Alert archive / Arizona / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003
Flash Flood Warning 61, NWS Tucson, AZ
NWS Tucson, AZ issued this flash flood warning at Aug 25, 2003, 9:10 PM MST for Pima County, Pinal County, Arizona. It was in force for 20 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 25, 2003, 9:10 PM MST (04:10 UTC)
- Expired
- Aug 25, 2003, 9:30 PM MST
- In force
- 20 min
- Issued by
- NWS Tucson, AZ
- Area
- Counties, with a storm outline in the text
Counties Pima County, AZ, Pinal County, AZ
The radar
The Tucson radar (KEMX), 70 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 04:12 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 flash flood 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
Tuscon, AZ (KTUS), launched 00:00Z, 4.2 hours before the alert went out and 34 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
- 1036 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -8 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 2586 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 24 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 52 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 111 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 1.2
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
WGUS55 KTWC 260414
FFWTWC
AZC019-021-260530-
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
910 PM MST MON AUG 25 2003
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON HAS ISSUED A
* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
NORTHEASTERN PIMA COUNTY IN ARIZONA
THIS INCLUDES...ORO VALLEY...CATALINA...MARANA
SOUTHEASTERN PINAL COUNTY IN ARIZONA
THIS INCLUDES...ORACLE...ORACLE JUNCTION
* UNTIL 1030 PM MST
* AT 905 PM MST...WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS GENERATING VERY HEAVY FROM ORACLE THROUGH CATALINA
AND ORO VALLEY ALONG HIGHWAY 77. MOVEMENT WAS TO THE SOUTHWEST AT
ABOUT 10 MPH. THIS WARNING EXTENDS AND EXPANDS THE PREVIOUS
WARNING TO INCLUDE NORTHEASTERN PIMA COUNTY. RAINFALL REPORTS OF
1 TO 2 INCHES WITH FLOODING HAVE BEEN RECEIVED FROM THESE STORMS.
MOST FLASH FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN VEHICLES. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS
FLOWING WATER...EVEN A SMALL ONE...ON FOOT.
LAT...LON 3220 11118 3238 11047 3284 11047 3275 11130
MEYERWhat forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this flash flood warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Tucson, AZ wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flash flood warning went out at Aug 25, 1:35 PM MST, 7 hours 35 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Aug 25, 1:35 PM MST, 7 hours 35 minutes before
SOUTHEAST ARIZONA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ 135 PM MST MON AUG 25 2003 .SYNOPSIS...INCREASING MOISTURE ASSOCIATED WITH HURRICANE IGNACIO WILL TRACK NORTH TOWARD THE DESERT SOUTHWEST EARLY THIS WEEK. THIS INFLUX IN MOISTURE SHOULD LEAD TO AN UPSWING IN RAINFALL COVERAGE...ESPECIALLY LATE TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. A DRYING TREND WILL COMMENCE LATER THIS WEEK...LEADING TO LESS THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY FOR THE UPCOMING WEEKEND. .DISCUSSION...THE BIG STORY WEATHER WISE HAS BEEN WHAT HURRICANE IGNACIO WILL DO FOR SOUTHEAST AZ PRECIP CHANCES THIS WEEK. LATEST OFFICIAL NHC FORECAST OF IGNACIO HAD IT TRACKING VERY SLOWLY NORTHWEST AND CROSSING THE BAJA PENINSULA INTO THE EASTERN PACIFIC BY SATURDAY MORNING. ALL INDICATIONS WERE THAT THE CIRCULATION OF IGNACIO WILL NOT IMPACT SOUTHEAST ARIZONA THIS WEEK. HOWEVER...THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM AND ASSOCIATED INVERTED TROUGH THAT HAS BEEN STALLED TO OUR EAST THE PAST FEW DAYS WILL TAP SOME MOISTURE FROM IGNACIO. IN FACT...SATELLITE IMAGERY WAS ALREADY SUGGESTING THAT THIS MOISTURE WAS BEING TAPPED AND PULLED NORTHWARD INTO SOUTHWEST TEXAS TODAY. LATEST MODELS CONTINUED TO DRIFT THE UPPER LOW TO OUR EAST WESTWARD A BIT TOMORROW AND WEDNESDAY. SUBSEQUENTLY...MOISTURE WRAPPING INTO THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL SHIFT INTO PARTS OF ARIZONA SOMETIME LATE TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. THE MAIN CONCERN AT THIS POINT WILL BE HOW MUCH PRECIP SERN AZ WILL GET OUT OF THIS INCREASE IN MOISTURE. THE AIRMASS OVER AZ WAS PRETTY MUCH MOIST ALREADY...WITH PWATER VALUES RUNNING WELL ABOVE 100 PERCENT OF NORMAL THE PAST FEW DAYS. THIS ADDITIONAL MOISTURE COMBINED WITH SOME WEAK LARGE SCALE FORCING ASSOCIATED WITH THE UPPER LOW WILL SURELY LEAD TO MORE WIDESPREAD RAINFALL WITH EMBEDDED HEAVIER AMOUNTS FROM THUNDERSTORMS. LATEST MOS POP VALUES WERE SOMEWHAT SIMILAR TO PREVIOUS RUNS...SO DO NOT ANTICIPATE MAKING MUCH ADJUSTMENT THERE. TEMPERATURES WILL ALSO BE IMPACTED BY THE INCREASE IN CLOUDINESS AND PRECIP WITH MOS VALUES RUNNING ABOUT 8 TO 10 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL ON WEDNESDAY. THE MOISTURE WILL LINGER ON THURSDAY BUT WOULD EXPECT MORE TYPICAL HIT-AND-MISS SHOWERY/ THUNDERSTORM TYPE WEATHER THAT DAY WITH WARMER HIGH TEMPERATURES. MEANWHILE...SCATTERED SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING ACROSS SERN AZ THIS AFTERNOON. EXPECT FURTHER DEVELOPMENT WITH STORMS TRACKING WESTWARD THIS EVENING. AS HAS BEEN THE PAST FEW DAYS...VERY HEAVY RAINFALL FROM SOME OF THE STRONGER STORMS WILL BE THE MAIN THREAT. .TWC...NONE.
Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 25, 11:10 AM MST, 10 hours before
AZZ019-029>035-261400- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ 1110 AM MST MON AUG 25 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST ARIZONA .DAY ONE...TODAY SYNOPSIS...AS AN UPPER LEVEL INVERTED TROUGH OVER THE TEXAS BIG BEND CONTINUES TO MOVE VERY SLOWLY TO THE WEST...EXPECT ANOTHER ROUND OF SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS AS THE ATMOSPHERE REMAINS MOIST AND UNSTABLE. AS HAS BEEN THE CASE SINCE SATURDAY...THE MAIN THREAT FROM THE STORMS THAT DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING WILL BE HEAVY RAIN THAT MAY LEAD TO FLASH FLOODING. THERE IS A MINIMAL RISK FOR SEVERE WEATHER ACROSS THE AREA. FOR MORE DETAILS CHECK FOR AN UPDATE OF THIS OUTLOOK AROUND NOON. DISCUSSION...STILL LOOKING AT A SIMILAR WEATHER PATTERN AGAIN TODAY WITH A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM AND ASSOCIATED INVERTED TROUGH TO OUR EAST AND THE MOISTURE AXIS RUNNING RIGHT THROUGH AZ. MORNING UPPER AIR SOUNDINGS SHOWED HIGH PWATER VALUES AND MODERATE INSTABILITY OVER THE AREA FOR TODAY. DAYTIME SURFACE HEATING AND SOME WEAK UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT FROM THE TROUGH TO OUR EAST WILL AID IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF STORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE MAIN THREAT FROM THESE STORMS WILL BE FLASH FLOODING...ALTHOUGH DAMAGING WINDS COULD ACCOMPANY SOME OF THE STRONGER STORMS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. MOISTURE FROM HURRICANE IGNACIO...WHICH WILL MOVE NORTH UP THE GULF OF CALIFORNIA THIS WEEK...WILL KEEP A VERY MOIST ATMOSPHERE IN PLACE ACROSS SOUTHEAST ARIZONA. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY WITH THE MAIN THREATS BEING HEAVY RAINS THAT MAY LEAD TO FLASH FLOODING. A DRIER SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WILL DEVELOP ACROSS THE DESERT SOUTHWEST LATER IN THE WORK WEEK AND INTO THE WEEKEND. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.
In the hours before
Local storm report, Aug 25, 3:25 PM MST, 5 hours 45 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
0325 PM MST MON AUG 25 2003
TIME(MST) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0322 PM SONOITA AZ 0.75 IN HAIL
08/25/03 SANTA CRUZ REPORTED BY STORM SPOTTER.
TORRENTIAL RAIN ALSO IN
PROGRESS.
PYTLAKThe office that day
Everything else NWS Tucson, AZ issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 25, 8:05 PM MST | Flash Flood Warning | TWC | Pinal | 25 min |
| Aug 25, 9:17 PM MST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TWC | Pima, Pinal | 73 min |
| Aug 25, 10:20 PM MST | Flash Flood Warning | TWC | Pima, Pinal | 40 min |
| Aug 25, 11:55 PM MST | Flash Flood Warning | TWC | Pima | 65 min |
| Aug 26, 1:57 PM MST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TWC | Pima | 48 min |
| Aug 26, 3:35 PM MST | Flash Flood Warning | TWC | Pima | 55 min |
| Aug 26, 4:07 PM MST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TWC | Pima | 38 min |
| Aug 26, 4:16 PM MST | Flash Flood Warning | TWC | Pinal | 29 min |
| Aug 26, 4:16 PM MST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TWC | Pinal | 44 min |
| Aug 26, 4:41 PM MST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TWC | Pima | 49 min |
Nearby
Flash Flood Warnings in Arizona, 2003Every flash flood 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.