Alert archive / Arizona / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 52, NWS Phoenix, AZ
NWS Phoenix, AZ issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 23, 2003, 6:35 PM MST for La Paz County, Arizona. It was in force for 40 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 23, 2003, 6:35 PM MST (01:35 UTC)
- Expired
- Aug 23, 2003, 7:15 PM MST
- In force
- 40 min
- Issued by
- NWS Phoenix, AZ
- Area
- Counties, with a storm outline in the text
County La Paz County, AZ
The radar
The Yuma radar (KYUX), 138 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:39 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, 1.6 hours before the alert went out and 203 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
- 542 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -34 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 2870 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 12 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 24 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 47 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
WUUS55 KPSR 240135
SVRPSR
AZC012-240215-
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
631 PM MST SAT AUG 23 2003
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PHOENIX HAS ISSUED A
* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR QUARTZSITE AND VICINITY...
CENTRAL LA PAZ COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL ARIZONA
* UNTIL 715 PM MST
* AT 625 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS 9 MILES SOUTHEAST OF QUARTZSITE...MOVING
NORTH NORTHWEST AT 10 MPH.
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WERE SPREADING NORTHWEST AND NORTH TOWARD
THE COMMUNITIES OF QUARTZSITE...BRENDA...AND NEARBY PORTIONS OF
INTERSTATE 10.
DAMAGING MICROBURST WINDS ARE LIKELY WITH THIS STORM. VERY HEAVY RAIN
IS ALSO POSSIBLE. TAKE COVER IN A SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER UNTIL THE STORM
PASSES.
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 3375 11430 3356 11431 3349 11412 3366 11380
3376 11405
$$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 23, 3:30 PM MST, 3 hours 5 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Aug 23, 3:30 PM MST, 3 hours 5 minutes before
AZZ020>028-CAZ030>033-240545- SOUTHWEST ARIZONA/SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ 330 PM MST SAT AUG 23 2003 .SYNOPSIS... A FLOW ALOFT FROM THE EAST THEN SOUTH IS EXPECTED AT LEAST THROUGH THE FIRST HALF OF THE COMING WEEK AS HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT REMAINS CENTERED NORTH AND EAST OF ARIZONA. THIS MEANS AN INCREASING CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WITH LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN AND GUSTY WINDS THROUGH TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT. THE REMAINS OF HURRICANE IGNACIO ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE NORTH INTO THE SOUTHWESTERN UNITED STATES BY TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT WITH AN INCREASING CHANCE OF HEAVY RAIN. .DISCUSSION... THE ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THAT WERE MAINLY IN THE EAST AND NORTH PORTIONS OF THE GREATER PHOENIX AREA EARLY THIS MORNING MOVED NORTH AND DISSIPATED BY LATE THIS MORNING. ISOLATED SHOWERS THAT WERE IN IMPERIAL COUNTY AND THE WEST PORTION OF EASTERN RIVERSIDE COUNTY THIS MORNING SHIFTED WEST MOSTLY OUT OF OUR AREA THIS AFTERNOON. A LINE OF ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED SOUTHWEST OVER LA PAZ COUNTY FROM A COMPLEX OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER YAVAPAI COUNTY THIS AFTERNOON. THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING JUST OUTSIDE MARICOPA COUNTY OVER YAVAPAI AND SOUTHERN GILA COUNTIES AND TO THE SOUTHEAST OVER SOUTHEAST PINAL COUNTY AND SOUTH OVER PIMA COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST ARIZONA. THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE DEVELOPING WEST AND INTO THE DESERT AREAS INCLUDING THE GREATER PHOENIX AREA TONIGHT WITH STRONG GUSTY POSSIBLY DAMAGING WINDS AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN. THE AIRMASS IS PLENTY MOIST AND UNSTABLE AND WEAK LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS FROM THE EAST ARE EXPECTED TO ENHANCE THE CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT. THE FLOW ALOFT FROM THE EAST IS EXPECTED TO SPREAD ENOUGH MOISTURE WEST INTO SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA...THAT THE POSSIBILITY OF FLASH FLOODING THERE WILL INCREASE AGAIN MONDAY AND MONDAY EVENING. THE REMAINS OF HURRICANE IGNACIO ARE EXPECTED TO BRING EVEN MORE MOISTURE AND DYNAMICS WITH A FURTHER INCREASE IN THE CHANCE OF SHOWERS...THUNDERSTORMS AND HEAVY RAIN IN ARIZONA TUESDAY AND TUESDAY EVENING. THIS MEANS AN INCREASING PROBABILITY OF URBAN AND SMALL STREAM FLOODING AS WELL AS THE POSSIBILITY OF FLASH FLOODING...PARTIULARLY TUESDAY AND TUESDAY EVENING IN THE ARIZONA PORTION OF OUR AREA. WILL HOLD OFF ANOTHER DAY BEFORE ISSUING A SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...BUT UPDATE THE HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK. COOLER WEATHER EXPECTED WITH ALL THE MOISTURE EARLY THIS COMING WEEK. THE WEATHER DURING THE LATTER PART OF THE COMING WEEK REMAINS UNCERTAIN. THUS...HAVE NOT MADE ANY CHANCES TO THE EXTENDED FORECAST BEYOND WEDNESDAY. .PSR...NONE. ELLIS
Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 23, 4:30 PM MST, 2 hours 5 minutes before
AZZ020>028-CAZ030>033-240200- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ 430 PM MST SAT AUG 23 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA...AND SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY THE AIRMASS OVER ARIZONA AND SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA IS QUITE MOIST AND UNSTABLE. THUS...SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE FORECAST TO DEVELOP FROM THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA WEST OVER THE SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA DESERT AREAS INCLUDING THE GREATER PHOENIX AREA THROUGH THIS EVENING. ISOLATED STORMS ARE POSSIBLE ELSEWHERE. WHERE STORMS DO FORM...THERE IS A POTENTIAL...ESPECIALLY IN SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA INCLUDING THE GREATER PHOENIX AREA...FOR STRONG GUSTY DAMAGING WINDS AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN WHICH COULD LEAD TO FLOODING OF WASHES AND LOW SPOTS INCLUDING DIPS IN THE ROADS. STAY AWAY FROM FLOODED ROADS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY THERE IS AN INCREASING POTENTIAL FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN AND FLOODING THROUGH TUESDAY AND TUESDAY EVENING...AS THE REMAINS OF HURRICANE IGNACIO MOVE NORTH INTO THE SOUTHWESTERN UNITED STATES. STAY AWAY FROM FLOODED AREAS INCLUDING FLOODED ROADWAYS AND BE READY TO MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IF A WARNING IS ISSUED DURING THE UPCOMING WEEK. .INSTRUCTIONS TO SPOTTERS... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. ELLIS
In the hours before
Local storm report, Aug 23, 3:48 PM MST, 2 hours 47 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX, AZ
348 PM MST SAT AUG 23 2003
TIME(MST) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0940 PM QUEEN CREEK AND VICINITY AZ WIND DAMAGE
08/22/03 MARICOPA AND PINAL 200 POWER POLES BLOWN
DOWN...THOUSANDS OF TILE
ROOF SHINGLES BLOWN OFF
HOMES...HUGE BUSINESS SIGN
IN CITY OF QUEEN CREEK
BLOWN DOWN...TIN SHEDS
TWISTED BEYOND
RECOGNITION...HUNDREDS OF
LARGE MATURE TREES DOWN IN
STREETS AND ONTO
HOMES...NUMBER OF VEHICLES
WITH WINDSHIEDS BLOWN
OUT...FARM IRRIGATION
SPRINKLERS TWISTED INTO
HEAPS...BLOCK WALL IN
NEIGHBORHOOD BLOWN
DOWN...HORSE KILLED EITHER
BY BEING BLOWN INTO
BUILDING OR BUILDING
COLLAPSING ON IT. REPORTED
BY LOCAL MEDIA.
FOWLEThe office that day
Everything else NWS Phoenix, AZ issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 23, 5:21 PM MST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PSR | Pinal | 39 min |
| Aug 23, 7:14 PM MST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PSR | Maricopa | 61 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.