Alert archive / Arizona / Flash Flood Warnings in 2011

Flash Flood Warning 18, NWS Tucson, AZ

July 23, 2011Pima County, Arizona

NWS Tucson, AZ issued this flash flood warning at Jul 23, 2011, 4:18 PM MST for Pima County, Arizona. It was in force for 117 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 23, 2011, 4:18 PM MST (23:18 UTC)
Expired
Jul 23, 2011, 6:15 PM MST
In force
117 min
Issued by
NWS Tucson, AZ
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

County Pima County, AZ

The radar

The Tucson radar (KEMX), 33 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:21 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

Tuscon, AZ (KTUS), launched 12:00Z, 11.3 hours before the alert went out and 15 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, Tuscon, AZ at 12:00Z on 2011-07-23Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 907 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Tuscon, AZ at 12:00Z on 2011-07-23The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -7 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
907 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-94 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1278 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
5 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-7 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
8 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.

883 
WGUS55 KTWC 232318
FFWTWC
AZC019-240115-
/O.NEW.KTWC.FF.W.0018.110723T2318Z-110724T0115Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
418 PM MST SAT JUL 23 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 615 PM MST

* AT 407 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED   
FLASH FLOODING FROM A THUNDERSTORM BETWEEN TUCSON INTERNATIONAL 
AIRPORT AND SAHUARITA. AUTOMATED GAUGE REPORTS INDICATE BETWEEN 1.00 
AND 1.50 INCHES OF RAINFALL IN PAST HOUR NEAR THE FRANCO WASH AND 
SWAN ROAD.

* THE STORM PRODUCING FLASH FLOODING WILL OTHERWISE REMAIN OVER
  MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF THE INDICATED COUNTY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF WASHES
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.

&&

LAT...LON 3213 11101 3210 11082 3190 11082 3193 11102

$$

SHOEMAKER
3 follow-up statements
767 
WGUS75 KTWC 232359
FFSTWC

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
459 PM MST SAT JUL 23 2011

AZC019-240115-
/O.CON.KTWC.FF.W.0018.000000T0000Z-110724T0115Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
PIMA AZ-
459 PM MST SAT JUL 23 2011

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 615 PM MST FOR EAST
CENTRAL PIMA COUNTY...

AT 449 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR AND GAUGE REPORTS 
INDICATE THAT FROM 1.00 TO 1.50 INCHES OF RAIN HAS OCCURED IN LESS 
THAN AN HOURS TIME IN AN AREA SOUTH OF TUCSON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT  
BETWEEN INTERSTATE 19 AND HOUGHTON ROAD. FLOODING OF WASHES AND LOW 
WATER CROSSINGS WILL OCCUR.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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.

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. FIND ALTERNATE ROUTES. IT TAKES ONLY A FEW INCHES OF
SWIFTLY FLOWING WATER TO CARRY VEHICLES AWAY.

&&

LAT...LON 3213 11101 3210 11082 3190 11082 3193 11102

$$

SHOEMAKER
163 
WGUS75 KTWC 240035
FFSTWC

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
535 PM MST SAT JUL 23 2011

AZC019-240115-
/O.CON.KTWC.FF.W.0018.000000T0000Z-110724T0115Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
PIMA AZ-
535 PM MST SAT JUL 23 2011

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 615 PM MST FOR EAST
CENTRAL PIMA COUNTY...

RAINFALL CONTINUED TO DIMINISH ACROSS THE WARNED AREA THIS EVENING. 
HOWEVER...EARLIER RAINFALL IN EXCESS OF 1 INCH WILL CONTINUE TO 
CAUSE RUNOFF PROBLEMS IN TERMS OF FLOODED WASHES AND SMALL STREAMS 
AS WELL AS PONDING ON ROADWAYS.

THE WARNING WILL LIKELY BE ALLOWED TO EXPIRE ON TIME AT 615 PM MST. 

LAT...LON 3213 11101 3210 11082 3190 11082 3193 11102

$$
237 
WGUS75 KTWC 240112
FFSTWC

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
612 PM MST SAT JUL 23 2011

AZC019-240121-
/O.EXP.KTWC.FF.W.0018.000000T0000Z-110724T0115Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
PIMA AZ-
612 PM MST SAT JUL 23 2011

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 615 PM MST FOR EAST CENTRAL
PIMA COUNTY...

RADAR SHOWED A FEW SHOWERS THAT MAY PASS THROUGH THE AREA YET THIS 
EVENING. HOWEVER...THE HEAVY RAINFALL HAD ENDED AND THE WARNING WILL 
EXPIRE ON TIME AT 615 PM MST. 

LAT...LON 3213 11101 3210 11082 3190 11082 3193 11102

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 22, 6:42 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCPima33 min
Jul 23, 2:52 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCPima, Santa Cruz3 hr
Jul 23, 3:45 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCCochise30 min
Jul 23, 3:50 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCPima40 min
Jul 23, 4:00 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCCochise45 min
Jul 23, 4:23 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCPima, Pinal37 min
Jul 23, 4:32 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCCochise118 min
Jul 23, 4:38 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCCochise37 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Arizona, 2011Every flash flood warning 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.