Alert archive / Arizona / Flash Flood Warnings in 2011

Flash Flood Warning 35, NWS Tucson, AZ

August 7, 2011Pima County, Arizona

NWS Tucson, AZ issued this flash flood warning at Aug 7, 2011, 3:18 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
Aug 7, 2011, 3:18 PM MST (22:18 UTC)
Expired
Aug 7, 2011, 5:15 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), 53 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:20 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, 10.3 hours before the alert went out and 25 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 2011-08-07Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 897 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 2011-08-07The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -20 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
897 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-96 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1635 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
5 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-20 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
42 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.

784 
WGUS55 KTWC 072218
FFWTWC
AZC019-080015-
/O.NEW.KTWC.FF.W.0035.110807T2218Z-110808T0015Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
318 PM MST SUN AUG 7 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  NORTHEASTERN PIMA COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL ARIZONA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF...TUCSON...ORO VALLEY...

* UNTIL 515 PM MST

* AT 312 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  AN AREA OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS GENERATING VERY HEAVY
  RAINFALL FROM NEAR ORO VALLEY THROUGH THE FOOTHILLS AND
  NORTHEAST TUCSON. LITTLE MOVEMENT WAS NOTED...BUT STORMS WERE
  SPREADING DEEPER INTO THE CITY FROM THE NORTH AND SOUTH.

* OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
  SABINO CANYON...DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE AND SAGUARO NATIONAL
  PARK EAST.

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.

&&

LAT...LON 3250 11070 3232 11057 3216 11048 3217 11111
      3251 11103

$$

MEYER
2 follow-up statements
420 
WGUS75 KTWC 072253
FFSTWC

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
353 PM MST SUN AUG 7 2011

AZC019-080015-
/O.CON.KTWC.FF.W.0035.000000T0000Z-110808T0015Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
PIMA AZ-
353 PM MST SUN AUG 7 2011

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 515 PM MST FOR
NORTHEASTERN PIMA COUNTY...

AT 342 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO 
INDICATE MULTIPLE STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING VERY 
HEAVY RAIN. THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE NOTED FROM NEAR SABINO CANYON
DAM ACROSS NORTHEAST TUCSON TO SAGUARO NATIONAL PARK EAST. ANOTHER 
STORM WAS REDEVELOPING JUST WEST OF ORO VALLEY. EARLIER RAINFALL
AMOUNTS INCLUDED 1.26 INCHES NEAR ORO VALLEY AND 1.30 INCHES OVER
NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE RINCON MOUNTAINS...WITH WIDESPREAD 3/4 TO 1 
INCH BETWEEN ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTHERN TUCSON AND THE CATALINA
FOOTHILLS.

LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO TUCSON AND
ORO VALLEY

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.

&&

LAT...LON 3250 11070 3232 11057 3216 11048 3217 11111
      3251 11103

$$

MEYER
911 
WGUS75 KTWC 080016
FFSTWC

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
516 PM MST SUN AUG 7 2011

AZC019-080024-
/O.EXP.KTWC.FF.W.0035.000000T0000Z-110808T0015Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
PIMA AZ-
516 PM MST SUN AUG 7 2011

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 515 PM MST FOR NORTHEASTERN
PIMA COUNTY...

AMPLE TIME HAS PASSED AND THE HEAVY RAINFALL RUNOFF FROM THE STRONG 
STORMS OVER NORTHEAST PIMA COUNTY HAS HAD TIME TO DRAIN INTO 
NORMALLY DRY WASHES. THEREFORE...THE THREAT OF FLASH FLOODING HAS 
SUBSIDED.  LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN STILL CONTINUES TO FALL ACROSS 
NORTHEAST PIMA COUNTY.

LAT...LON 3250 11070 3232 11057 3216 11048 3217 11111
      3251 11103

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 6, 5:27 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCPima78 min
Aug 7, 12:13 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCCochise, Santa Cruz47 min
Aug 7, 1:06 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCCochise, Santa Cruz105 min
Aug 7, 2:00 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCPima90 min
Aug 7, 2:31 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCPima, Santa Cruz44 min
Aug 7, 3:03 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCPima, Pinal105 min
Aug 7, 3:14 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCPima46 min
Aug 7, 4:46 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCPima, Pinal104 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.