Alert archive / Arizona / Flash Flood Warnings in 2011

Flash Flood Warning 39, NWS Tucson, AZ

August 11, 2011Santa Cruz County, Arizona

NWS Tucson, AZ issued this flash flood warning at Aug 11, 2011, 2:18 PM MST for Santa Cruz 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 11, 2011, 2:18 PM MST (21:18 UTC)
Expired
Aug 11, 2011, 4:15 PM MST
In force
117 min
Issued by
NWS Tucson, AZ
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

County Santa Cruz County, AZ

The radar

The Tucson radar (KEMX), 50 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:20 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, 9.3 hours before the alert went out and 75 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 2011-08-11Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1039 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 2011-08-11The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -8 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
1039 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-48 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
920 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
2 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-8 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
32 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.

751 
WGUS55 KTWC 112118
FFWTWC
AZC023-112315-
/O.NEW.KTWC.FF.W.0039.110811T2118Z-110811T2315Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
218 PM MST THU AUG 11 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL SANTA CRUZ COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST ARIZONA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF NOGALES...

* UNTIL 415 PM MST

* AT 212 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  A THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN NEAR NOGALES...MOVING SOUTHWEST
  AT 5 MPH. 

WEATHER RADAR INDICATED BETWEEN 0.75 AND 1.5 INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN ALONG 
HIGHWAY 82 BETWEEN PATAGONIA AND THE NOGALES AIRPORT. THE COMBINATION OF THE 
SLOW MOVEMENT OF THESE STORMS AND ADDITIONAL HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO
THE SAME AREA WILL RESULT IN FLASH FLOODING.  

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS IMMINENT OR OCCURRING.
IF YOU ARE IN THE WARNING AREA MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IMMEDIATELY.
RESIDENTS LIVING ALONG STREAMS AND CREEKS SHOULD TAKE IMMEDIATE
PRECAUTIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS
SWIFTLY FLOWING WATERS OR WATERS OF UNKNOWN DEPTH BY FOOT OR BY
AUTOMOBILE.

&&

LAT...LON 3157 11101 3162 11073 3135 11061 3135 11093

$$
2 follow-up statements
089 
WGUS75 KTWC 112212
FFSTWC

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
312 PM MST THU AUG 11 2011

AZC023-112315-
/O.CON.KTWC.FF.W.0039.000000T0000Z-110811T2315Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
SANTA CRUZ AZ-
312 PM MST THU AUG 11 2011

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 415 PM MST FOR
CENTRAL SANTA CRUZ COUNTY...

AT 300 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO 
INDICATE A MODERATE RAINFALL ACROSS CENTRAL SANTA CRUZ COUNTY. RADAR 
ESTIMATED BETWEEN 1 AND 2 INCHES OF RAIN HAD FALLEN...ESPECIALLY 
ALONG HIGHWAY 82 BETWEEN PATAGONIA AND NOGALES. THE NOGALES AIRPORT 
REPORTED 1.71 INCHES OF RAIN FROM THIS STORM.

THE RAINFALL RUNOFF FROM HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE PAST HOUR WILL 
CONTINUE TO RAPIDLY AND SWIFTLY DRAIN INTO NORMALLY DRY WASHES... 
ROADWAY DIPS AND OTHER LOW LYING AREAS. 

LAT...LON 3157 11101 3162 11073 3135 11061 3135 11093

$$
283 
WGUS75 KTWC 112315
FFSTWC

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
415 PM MST THU AUG 11 2011

AZC023-112325-
/O.EXP.KTWC.FF.W.0039.000000T0000Z-110811T2315Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
SANTA CRUZ AZ-
415 PM MST THU AUG 11 2011

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING HAS EXPIRED FOR CENTRAL SANTA CRUZ
COUNTY...

LAT...LON 3157 11101 3162 11073 3135 11061 3135 11093

$$

CS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 11, 1:07 PM MSTSpecial Weather StatementTWCCochise23 min
Aug 11, 1:24 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCCochise, Santa Cruz81 min
Aug 11, 2:29 PM MSTSpecial Weather StatementTWCGreenlee31 min
Aug 11, 2:56 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCPima2 hr
Aug 11, 4:58 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCSanta Cruz3 hr

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.