Alert archive / Arizona / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2008

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 26, NWS Tucson, AZ

July 12, 2008Pima County, Arizona

NWS Tucson, AZ issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 12, 2008, 12:04 PM MST for Pima County, Arizona. It was in force for 26 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 12, 2008, 12:04 PM MST (19:04 UTC)
Expired: Jul 12, 2008, 12:30 PM MST
In force: 26 min
Issued by: NWS Tucson, AZ
Area: Storm-based polygon

County Pima County, AZ

The radar

The Tucson radar (KEMX), 132 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:06 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 12:00Z, 7.1 hours before the alert went out and 106 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: 579 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -54 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 860 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 12 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 11 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

The text

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

000 
WUUS55 KTWC 121904
SVRTWC
AZC019-121930-
/O.NEW.KTWC.SV.W.0026.080712T1904Z-080712T1930Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
1204 PM MST SAT JUL 12 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL PIMA COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL ARIZONA...

* UNTIL 1230 PM MST

* AT 1157 AM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS IN 
  EXCESS OF 60 MPH. THIS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR SAN LUIS...OR 14 
  MILES NORTHWEST OF SELLS...AND MOVING EAST AT 4 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  SAN LUIS AND NOLIC BY 1230 PM MST...

LAT...LON 3198 11208 3218 11213 3217 11194 3198 11186
TIME...MOT...LOC 1903Z 264DEG 3KT 3208 11202

$$

WEATHER.GOV/TUCSON

2 follow-up statements

000 
WWUS55 KTWC 121919
SVSTWC

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
1219 PM MST SAT JUL 12 2008

AZC019-121930-
/O.CON.KTWC.SV.W.0026.000000T0000Z-080712T1930Z/
PIMA AZ-
1219 PM MST SAT JUL 12 2008

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1230 PM MST
FOR CENTRAL PIMA COUNTY...

AT 1214 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS IN
EXCESS OF 60 MPH.  THIS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR SAN LUIS...OR 14 MILES
NORTHWEST OF SELLS...MOVING EAST AT 3 MPH.

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  SAN LUIS AND NOLIC BY 1230 PM MST...

LAT...LON 3198 11208 3200 11209 3203 11209 3204 11210
      3206 11210 3209 11211 3218 11213 3217 11194
      3198 11186
TIME...MOT...LOC 1919Z 264DEG 3KT 3208 11200

$$

WEATHER.GOV/TUCSON

000 
WWUS55 KTWC 121930
SVSTWC

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
1230 PM MST SAT JUL 12 2008

AZC019-121939-
/O.EXP.KTWC.SV.W.0026.000000T0000Z-080712T1930Z/
PIMA AZ-
1229 PM MST SAT JUL 12 2008

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR CENTRAL PIMA COUNTY WILL
EXPIRE AT 1230 PM MST...

DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THAT THE STORMS HAD WEAKENED BELOW SEVERE 
LIMITS. HOWEVER...EXPECT PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN FROM THESE STORMS 
THROUGH 1245 PM MST.

LAT...LON 3198 11208 3200 11209 3203 11209 3204 11210
      3206 11210 3209 11211 3218 11213 3217 11194
      3198 11186
TIME...MOT...LOC 1929Z 264DEG 3KT 3208 11199

$$

WEATHER.GOV/TUCSON

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 12, 9:20 AM MST, 2 hours 44 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 12, 9:20 AM MST, 2 hours 44 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
920 AM MST SAT JUL 12 2008

.SYNOPSIS...A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM NEAR WESTERN ARIZONA WILL WEAKEN
AND LIFT NORTH THIS WEEKEND. IT WILL CONTINUE TO POSE A THREAT FOR
LOCALIZED HEAVY RAINFALL THROUGH SUNDAY AS HIGH TEMPERATURES REMAIN
BELOW NORMAL DUE TO CONSIDERABLE CLOUDINESS AND WIDESPREAD SHOWERS.
A MORE TYPICAL JULY MONSOON PATTERN IS EXPECTED MUCH OF NEXT WEEK
WITH A CHANCE OF AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS AND WARMER
TEMPERATURES.

