Alert archive / Arizona / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 25, NWS Tucson, AZ

July 22, 2003Pima County, Arizona

NWS Tucson, AZ issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 22, 2003, 8:33 PM MST for Pima County, Arizona. It was in force for 57 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
Jul 22, 2003, 8:33 PM MST (03:33 UTC)
Expired
Jul 22, 2003, 9:30 PM MST
In force
57 min
Issued by
NWS Tucson, AZ
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Pima County, AZ

The radar

The Tucson radar (KEMX), 18 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:32 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

Tuscon, AZ (KTUS), launched 00:00Z, 3.6 hours before the alert went out and 35 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-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Tuscon, AZ at 00:00Z on 2003-07-23Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 597 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Tuscon, AZ at 00:00Z on 2003-07-23The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -34 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
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
597 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-24 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
3166 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-34 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
46 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
WUUS55 KTWC 230333
SVRTWC
AZC019-230430-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
830 PM MST TUE JUL 22 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  EAST CENTRAL PIMA COUNTY IN ARIZONA
    THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF GREEN VALLEY

* UNTIL 930 PM MST

* AT 830 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 12 MILES EAST OF GREEN VALLEY...MOVING WEST AT
  15 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  SAHUARITA AT 850 PM MST
  GREEN VALLEY AT 855 PM MST

GO INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING. DAMAGING WINDS...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND
HEAVY RAINS ARE LIKELY.

LAT...LON 3174 11057 3201 11052 3207 11120 3174 11123

$$
MEYER

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 Tucson, AZ wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Jul 22, 2:40 PM MST, 5 hours 53 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 22, 2:40 PM MST, 5 hours 53 minutes before
SOUTHEAST ARIZONA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
240 PM MST TUE JUL 22 2003

.SYNOPSIS...WITH HIGH PRESSURE ESTABLISHED TO OUR NORTH...SOUTHEAST
ARIZONA WEATHER WILL CONTINUE TO BE MOIST AND UNSTABLE INTO THE
COMING WEEKEND. EXPECT SCATTERED MAINLY AFTERNOON AND EVENING
THUNDERSTORMS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.

.DISCUSSION...KEMX WSR-88D DETECTED SCATTERED STRONG CELLS ACROSS
THE WHITE MOUNTAINS MOVING WWD AROUND 15-20 KTS AT 2120Z. OTHER
ISOLATED ECHOES EXTENDED FROM THE CHIRICAHUAS-FAR SW NM AND JUST S
OF THE INTERNATIONAL BORDER ACROSS NRN SONORA. VISIBLE SATELLITE
IMAGERY INDICATED RAPIDLY DEVELOPING CUMULIFORM CLOUDINESS MAINLY
NEAR MOUNTAINS AND ALSO ACROSS WRN SECTIONS. DEWPOINTS WERE IN THE
MID 50S-LOWER 60S F WHICH WERE NEARLY IDENTICAL TO 24 HOURS AGO.
EXPECT SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE IN COVERAGE
DURING THE NEXT FEW HOURS. BEST CHANCE OF PRECIP TUS VICINITY SHOULD
BE AFTER 01-02Z OR SUCH PER LATEST MESO ETA/MM5 OUTPUT. THUS WILL
OPT FOR SCATTERED EVENING SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS WITH EXPECTATION OF
ACTIVITY WANING ERN SECTIONS EARLY THOUGH PERHAPS LINGERING ACROSS
CENTRAL/WRN SECTIONS UNTIL AFTER MIDNIGHT. UPPER HIGH CENTERED
INITIALLY OVER ERN NV TO MIGRATE TOWARD FOUR CORNERS REGION BY
THUR. GENERALLY ELY FLOW TO CONTINUE WITH MAINLY AFTERNOON/EVENING
SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS DURING THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. DID NOTE THAT
22/12Z GFS PROGGED VORT MAXES TO MOVE AROUND PERIPHERY OF UPPER HIGH
WWD ACROSS SE AZ/NRN SONORA REGION LATE FRI-EARLY SAT. TAKEN AT FACE
VALUE FRI AFTERNOON/NIGHT WOULD HAVE INCREASED CONVECTIVE POTENTIAL.
HOWEVER WILL TEMPER THAT ENTHUSIASM SOMEWHAT AT THIS TIME WITH MORE
CONSERVATIVE APPROACH UNTIL MODEL CONTINUITY ESTABLISHED. HAVE
INCREASED DAYTIME MAX TEMPS SLIGHTLY MOST LOCALES WED-THUR VERSUS
PREVIOUS FORECASTS. ALSO APPEARS MRF MOS GUIDANCE MAX TEMPS HAVE
BEEN TOO LOW RECENTLY. THUS BELIEVE DAYTIME MAX TEMPS DURING THE
WEEKEND/EARLY NEXT WEEK WILL BE SLIGHTLY ABOVE SEASONAL NORMALS FOR
LATE JULY.  BF

