Alert archive / Arizona / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2008

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 38, NWS Phoenix, AZ

August 3, 2008Gila County, Arizona

NWS Phoenix, AZ issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 3, 2008, 3:07 PM MST for Gila County, Arizona. It was in force for 53 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Aug 3, 2008, 3:07 PM MST (22:07 UTC)
Expired
Aug 3, 2008, 4:00 PM MST
In force
53 min
Issued by
NWS Phoenix, AZ
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Gila County, AZ

The radar

The Flagstaff radar (KFSX), 93 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:09 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

Phoenix, AZ (KPSR), launched 12:00Z, 10.1 hours before the alert went out and 115 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, Phoenix, AZ at 12:00Z on 2008-08-03Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 488 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, Phoenix, AZ at 12:00Z on 2008-08-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 18 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
488 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-206 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1951 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
26 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
18 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
25 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
-0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

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 3, 2:45 PM MST, 22 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 3, 2:45 PM MST, 22 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 3, 6:06 AM MST, 9 hours 1 minute before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
606 AM MST SUN AUG 3 2008

AZZ022-023-027-028-041300-
NORTHWEST MARICOPA COUNTY-GREATER PHOENIX AREA-
SOUTHWEST MARICOPA COUNTY-NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL PINAL COUNTY-
606 AM MST SUN AUG 3 2008

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH-CENTRAL
ARIZONA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

BLOWING DUST IS POSSIBLE FOR A BRIEF PERIOD LATE THIS AFTERNOON OR
THIS EVENING...FOLLOWED BY A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...
ESPECIALLY SOUTHEAST OF PHOENIX. THE MAIN HAZARDS ARE SUDDENLY
REDUCED VISIBILITY IN BLOWING DUST...CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING
STRIKES...STRONG GUSTY ERRATIC AND DAMAGING WINDS TO OVER 60 MPH...
AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN WITH POSSIBLE FLOODING.

IF YOU SEE AN APPROACHING DUST STORM OR GET CAUGHT IN ONE...PULL OFF
TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AS FAR AS SAFELY POSSIBLE...PUT YOUR VEHICLE
IN PARK...TURN THE LIGHTS ALL THE WAY OFF...AND KEEP YOUR FOOT OFF
THE BRAKE PEDAL.

IF YOU ENCOUNTER A FLOODED ROAD...TURN AROUND AND FIND ANOTHER WAY
TO YOUR DESTINATION.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

BLOWING DUST IS POSSIBLE FOR A BRIEF PERIOD LATE IN THE AFTERNOON OR
IN THE EVENING ESPECIALLY MONDAY...FOLLOWED BY A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS. THE MAIN HAZARDS ARE SUDDENLY REDUCED VISIBILITY IN
BLOWING DUST...CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING STRIKES... STRONG GUSTY
ERRATIC AND DAMAGING WINDS TO OVER 60 MPH...AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN
WITH POSSIBLE FLOODING.

IF YOU SEE AN APPROACHING DUST STORM OR GET CAUGHT IN ONE...PULL OFF
TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AS FAR AS SAFELY POSSIBLE...PUT YOUR VEHICLE
IN PARK...TURN THE LIGHTS ALL THE WAY OFF...AND KEEP YOUR FOOT OFF
THE BRAKE PEDAL.

IF YOU ENCOUNTER A FLOODED ROAD...TURN AROUND AND FIND ANOTHER WAY
TO YOUR DESTINATION.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

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

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED BY LATE MONDAY.

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX IS ON THE INTERNET AT

WEATHER.GOV/PHOENIX

AZZ024-041300-
SOUTHERN GILA COUNTY/TONTO NATIONAL FOREST FOOTHILLS-
606 AM MST SUN AUG 3 2008

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST-CENTRAL
ARIZONA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

THERE IS A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND
THIS EVENING. THE MAIN HAZARDS ARE CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING
STRIKES...STRONG GUSTY ERRATIC AND DAMAGING WINDS TO OVER 60 MPH...
AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN WITH POSSIBLE FLOODING.

STAY ALERT FOR DEBRIS ON THE ROAD FROM FLOODING. IF YOU ENCOUNTER A
FLOODED ROAD...TURN AROUND AND FIND ANOTHER WAY TO YOUR DESTINATION.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

THERE IS A CHANCE OF MAINLY AFTERNOON AND EVENING SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS. THE MAIN HAZARDS ARE CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING
STRIKES...STRONG GUSTY ERRATIC AND DAMAGING WINDS TO OVER 60 MPH...
AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN WITH POSSIBLE FLOODING.

STAY ALERT FOR DEBRIS ON THE ROAD FROM FLOODING. IF YOU ENCOUNTER A
FLOODED ROAD...TURN AROUND AND FIND ANOTHER WAY TO YOUR DESTINATION.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

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

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND
EVENING HOURS TODAY AND/OR MONDAY.

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX IS ON THE INTERNET AT

WEATHER.GOV/PHOENIX

AZZ020-021-025-026-CAZ030>033-041300-
LOWER COLORADO RIVER VALLEY AZ-WEST CENTRAL DESERTS-
YUMA/MARTINEZ LAKE AND VICINITY-SOUTHWEST DESERTS-
JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK-LOWER COLORADO RIVER VALLEY CA-
RIVERSIDE COUNTY/EASTERN DESERTS-IMPERIAL COUNTY-
606 AM MST SUN AUG 3 2008 /606 AM PDT SUN AUG 3 2008/

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EXTREME SOUTHWEST
ARIZONA...EXTREME WEST-CENTRAL ARIZONA...SOUTHWEST ARIZONA...WEST-
CENTRAL ARIZONA...EXTREME SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA AND SOUTHEAST
CALIFORNIA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING THIS
AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. INITIALLY THE MAIN HAZARDS WILL BE CLOUD TO
GROUND LIGHTNING STRIKES AND STRONG GUSTY ERRATIC WINDS TO OVER 50
MPH WITH LOCALLY REDUCED VISIBILITY IN BLOWING DUST. THEN...OTHER
HAZARDS WILL BE LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN WITH WATER RUNNING IN NORMALLY DRY
WASHES AND PONDING OF WATER IN LOW SPOTS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

THERE IS AT LEAST A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS.
BLOWING DUST IS POSSIBLE FOR A BRIEF PERIOD MAINLY IN THE AFTERNOONS
AND EVENINGS. THE MAIN HAZARDS ARE SUDDENLY REDUCED VISIBILITY IN
BLOWING DUST...CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING STRIKES...STRONG GUSTY
ERRATIC AND DAMAGING WINDS TO OVER 60 MPH...AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN
WITH POSSIBLE FLOODING.

IF YOU SEE AN APPROACHING DUST STORM OR GET CAUGHT IN ONE...PULL OFF
TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AS FAR AS SAFELY POSSIBLE...PUT YOUR VEHICLE
IN PARK...TURN THE LIGHTS ALL THE WAY OFF...AND KEEP YOUR FOOT OFF
THE BRAKE PEDAL.

IF YOU ENCOUNTER A FLOODED ROAD...TURN AROUND AND FIND ANOTHER WAY
TO YOUR DESTINATION.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

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

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX IS ON THE INTERNET AT

WEATHER.GOV/PHOENIX

ELLIS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 2, 5:00 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPSRLa Paz60 min
Aug 3, 3:28 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPSRGila62 min
Aug 3, 4:39 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPSRGila51 min
Aug 3, 4:58 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryPSRGila2 hr

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Arizona, 2008Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2008

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.