Alert archive / Arizona / Flash Flood Warnings in 2009

Flash Flood Warning 13, NWS Tucson, AZ

July 8, 2009Pima County, Arizona

NWS Tucson, AZ issued this flash flood warning at Jul 8, 2009, 5:40 PM MST for Pima County, Arizona. It was in force for 95 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued: Jul 8, 2009, 5:40 PM MST (00:40 UTC)
Expired: Jul 8, 2009, 7:15 PM MST
In force: 95 min
Issued by: NWS Tucson, AZ
Area: Storm-based polygon
Flood severity: None

County Pima County, AZ

The radar

The Tucson radar (KEMX), 48 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:40 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.

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Jul 8, 6:15 PM MST	FLASH FLOOD	Tucson, AZ	SWIFT WATER RESCUE AT STONE AVE UNDERPASS NEAR 6TH STREET.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The nearest sounding before it

Tuscon, AZ (KTUS), launched 00:00Z, 0.7 hours before the alert went out and 8 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: 577 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -39 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 2808 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 6 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -27 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: -45 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 
WGUS55 KTWC 090040
FFWTWC
AZC019-090215-
/O.NEW.KTWC.FF.W.0013.090709T0040Z-090709T0215Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
540 PM MST WED JUL 8 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  EAST CENTRAL PIMA COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL ARIZONA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF...TUCSON

* UNTIL 715 PM MST

* AT 535 PM MST...STORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL ALONG WITH STRONG  
  WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE THROUGH THE GREATER TUCSON AREA. FLASH 
  FLOODING...ESPECIALLY STREET FLOODING CAN BE EXPECTED AS THESE     
  STORMS PASS THROUGH. 

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO TUCSON
  INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT...SOUTH TUCSON...SAGUARO NATIONAL PARK
  WEST...SAGUARO NATIONAL PARK EAST...SABINO CANYON...RYAN FIELD...
  RITA RANCH...REDINGTON...MOUNT LEMMON/SUMMERHAVEN...DAVIS-MONTHAN
  AIR FORCE BASE...CATALINA STATE PARK AND CATALINA FOOTHILLS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF WASHES
AND STREAMS...COUNTRY ROADS...AS WELL AS FARMLAND ALONG THE BANKS OF
CREEKS AND STREAMS.

DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS
SAFELY.

&&

LAT...LON 3228 11127 3245 11089 3246 11046 3197 11046
      3199 11128

$$

2 follow-up statements

000 
WGUS75 KTWC 090119
FFSTWC

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
619 PM MST WED JUL 8 2009

AZC019-090215-
/O.CON.KTWC.FF.W.0013.000000T0000Z-090709T0215Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
PIMA AZ-
619 PM MST WED JUL 8 2009

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 715 PM MST FOR EAST 
CENTRAL PIMA COUNTY...INCLUDING THE GREATER TUCSON AREA...

AT 614 PM MST...A CLUSTER OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH MODERATE TO LOCALLY 
HEAVY RAINFALL CONTINUED TO MOVE ACROSS THE GREATER TUCSON AREA. A 
FEW REPORTS OF STREET FLOODING HAVE BEEN RECEIVED IN THE CITY...WITH 
A SWIFT WATER RESCUE AT THE STONE UNDERPASS AND 6TH STREET IN 
PROGRESS AS OF 615 PM MST. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF SMALL
CREEKS AND STREAMS...URBAN AREAS...HIGHWAYS...STREETS AND UNDERPASSES
AS WELL AS OTHER DRAINAGE AREAS AND LOW LYING SPOTS.

DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS
SAFELY. MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.

&&

LAT...LON 3228 11127 3245 11089 3246 11046 3197 11046
      3199 11128

$$

000 
WGUS75 KTWC 090211
FFSTWC

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
711 PM MST WED JUL 8 2009

AZC019-090217-
/O.EXP.KTWC.FF.W.0013.000000T0000Z-090709T0215Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
PIMA AZ-
711 PM MST WED JUL 8 2009

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 715 PM MST FOR EAST CENTRAL
PIMA COUNTY...

ALTHOUGH MODERATE RAINFALL...WITH LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL CONTINUES 
ACROSS EAST CENTRAL PIMA COUNTY...THE THREAT OF FLASH FLOODING HAS 
SUBSIDED. THEREFORE...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO 
EXPIRE AT 715 PM MST. 

SIGNIFICANT PONDING OF WATER WILL CONTINUE IN WASHES...ROADWAY 
DIPS...AND OTHER LOW LYING AND POOR DRAINAGE AREAS RESULTING IN 
MINOR INCONVENIENCE FLOODING. ALTHOUGH THIS WARNING HAS BEEN ALLOWED 
TO EXPIRE AT 715 PM MST...AN URBAN AND SMALL STREAM FLOOD ADVISORY 
IS IN EFFECT FOR THE SAME AREA UNTIL 1000 PM MST.

LAT...LON 3228 11127 3245 11089 3246 11046 3197 11046
      3199 11128

$$

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 8, 5:29 PM MST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TWC	Cochise, Graham, Pima	31 min
Jul 8, 5:54 PM MST	Flash Flood Warning	TWC	Graham	81 min
Jul 8, 6:20 PM MST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TWC	Graham	25 min
Jul 8, 6:37 PM MST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TWC	Pinal	38 min
Jul 8, 6:43 PM MST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TWC	Graham	47 min
Jul 8, 7:06 PM MST	Areal Flood Advisory	TWC	Graham, Pima, Pinal	3 hr

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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.