Alert archive / Arizona / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 49, NWS Phoenix, AZ
NWS Phoenix, AZ issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 22, 2003, 9:36 PM MST for Maricopa County, Pinal 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
- Aug 22, 2003, 9:36 PM MST (04:36 UTC)
- Expired
- Aug 22, 2003, 10:15 PM MST
- In force
- 39 min
- Issued by
- NWS Phoenix, AZ
- Area
- Counties, with a storm outline in the text
Counties Maricopa County, AZ, Pinal County, AZ
The radar
The Phoenix radar (KIWA), 4 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 04:38 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, 4.6 hours before the alert went out and 29 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 754 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -124 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 2548 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 22 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 8 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 88 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.2
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
WUUS55 KPSR 230436
SVRPSR
AZC013-021-230515-
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
935 PM MST FRI AUG 22 2003
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PHOENIX HAS ISSUED A
* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
EAST CENTRAL MARICOPA COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL ARIZONA
NORTH CENTRAL PINAL COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL ARIZONA
* UNTIL 1015 PM MST
* AT 928 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 9 MILES SOUTHEAST OF QUEEN CREEK...OR ABOUT 12
MILES SOUTHWEST OF FLORENCE JUNCTION...MOVING NORTHWEST AT 15 MPH.
THUNDERSTORMS WERE BUILDING TOWARD THE COMMUNITIES OF QUEEN CREEK...
GILBERT...CHANDLER...MESA...AND APACHE JUNCTION AREAS.
DAMAGING MICROBURST WINDS ARE LIKELY WITH THIS STORM. VERY HEAVY RAIN
IS ALSO POSSIBLE. TAKE COVER IN A SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER UNTIL THE STORM
PASSES.
HEAVY RAINS MAY FLOOD LOW LYING AREAS SUCH AS DITCHES AND
UNDER-PASSES. AVOID THESE AREAS AND DO NOT CROSS FLOODED ROADS AS
THEY MAY BE WASHED OUT. WATER LEVELS OF WASHES...SMALL STREAMS AND
RIVERS MAY ALSO RISE...THEREFORE SEEK HIGHER GROUND IF FLOOD WATERS
THREATEN.
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 3323 11197 3306 11159 3323 11137 3345 11151
3349 11188
$$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 22, 4:16 PM MST, 5 hours 20 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Aug 22, 4:16 PM MST, 5 hours 20 minutes before
AZZ020>028-CAZ030>033-231045- SOUTHWEST ARIZONA/SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ 330 PM MST FRI AUG 22 2003 .SYNOPSIS... THE FLOW ALOFT IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FROM THE SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST AROUND HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT CENTERED NORTHEAST AND EAST OF ARIZONA THROUGH NEXT WEEK. THIS MEANS A CONTINUATION OF A MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS WITH A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. THERE IS A BETTER CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT AND SATURDAY... AND AGAIN SUNDAY NIGHT DUE TO WEAK LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS IN THE FLOW ALOFT FROM THE SOUTHEAST. .DISCUSSION... ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THAT MOVED NORTH FROM YUMA COUNTY THIS MORNING TO LA PAZ COUNTY EARLY THIS AFTERNOON HAD MOSTLY MOVED NORTH INTO MOHAVE COUNTY AT MID AFTERNOON. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE ON THE EDGE OF MOISTURE TO THE EAST AND DRIER AIR ALOFT TO THE WEST. THE DRIER AIR FROM THE SOUTHWEST IS ON THE SOUTHEAST SIDE OF A WEAK LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM ALOFT JUST OFF THE CALIFORNIA COAST. THE STRONGEST DYNAMICS WITH SIGNIFICANT SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE NORTH OF OUR AREA THIS AFTERNOON. OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF THE MARICOPA...PINAL...AND GILA COUNTY BORDERS. A WEAK LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM FROM THE SOUTHEAST IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP SIGNIFICANT SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO OUR SOUTHEAST AND SOUTH THIS EVENING WITH A DUST STORM AND SOME OF THESE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED TO SPREAD NORTHWEST OVER SOUTH-CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ARIZONA INCLUDING THE GREATER PHOENIX AREA TONIGHT. ANOTHER SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO ENHANCE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS SUNDAY NIGHT. ALSO...HAVE SPREAD AT LEAST A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS FURTHER WEST OVER SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA THIS WEEKEND. AFTER THE WEEKEND...HAVE CONTINUED A STANDARD SUMMERTIME FORECAST WITH THE CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY IN THE SOUTH-CENTRAL HIGHER TERRAIN IN THE AFTERNOONS AND EVENINGS. EXCEPT...A WEAK PACIFIC LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MAY BRING A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TEMPORARILY BACK WEST TO SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA ABOUT THURSDAY. .PSR...NONE.
Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 22, 6:00 AM MST, 15 hours 36 minutes before
AZZ020>028-CAZ030>033-230100- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ 600 AM MST FRI AUG 22 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA...AND SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY A RATHER MOIST AIRMASS IS IN PLACE OVER ARIZONA AND SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA TODAY. WIDESPREAD THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY IS NOT EXPECTED TODAY. HOWEVER...WHERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE ABLE TO FORM...THERE IS POTENTIAL FOR LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WHICH COULD EASILY CAUSE FLOODING OF WASHES AND LOW WATER CROSSINGS. LOCATIONS WHICH HAVE BETTER POTENTIAL INCLUDE THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA...SOUTHWEST ARIZONA...AND SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA NEAR THE LOWER COLORADO RIVER VALLEY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY SATURDAY IS ANTICIPATED TO BE SIMILAR TO TODAY WHERE THE POTENTIAL FOR LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL TEND TO BE OF AN ISOLATED NATURE.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Phoenix, AZ issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 22, 10:17 PM MST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PSR | Maricopa, Pinal | 58 min |
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.