Alert archive / Arizona / Tornado Warnings in 2004

Tornado Warning 2, NWS Flagstaff, AZ

August 18, 2004Coconino County, Yavapai County, Arizona

NWS Flagstaff, AZ issued this tornado warning at Aug 18, 2004, 2:52 PM MST for Coconino County, Yavapai County, Arizona. It was in force for 23 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 18, 2004, 2:52 PM MST (21:52 UTC)
Expired: Aug 18, 2004, 3:15 PM MST
In force: 23 min
Issued by: NWS Flagstaff, AZ
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Coconino County, AZ, Yavapai County, AZ

The radar

The Flagstaff radar (KFSX), 62 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:52 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Flgstf/Belemont, AZ (KFGZ), launched 12:00Z, 9.9 hours before the alert went out and 41 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 427 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -71 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1345 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 18 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 4 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 2 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS55 KFGZ 182152
TORFGZ
AZC005-025-182215-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ
251 PM MST WED AUG 18 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN FLAGSTAFF HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTH CENTRAL COCONINO COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL ARIZONA
  EAST CENTRAL YAVAPAI COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL ARIZONA
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF SEDONA

* UNTIL 315 PM MST

* AT 247 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR SEDONA...
  MOVING EAST AT 10 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  OVER 179 BETWEEN SEDONA AND OAK CREEK IMMINENTLY

IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER IN A NEARBY REINFORCED
BUILDING. AS A LAST RESORT...SEEK SHELTER IN A CULVERT...DITCH OR LOW
SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

LAT...LON 3491 11183 3480 11183 3481 11168 3490 11170

$$

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Aug 18, 11:29 AM MST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGZ	Coconino	31 min
Aug 18, 11:33 AM MST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGZ	Coconino	27 min
Aug 18, 11:51 AM MST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGZ	Coconino	24 min
Aug 18, 1:36 PM MST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGZ	Coconino, Navajo	24 min
Aug 18, 1:41 PM MST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGZ	Coconino, Yavapai	34 min
Aug 18, 1:47 PM MST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGZ	Gila, Yavapai	28 min
Aug 18, 1:53 PM MST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGZ	Coconino, Yavapai	22 min
Aug 18, 2:01 PM MST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGZ	Coconino	29 min
Aug 18, 2:05 PM MST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGZ	Coconino	25 min
Aug 18, 2:15 PM MST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGZ	Yavapai	30 min
Aug 18, 2:45 PM MST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGZ	Coconino, Yavapai	15 min
Aug 18, 3:19 PM MST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGZ	Coconino	26 min
Aug 18, 4:07 PM MST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGZ	Gila	23 min
Aug 18, 4:12 PM MST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGZ	Yavapai	33 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Arizona, 2004 Every tornado warning in 2004 Tornadoes in 2004

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.