Alert archive / Arizona / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 60, NWS Phoenix, AZ
NWS Phoenix, AZ issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 26, 2003, 6:00 PM MST for Maricopa County, Arizona. It was in force for 60 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 26, 2003, 6:00 PM MST (01:00 UTC)
- Expired
- Aug 26, 2003, 7:00 PM MST
- In force
- 60 min
- Issued by
- NWS Phoenix, AZ
- Area
- Counties, with a storm outline in the text
County Maricopa County, AZ
The radar
The Phoenix radar (KIWA), 86 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:01 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, 1.0 hours before the alert went out and 59 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
- 709 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -105 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1754 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 13 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 8 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 40 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 270100 SVRPSR AZC013-270200- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ 558 PM MST TUE AUG 26 2003 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PHOENIX HAS ISSUED A * SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR... NORTH CENTRAL MARICOPA COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL ARIZONA * UNTIL 700 PM MST * AT 558 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER AND JUST SOUTHEAST OF LAKE PLEASANT. STORMS WERE MOVING VERY SLOWLY TOWARD THE SOUTH AT LESS THAN 5 MPH. DAMAGING MICROBURST WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH ARE LIKELY WITH THESE STORMS. VERY HEAVY RAIN IS ALSO LIKELY. TAKE COVER IN A SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER UNTIL THE STORM PASSES. 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 3403 11205 3396 11247 3375 11241 3387 11197 $$
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 26, 3:15 PM MST, 2 hours 45 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Aug 26, 3:15 PM MST, 2 hours 45 minutes before
AZZ020>028-CAZ030>033-270545-
SOUTHWEST ARIZONA/SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
315 PM MST TUE AUG 26 2003
.SYNOPSIS...
A FLOW ALOFT FROM THE EAST THEN SOUTH IS EXPECTED TONIGHT THROUGH
WEDNESDAY. IN ADDITION...MOISTURE FROM FORMER HURRICANE IGNACIO WILL
CONTINUE INCREASING TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY. THIS MEANS AN
INCREASING CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT...WITH SOME
HEAVY RAIN POSSIBLE AND COOLER WEATHER THROUGH WEDNESDAY. HIGH
PRESSURE ALOFT FROM THE PACIFIC IS EXPECTED TO BRING A REDUCTION IN
THUNDERSTORMS BY FRIDAY.
.DISCUSSION...
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHWEST ARIZONA AND
SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA UNTIL 7 PM MST AND PDT OR 0200 GMT. A FLASH
FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHWEST ARIZONA AND SOUTHEAST
CALIFORNIA UNTIL 10 PM MST AND PDT OR 0500 GMT THIS EVENING...AND
FOR SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA INCLUDING THE GREATER PHOENIX AREA THROUGH
WEDNESDAY. MOISTURE FROM FORMER HURRICANE IGNACIO IS INCREASING AND
THERE WAS EVEN A STRONG GULF SURGE BELOW 5 THOUSAND FEET INTO YUMA
THIS MORNING WITH WIND GUSTING TO 35 MPH AND VISIBILITY DOWN TO 4
MILES IN BLOWING DUST AROUND 5 AND 6 AM MST. THE AIRMASS IS GETTING
TO THE POINT WHERE IT IS HOLDING NEARLY AS MUCH MOISTURE AS IT EVER
HOLDS IN SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA...SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA.
EXPECT AN INCREASING CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT
WITH SOME HEAVY RAIN...AND COOLER WEATHER THROUGH WEDNESDAY WITH A
HIGH FLASH FLOOD POTENTIAL. THUS...THE REASON FOR THE FLASH
FLOOD WATCHES. HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT FROM THE PACIFIC IS EXPECTED TO
BRING A REDUCTION IN THUNDERSTORMS BY FRIDAY. THEN...THE WEAK LOW
PRESSURE SYSTEM ASSOCIATED WITH IGNACIO IS EXPECTED TO MOVE NORTH
CONTINUING A CHANCE AND SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY OVER THE
HIGHER TERRAIN THROUGH THIS COMING LABOR DAY WEEKEND...
.PSR...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR SOUTHWEST ARIZONA AND SOUTHEAST
CALIFORNIA ZONES 20...21...25...26...30...31...32...AND 33
YUMA COUNTY...LA PAZ COUNTY...IMPERIAL COUNTY AND EASTERN
RIVERSIDE COUNTY INCLUDING ALL OF JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK
10 PM MST THIS EVENING OR 27/0500 GMT....AND FOR SOUTH-CENTRAL
ARIZONA ZONES 22...23...24...27...AND 28 MARICOPA COUNTY...
NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST PINAL COUNTY AND SOUTHERN GILA
COUNTY THROUGH WEDNESDAY.
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR SOUTHWEST ARIZONA AND
SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA UNTIL 7 PM MST AND PDT OR 0200 GMT
THIS EVENING.
ELLISHazardous weather outlook, Aug 26, 6:00 AM MST, 12 hours before
AZZ020>028-CAZ030>033-270100- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ 600 AM MST TUE AUG 26 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 REMAINS VERY MOIST AND UNSTABLE...AND ADDITIONAL MOISTURE IS EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO ARIZONA FROM FORMER HURRICANE IGNACIO. THUS SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE FORECAST TO DEVELOP TODAY...MAINLY IN THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. HEAVY RAIN IS POSSIBLE WITH ANY THUNDERSTORM...AS WELL AS SOME BLOWING DUST AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS. HEAVY RAIN COULD LEAD TO FLOODING OF ROADS...WASHES AND OTHER LOW SPOTS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THERE WILL BE AN INCREASED THREAT FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT...ESPECIALLY OVER SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA...AS MOISTURE FROM IGNACIO CONTINUES TO SPREAD INTO ARIZONA. STAY AWAY FROM FLOODED AREAS INCLUDING ROADWAYS AND WASHES...AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND SHOULD A WARNING BE ISSUED. .INSTRUCTIONS TO SPOTTERS... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. BRECKENRIDGE
The office that day
Everything else NWS Phoenix, AZ issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 26, 6:55 PM MST | Flash Flood Warning | PSR | Gila | 65 min |
| Aug 26, 11:15 PM MST | Flash Flood Warning | PSR | Maricopa | 60 min |
| Aug 27, 9:36 AM MST | Flash Flood Warning | PSR | La Paz, Maricopa | 3 hr |
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.