&&

.DISCUSSION...PLENTY UNSTABLE WITH PROXIMITY OF LOW AND UPPER LEVEL
DIFFLUENT PATTERN OVERHEAD. PLENTY OF MOISTURE AS WELL WITH
PRECIPITABLE WATER STILL HANGING IN THE 1.75 INCHES RANGE AND
SURFACE DEWPTS IN THE MID TO UPPER 60S. ONLY TAKING A COUPLE OF
HOURS OF HEATING TO ENHANCE CONVECTION THIS MORNING. VERY WEAK
FLOW...MAIN CONCERN IS ONCE AGAIN HEAVY RAINFALL AND POTENTIAL
LOCALIZED FLOODING PROBLEMS. COVERAGE SHOULD END UP HEAVY SCATTERED
TO LOW END NUMEROUS. TWEAKING CURRENT FORECAST UP A BIT FOR THAT.

OTHERWISE LOW FILLS THEN SHEARS OUT OVER THE NEXT 36 HOURS AND FLOW
PICKS UP ONCE AGAIN FROM THE SOUTH AS HIGH CENTER WOBBLES AND
RECONSOLIDATES EAST. NORMAL TO HEAVY SUMMER THUNDERSTORM SEASON
ACTIVITY WILL CONTINUE WELL INTO THE NEW WEEK...WE LOOSE THE
INFLUENCE OF THE LOW BUT NICE H7 THETA E RIDGE WRAPS AROUND THE NEW
HIGH POSITION RIGHT INTO SOUTHEAST ARIZONA. PROBABLY KNOCK THE 60
PERCENT COVERAGE BACK TO THE 30 TO 50 PERCENT RANGE.

&&

.AVIATION...SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE INTO
SUNDAY...MAINLY DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EARLY NIGHTTIME HOURS.
CLOUD DECKS WILL GENERALLY BE 5-7KFT AGL...WITH LOWER CEILINGS IN
HEAVY RAIN. VISIBILITIES AT TIMES WITH THE STRONGEST STORMS AS LOW
AS 1 MILE OBSCURING MOUNTAINS. AVIATION DISCUSSION NOT UPDATED FOR
TAF AMENDMENTS.

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...AMPLE MOISTURE IN COMBINATION WITH DAYTIME HEATING
WILL BRING SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS INTO NEXT WEEK. WITH
MORE SHOWER ACTIVITY DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURES THIS WEEKEND WILL
REMAIN BELOW NORMAL...WITH SOME WARMING TO NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES
BY THE MIDDLE OF THE UPCOMING WEEK.

&&

.TWC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE.

WEATHER.GOV/TUCSON

Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 11, 11:02 PM MST, 13 hours 2 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
1102 PM MST FRI JUL 11 2008

AZZ019-029>035-120715-
NORTHERN GREENLEE COUNTY-SOUTHEAST PINAL COUNTY-
UPPER GILA RIVER VALLEY-WESTERN PIMA COUNTY-TOHONO OODHAM NATION-
TUCSON METRO/MARANA/GREEN VALLEY-SANTA CRUZ COUNTY-COCHISE COUNTY-
1102 PM MST FRI JUL 11 2008

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

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

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

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 11, 5:43 PM MST	Areal Flood Advisory	TWC	Cochise, Graham, Greenlee, Pima, Santa Cruz	107 min
Jul 11, 7:14 PM MST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TWC	Pima	46 min
Jul 11, 7:33 PM MST	Areal Flood Advisory	TWC	Pima	75 min
Jul 11, 8:39 PM MST	Flash Flood Warning	TWC	Pima	111 min
Jul 11, 9:21 PM MST	Areal Flood Advisory	TWC	Pima, Santa Cruz	80 min
Jul 11, 10:28 PM MST	Flash Flood Warning	TWC	Pima	92 min
Jul 12, 11:29 AM MST	Areal Flood Advisory	TWC	Pima, Santa Cruz	2 hr
Jul 12, 12:16 PM MST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TWC	Santa Cruz	29 min
Jul 12, 1:02 PM MST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TWC	Pima	43 min
Jul 12, 1:33 PM MST	Areal Flood Advisory	TWC	Pima, Santa Cruz	117 min
Jul 12, 2:25 PM MST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TWC	Pima, Pinal	24 min
Jul 12, 2:29 PM MST	Flash Flood Warning	TWC	Pima, Pinal	76 min
Jul 12, 4:05 PM MST	Flash Flood Warning	TWC	Cochise	115 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Arizona, 2008 Every 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.