Alert archive / Arizona / Tornado Warnings in 2011

Tornado Warning 5, NWS Flagstaff, AZ

September 12, 2011Coconino County, Arizona

NWS Flagstaff, AZ issued this tornado warning at Sep 12, 2011, 2:31 PM MST for Coconino County, Arizona. It was in force for 29 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
Sep 12, 2011, 2:31 PM MST (21:31 UTC)
Expired
Sep 12, 2011, 3:00 PM MST
In force
29 min
Issued by
NWS Flagstaff, AZ
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Coconino County, AZ

The radar

The Flagstaff radar (KFSX), 136 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:34 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

Flgstf/Belemont, AZ (KFGZ), launched 12:00Z, 9.5 hours before the alert went out and 79 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, Flgstf/Belemont, AZ at 12:00Z on 2011-09-12Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.1000850700500300200100-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Flgstf/Belemont, AZ at 12:00Z on 2011-09-12The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -48 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
8060 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
6 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-48 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
34 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.

383 
WFUS55 KFGZ 122131
TORFGZ
AZC005-122200-
/O.NEW.KFGZ.TO.W.0005.110912T2131Z-110912T2200Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ
231 PM MST MON SEP 12 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN FLAGSTAFF HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL COCONINO COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL ARIZONA...

* UNTIL 300 PM MST

* AT 230 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR GRAY
  MOUNTAIN...OR 29 MILES SOUTH OF TUBA CITY...MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  RURAL CENTRAL COCONINO COUNTY 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

&&

LAT...LON 3593 11114 3572 11104 3561 11148 3578 11156
TIME...MOT...LOC 2131Z 249DEG 21KT 3573 11142

$$
JJ
1 follow-up statement
008 
WWUS55 KFGZ 122151
SVSFGZ

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ
251 PM MST MON SEP 12 2011

AZC005-122200-
/O.CON.KFGZ.TO.W.0005.000000T0000Z-110912T2200Z/
COCONINO AZ-
251 PM MST MON SEP 12 2011

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 300 PM MST FOR CENTRAL
COCONINO COUNTY...

AT 248 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO 
INDICATE A TORNADO. THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED OVER CENTRAL COCONINO 
COUNTY...OR 6 MILES EAST OF GRAY MOUNTAIN...MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.

THE TORNADO WILL OTHERWISE REMAIN OVER MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF THE 
INDICATED COUNTY. HALF DOLLAR SIZE HAIL IS ALSO LIKELY WITH THIS
STORM.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

&&

LAT...LON 3563 11143 3581 11148 3583 11142 3590 11116
      3570 11111 3563 11138
TIME...MOT...LOC 2150Z 259DEG 19KT 3575 11130

$$
JJ

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 11, 5:38 PM MSTSpecial Weather StatementFGZYavapai22 min
Sep 11, 6:48 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZCoconino, Gila27 min
Sep 12, 2:21 AM MSTSpecial Weather StatementFGZ9 min
Sep 12, 5:56 AM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZCoconino34 min
Sep 12, 6:28 AM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZCoconino32 min
Sep 12, 7:00 AM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZCoconino30 min
Sep 12, 12:38 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZCoconino22 min
Sep 12, 1:00 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZCoconino30 min
Sep 12, 1:24 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZCoconino21 min
Sep 12, 1:46 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZCoconino29 min
Sep 12, 1:54 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZCoconino36 min
Sep 12, 2:06 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZCoconino, Yavapai24 min
Sep 12, 2:08 PM MSTTornado WarningFGZCoconino22 min
Sep 12, 2:09 PM MSTTornado WarningFGZCoconino21 min
Sep 12, 2:25 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningFGZCoconino3 hr
Sep 12, 2:30 PM MSTTornado WarningFGZCoconino30 min
Sep 12, 3:01 PM MSTTornado WarningFGZCoconino21 min
Sep 12, 3:04 PM MSTTornado WarningFGZCoconino26 min
Sep 12, 3:08 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZCoconino22 min
Sep 12, 4:27 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZNavajo33 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Arizona, 2011Every tornado warning in 2011Tornadoes in 2011

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.