Alert archive / Arizona / Flash Flood Warnings in 2009

Flash Flood Warning 13, NWS Phoenix, AZ

September 4, 2009Gila County, Arizona

NWS Phoenix, AZ issued this flash flood warning at Sep 4, 2009, 4:17 PM MST for Gila County, Arizona. It was in force for 2 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued: Sep 4, 2009, 4:17 PM MST (23:17 UTC)
Expired: Sep 4, 2009, 6:29 PM MST
In force: 2 hr
Issued by: NWS Phoenix, AZ
Area: Storm-based polygon
Flood severity: None

County Gila County, AZ

The radar

The Phoenix radar (KIWA), 116 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:17 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, 11.3 hours before the alert went out and 143 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: 622 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -298 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1529 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 19 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 35 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 11 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WGUS55 KPSR 042317
FFWPSR
AZC007-050215-
/O.NEW.KPSR.FF.W.0013.090904T2317Z-090905T0215Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
417 PM MST FRI SEP 4 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PHOENIX HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  SOUTH CENTRAL GILA COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL ARIZONA...

* UNTIL 715 PM MST

* AT 412 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS DETECTED 
THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING HEAVY RAINFALL OVER PORTIONS OF SOUTH 
CENTRAL GILA COUNTY...INCLUDING THE COMMUNITY OF SAN CARLOS. RADAR 
ESTIMATES TWO INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN OVER THE AREA NORTH OF SAN 
CARLOS IN THE LAST HOUR. RUNOFF FROM THESE STORMS WILL BEGIN TO FLOW 
INTO CHAMPION CREEK...SEVEN MILE WASH...SYCAMORE CREEK AND OTHER 
SMALLER WASHES AND STREAMS IN THE AREA...INCLUDING THE TUFA STONE 
WASH AND TANK.

* THE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING THE HEAVY RAINFALL WILL OTHERWISE 
REMAIN OVER MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF THE INDICATED COUNTY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

NEVER DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE 
ROADWAY. IN HILLY TERRAIN THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF LOW WATER CROSSINGS 
WHICH ARE POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS IN HEAVY RAIN. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO 
TRAVEL ACROSS FLOODED ROADS. WHEN ENCOUNTERING FLOODED ROADS MAKE 
THE SMART CHOICE...TURN AROUND...DONT DROWN.

&&

LAT...LON 3349 11029 3339 11036 3339 11043 3333 11044
      3333 11051 3344 11055 3353 11058 3353 11043

$$

MEYERS

3 follow-up statements

000 
WGUS75 KPSR 050116
FFSPSR

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
616 PM MST FRI SEP 4 2009

AZC007-050116-
/O.CAN.KPSR.FF.W.0013.000000T0000Z-090905T0215Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
GILA AZ-
616 PM MST FRI SEP 4 2009

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR SOUTH CENTRAL GILA 
COUNTY...

THE THUNDERSTORMS THAT PRODUCED THE HEAVY RAINFALL AND PROMPTED THE 
WARNING HAVE MOVED WELL SOUTH OF THE AREA OF SAN CARLOS. ISOLATED 
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE STILL POSSIBLE THE REST OF THE EVENING.
 
STREAMS AND WASHES WILL CONTINUE TO FLOW FOR SEVERAL HOURS. 
MOTORISTS TRAVELING IN THE AREA SHOULD USE CAUTION AND NOT DRIVE 
THROUGH FLOODED LOW WATER CROSSINGS.  

LAT...LON 3349 11029 3339 11036 3339 11043 3333 11044
      3333 11051 3344 11055 3353 11058 3353 11043

$$

MEYERS

000 
WGUS75 KPSR 050125 RRA
FFSPSR

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
625 PM MST FRI SEP 4 2009

AZC007-050116-
/O.CAN.KPSR.FF.W.0013.000000T0000Z-090905T0215Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
GILA AZ-
625 PM MST FRI SEP 4 2009

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR SOUTH CENTRAL GILA 
COUNTY...

THE THUNDERSTORMS THAT PRODUCED THE HEAVY RAINFALL AND PROMPTED THE 
WARNING HAVE MOVED WELL SOUTH OF THE AREA OF SAN CARLOS. ISOLATED 
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE STILL POSSIBLE THE REST OF THE EVENING.
 
STREAMS AND WASHES WILL CONTINUE TO FLOW FOR SEVERAL HOURS. 
MOTORISTS TRAVELING IN THE AREA SHOULD USE CAUTION AND NOT DRIVE 
THROUGH FLOODED LOW WATER CROSSINGS.  

LAT...LON 3349 11029 3339 11036 3339 11043 3333 11044
      3333 11051 3344 11055 3353 11058 3353 11043

$$

MEYERS

000 
WGUS75 KPSR 050129 RRB
FFSPSR

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
629 PM MST FRI SEP 4 2009

AZC007-050135-
/O.CAN.KPSR.FF.W.0013.000000T0000Z-090905T0215Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
GILA AZ-
629 PM MST FRI SEP 4 2009

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR SOUTH CENTRAL GILA 
COUNTY...

THE THUNDERSTORMS THAT PRODUCED THE HEAVY RAINFALL AND PROMPTED THE 
WARNING HAVE MOVED WELL SOUTH OF THE AREA OF SAN CARLOS. ISOLATED 
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE STILL POSSIBLE THE REST OF THE EVENING.
 
STREAMS AND WASHES WILL CONTINUE TO FLOW FOR SEVERAL HOURS. 
MOTORISTS TRAVELING IN THE AREA SHOULD USE CAUTION AND NOT DRIVE 
THROUGH FLOODED LOW WATER CROSSINGS.  

LAT...LON 3349 11029 3339 11036 3339 11043 3333 11044
      3333 11051 3344 11055 3353 11058 3353 11043

$$

MEYERS

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Sep 3, 5:38 PM MST	Areal Flood Advisory	PSR	Pinal	112 min
Sep 3, 6:20 PM MST	Special Weather Statement	PSR		40 min
Sep 3, 6:24 PM MST	Special Weather Statement	PSR	Pinal	51 min
Sep 3, 6:37 PM MST	Dust Storm Warning	PSR		68 min
Sep 3, 7:00 PM MST	Areal Flood Advisory	PSR	Maricopa	105 min
Sep 3, 8:07 PM MST	Special Weather Statement	PSR		38 min
Sep 3, 8:28 PM MST	Areal Flood Advisory	PSR	Maricopa, Pinal	2 hr
Sep 3, 9:11 PM MST	Areal Flood Advisory	PSR	Maricopa, Pinal	109 min
Sep 4, 3:16 PM MST	Special Weather Statement	PSR	Gila	44 min
Sep 4, 3:24 PM MST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PSR	Gila, Maricopa	24 min
Sep 4, 4:01 PM MST	Areal Flood Advisory	PSR	Gila	94 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Arizona, 2009 Every flash flood warning in 2009

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.