR
AZC007-230130-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
528 PM MST TUE JUL 22 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PHOENIX HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  SOUTH CENTRAL GILA COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL ARIZONA

* UNTIL 630 PM MST

* AT 521 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 9 MILES SOUTH OF GLOBE...MOVING SOUTHWEST AT 5
  MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT...
HIGHWAY 77 SOUTH OF GLOBE...AND THE SIGNAL PEAK AREA.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. IF YOU ARE IN ITS PATH YOU SHOULD PREPARE
FOR DAMAGING WIND...LARGE HAIL...AND DEADLY LIGHTNING. PEOPLE OUTSIDE
SHOULD TAKE SHELTER...PREFERABLY IN A STRONG BUILDING AWAY FROM
WINDOWS.

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

LAT...LON 3317 11058 3353 11060 3349 11104 3324 11094
          3299 11079

$$

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 Phoenix, AZ wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Jul 22, 3:10 PM MST, 2 hours 19 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 22, 3:10 PM MST, 2 hours 19 minutes before
AZZ020>028-CAZ030>033-230545-

SOUTHWEST ARIZONA/SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
310 PM MST TUE JUL 22 2003

.SYNOPSIS...
RENEWED LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WILL MAKE ITS WAY ACROSS SOUTHWEST AND
SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA TONIGHT. THIS WILL HELP TO FEED ANOTHER BATCH
OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ALONG WITH BLOWING DUST...MAINLY OVER
THE SOUTH-CENTRAL PORTIONS. MEANWHILE...HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT WILL
SINK SOUTHWARD OVER ARIZONA THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS...WHICH WILL
SERVE TO KEEP THUNDERSTORMS MOSTLY CONFINED TO THE HIGHER TERRAIN.
AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE APPROACHING FROM THE EAST LATE THIS
WEEKEND WILL GIVE A SLIGHT UPSWING IN THUNDERSTORMS EARLY IN THE
WEEKEND...WITH A SLIGHT DOWNTURN EXPECTED EARLY NEXT WEEK. NEAR OR
SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL DAYTIME TEMPERATURES WILL PREVAIL.

.DISCUSSION...
LATEST CHECK OF KYUX VWP INDICATING THE MORNING SURGE IS DISSIPATING
...WITH SLY WINDS NOW ONLY UP TO ABOUT 4K FEET. SURFACE DEWPOINTS
ARE STILL UP MOST PLACES FROM YDA...ESPECIALLY FROM KGBN-KYUM. THIS
ADDED MOISTURE WILL HELP TO FEED UNSTABLE AMS NOW IN PLACE FOR NICE
BATCH OF EVENING CONVECTION. STEERING FLOWS NOW APPEAR TO BE ELY
ALONG THE ERN RIM AND SELY OVER SE AZ. AND...THUNDERSTORMS CURRENTLY
RUMBLING UPSTREAM FROM KPHX IN BOTH DIRECTIONS. THIS PATTERN
SOMETIMES CAN LEAD TO STRONG THUNDERSTORM OUTFLOW BOUNDARY MERGERS
JUST TO THE E OR SE OF KPHX. LOOKS LIKE AN ACTIVE NIGHT SHAPING UP
FOR THE SWING SHIFTERS.

AFTER TONIGHT...STEERING FLOW DEFINITELY SHIFTS TO A DEEPER SELY
DIRECTION...WHICH IS USUALLY A DOWNER FOR DESERT CONVECTION (THOUGH
GOOD DUST STORMS CAN OFTEN BE PRESENT IN THIS TYPE OF FLOW PATTERN).
NO GOOD UPPER LEVEL FORCING MECHANISMS APPEAR HEADED OUR WAY EITHER
WED OR THU. WILL HAVE LOW GRADE POPS IN PLACE THESE DAYS AS A
RESULT. BY FRIDAY...A STRONGER VORT TROF IS BEING PROGGED BY GFS
WITH SOME DECENT RUN-TO-RUN CONSISTENCY. WILL THEREFORE GIVE A
SLIGHT UPSWING IN POPS FRIDAY EVENING INTO SATURDAY...THEN LOWER
THEM THEREAFTER. WILL ALSO DIP TEMPS ACCORDINGLY ON SATURDAY.

.PSR...NONE.
Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 22, 6:00 AM MST, 11 hours 29 minutes before
AZZ020>028-CAZ030>033-230100-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
600 AM MST TUE JUL 22 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHWEST AND
SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA...AND SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY

THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.

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.