Alert archive / Arizona / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2009

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 21, NWS Tucson, AZ

July 17, 2009Graham County, Greenlee County, Arizona

NWS Tucson, AZ issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 17, 2009, 4:03 PM MST for Graham County, Greenlee County, Arizona. It was in force for 42 min. 2 reports 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 17, 2009, 4:03 PM MST (23:03 UTC)
Expired: Jul 17, 2009, 4:45 PM MST
In force: 42 min
Issued by: NWS Tucson, AZ
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Graham County, AZ, Greenlee County, AZ

The radar

The Tucson radar (KEMX), 156 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:03 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 17, 4:50 PM MST	TSTM WND DMG	5 Wnw Safford, AZ	MANY TREES DOWNED IN CENTRAL PART OF THE CITY OF SAFFORD. VISIBILITY AROUND 20 FEET IN DUST.
Jul 17, 4:55 PM MST	TSTM WND GST 63	Safford, AZ

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 12:00Z, 11.1 hours before the alert went out and 146 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: 83 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -443 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 2535 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 19 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 16 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 105 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 172303
SVRTWC
AZC009-011-172345-
/O.NEW.KTWC.SV.W.0021.090717T2303Z-090717T2345Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
403 PM MST FRI JUL 17 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  GRAHAM COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST ARIZONA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF SAFFORD...
  SOUTHERN GREENLEE COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST ARIZONA...

* UNTIL 445 PM MST

* AT 400 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DESTRUCTIVE WINDS
  IN EXCESS OF 70 MPH.  THESE STORMS WERE LOCATED ALONG A LINE
  EXTENDING FROM 28 MILES NORTH OF SAFFORD TO 17 MILES NORTHEAST OF
  SAFFORD...AND MOVING SOUTHWEST AT 10 MPH.

* OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
  POINT-OF-PINES.

LAT...LON 3353 10989 3280 10913 3252 10973 3319 11041
TIME...MOT...LOC 2302Z 030DEG 10KT 3324 10966 3293 10942

$$

1 follow-up statement

000 
WWUS55 KTWC 172323
SVSTWC

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
423 PM MST FRI JUL 17 2009

AZC009-011-172345-
/O.CON.KTWC.SV.W.0021.000000T0000Z-090717T2345Z/
GRAHAM AZ-GREENLEE AZ-
423 PM MST FRI JUL 17 2009

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 445 PM MST
FOR CENTRAL GREENLEE AND GRAHAM COUNTIES...

AT 420 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING 
DESTRUCTIVE WINDS IN EXCESS OF 70 MPH. THESE STORMS CONTINUED TO 
TRACK SOUTHWEST AT 10 MPH TOWARD THE GILA RIVER VALLEY. STRONG WINDS 
AND AREAS OF BLOWING DUST WILL BE LIKELY AS THESE STORMS ENTER THE 
HIGHWAY 70 CORRIDOR THROUGH 445 PM MST. 

OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
THATCHER...SWIFT TRAIL JUNCTION...PIMA...MOUNT GRAHAM...JUNCTION OF
HIGHWAYS 191 AND 266...FORT THOMAS...FRYE MESA DAM...CALVA AND BYLAS

LAT...LON 3353 10989 3280 10913 3252 10973 3319 11041
TIME...MOT...LOC 2321Z 030DEG 10KT 3319 10969 3288 10945

$$

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 17, 2:31 PM MST	Special Weather Statement	TWC	Greenlee	59 min
Jul 17, 2:59 PM MST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TWC	Greenlee	46 min
Jul 17, 3:45 PM MST	Special Weather Statement	TWC	Graham	45 min
Jul 17, 4:13 PM MST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TWC	Graham, Pinal	47 min
Jul 17, 4:43 PM MST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TWC	Graham, Greenlee	32 min
Jul 17, 4:57 PM MST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TWC	Pinal	48 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Arizona, 2009 Every severe thunderstorm 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.