.TWC...NONE.
Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 22, 12:00 PM MST, 8 hours 33 minutes before
AZZ019-029>035-231400-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
1200 PM MST TUE JUL 22 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST ARIZONA

.DAY ONE...TODAY

SYNOPSIS...THERE IS NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN THE MOISTURE PROFILE
ACROSS THE STATE TODAY AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP
ACROSS THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS AND MOVE WESTWARD. THESE THUNDERSTORMS
MAY WORK INTO THE VALLEYS TODAY AS THERE WAS LESS COOLING IN THE
VALLEYS THIS MORNING. OTHERWISE...THE LARGE SCALE WEATHER PATTERN
REMAINS FAVORABLE THROUGH THE REST OF THE WEEK FOR SCATTERED
AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS.

.DISCUSSION...MINOR CHANGES ON TUCSON SOUNDING MAY POINT TO A MORE
ACTIVE DAY IN THE VALLEYS AND OUT INTO THE LOW DESERTS. YESTERDAY
LOW DESERTS HAD A FAIR AMOUNT OF COOLING FROM THE STORMS ON SUNDAY.
ALTHOUGH IT LOOKED FROM THE SATELLITE THAT A FAIR AMOUNT OF STORMS
OCCURRED YESTERDAY THEY GENERALLY STAYED OUT OF THE VALLEYS AND LOW
DESERTS ALTHOUGH ANVIL RAINS FELL IN PHOENIX AND TUCSON. THE AREA
FROM CENTRAL AND WESTERN PIMA COUNTY WERE BASICALLY UNTOUCHED. ALOFT
IS NEUTRAL SINCE THERE IS NO FEATURE TO AID CONVECTION ALTHOUGH
THERE IS NOT A BIG NEGATIVE FACTOR. MM5 MODEL THIS MORNING INDICATED
A TAD LATER START THAN NORMAL BUT DID MOVE THE STORMS INTO THE
VALLEYS AND DESERTS WITH STORMS MOVING INTO TUCSON AROUND 5 PM.

MID LEVEL WINDS ARE FAIRLY BRISK AND STORM MOTION SHOULD BE FAIRLY
QUICK TOWARDS THE WEST...15 MILES PER HOUR. ALSO...WATER VAPOR
SATELLITE IMAGERY INDICATES MID LEVEL DRY AIR MOVING INTO THE STATE
FROM NEW MEXICO. THIS MAY PROMOTE HAIL GROWTH WITH STORMS AND
INCREASE THE CHANCE OF SEVERE WEATHER ASSOCIATED WITH STORMS. DUE TO
THE AMOUNT OF MOISTURE IN THE ATMOSPHERE THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY
RAINFALL IN EXCESS OF ONE INCH WILL BE MODERATE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH TUESDAY.

THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.

SUFFICIENT MOISTURE WILL BE IN PLACE FOR A STANDARD SUMMERTIME
THUNDERSTORM SEASON FORECAST. EXPECT SCATTERED MAINLY AFTERNOON AND
EVENING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

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

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 22, 8:28 PM MST, 5 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
0828 PM MST TUE JUL 22 2003

TIME(MST)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0600 PM    10 NE TUCSON              AZ   FLASH FLOOD
07/22/03   PIMA                           MUDSLIDE 4 FT DEEP ACROSS
                                          CATALINA HIGHWAY BETWEEN
                                          MILE POST 12 AND 13

WJM

The office that day

Everything else NWS Tucson, AZ issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 22, 5:30 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCPima
Jul 22, 6:20 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCPima, Pinal10 min
Jul 22, 7:21 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCPima69 min
Jul 22, 7:37 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCPima53 min
Jul 22, 9:12 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCPima3 min
Jul 23, 2:22 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCCochise38 min
Jul 23, 3:57 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCPinal33 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.