Alert archive / Arizona / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 31, NWS Phoenix, AZ

August 13, 2003Gila County, Arizona

NWS Phoenix, AZ issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 13, 2003, 3:12 PM MST for Gila County, Arizona. It was in force for 63 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 13, 2003, 3:12 PM MST (22:12 UTC)
Expired: Aug 13, 2003, 4:15 PM MST
In force: 63 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), 72 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:14 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 12:00Z, 10.2 hours before the alert went out and 79 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: 760 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -257 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 2515 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 4 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 26 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 49 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 132212
SVRPSR
AZC007-132315-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
311 PM MST WED AUG 13 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PHOENIX HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 415 PM MST

* AT 310 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED   
  A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 3 MILES NORTH OF PUNKIN CENTER...OR ABOUT 19 
  MILES NORTHWEST OF ROOSEVELT...MOVING SOUTH AT 10 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  PUNKIN CENTER AT 320 PM MST

DAMAGING MICROBURST WINDS ARE LIKELY WITH THIS STORM. VERY HEAVY RAIN
IS ALSO POSSIBLE. TAKE COVER IN A SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER UNTIL THE STORM
PASSES.

INTENSE LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM...MOVE INDOORS IF
POSSIBLE. WHEN INDOORS...STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS AND DOORS. IF
TELEPHONE USE IS REQUIRED...USE A CELL PHONE. UNPLUG ANY UNNECESSARY
ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES BEFORE THE STORM ARRIVES. IF OUTDOORS...AVOID
ISOLATED TALL OBJECTS SUCH AS TREES.

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 3399 11122 3399 11145 3384 11136 3371 11133
          3367 11122 3373 11112

$$

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 Aug 13, 10:30 AM MST, 4 hours 42 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 13, 10:30 AM MST, 4 hours 42 minutes before

AZZ020>028-CAZ030>033-132245-

SOUTHWEST ARIZONA/SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
1030 AM MST WED AUG 13 2003

.SYNOPSIS...
STRONG HIGH PRESSURE RESPONSIBLE FOR NEAR RECORD HEAT IS DEPARTING
TO THE NORTHEAST...AS A LARGE TEXAS LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM APPROACHES
FROM THE EAST. MOISTURE AHEAD OF THIS SYSTEM WILL BRING AN
INCREASING CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS FROM EAST TO WEST
TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY...ALONG WITH COOLER WEATHER. HIGH PRESSURE
WILL BEGIN TO BUILD WITH A SLOW RECOVERY OF TEMPERATURES AND LESS
THUNDERSTORMS LATE SUNDAY AND EARLY NEXT WEEK.

.DISCUSSION...
LOWER LEVELS OF THE ATMOSPHERE WERE A FEW DEGREES COOLER AND MORE
MOIST EARLY THIS MORNING COMPARED WITH THE SAME TIME YESTERDAY. MOST
LATE MORNING TEMPERATURES WERE ALSO SLIGHTLY LOWER WITH DEW POINT
TEMPERATURES GENERALLY UP AROUND 5 DEGREES. THUS...WITH THE STRONG
HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM DEPARTING TO THE NORTHEAST...THE FORECAST FOR
TEMPERATURES TO BE SLIGHTLY LOWER THIS AFTERNOON COMPARED WITH
YESTERDAY LOOKS GOOD. THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM THAT WAS OVER OHIO AND
INDIANA SUNDAY AND MONDAY...AND LOUISIANA YESTERDAY IS MOVING SLOWLY
WEST OVER TEXAS TODAY. THIS SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO REACH SOUTHWEST
TEXAS BY EARLY THURSDAY AND ARIZONA FRIDAY. HOWEVER...THE FLOW ALOFT
OVER SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA IS ALREADY TURNING OUT OF THE NORTHEAST.
THIS IS EXPECTED TO ALLOW THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOP OVER THE
MOUNTAINS TO DEVELOP SOUTHWEST INTO THE SOUTH-CENTRAL DESERT AREAS
TONIGHT. SOME OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS COULD BE SEVERE WITH STRONG
GUSTY DAMAGING WINDS...AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN. AS THE LOW CONTINUES
MOVING WEST...EXPECT THE CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO
SPREAD FURTHER WEST TO SOUTHWEST ARIZONA LATE TONIGHT AND THURSDAY
AND SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT. WITH THE LOW
PRESSURE CONTINUING TO LINGER...THE CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH FRIDAY...AND SATURDAY.
THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO MOVE NORTH BY LATE SUNDAY AND
EARLY NEXT WEEK. AT THE SAME TIME...HIGH PRESSURE WILL BEGIN TO
BUILD WITH A SLOW RECOVERY OF TEMPERATURES AND LESS THUNDERSTORMS
LATE SUNDAY AND EARLY NEXT WEEK.

.PSR...NONE.

ELLIS

Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 13, 2:28 PM MST, 44 minutes before

AZZ020>028-CAZ030>033-140100-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
915 AM MST WED AUG 13 2003

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY

THERE IS AN INCREASING CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN
SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA TONIGHT. STRONG GUSTY POSSIBLY DAMAGING WINDS
...DENSE BLOWING DUST WITH REDUCED VISIBILITY...AND LOCALLY HEAVY
RAIN ARE EXPECTED WITH SOME STORMS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO SPREAD WEST INTO SOUTHWEST
ARIZONA AND PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND
EVENING. THE GREATEST THREAT WITH THESE STORMS IS HEAVY RAIN.
HOWEVER...STRONG GUSTY POSSIBLY DAMAGING WINDS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE...
ALONG WITH DENSE BLOWING DUST AND SAND WITH REDUCED VISIBILITY. THE
CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE FRIDAY...THEN
DIMINISH THIS WEEKEND.

.INSTRUCTIONS TO SPOTTERS...
WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.

ELLIS

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Arizona, 2003 Every 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.