Alert archive / Arizona / Flash Flood Warnings in 2011

Flash Flood Warning 46, NWS Tucson, AZ

August 17, 2011Cochise County, Arizona

NWS Tucson, AZ issued this flash flood warning at Aug 17, 2011, 4:30 PM MST for Cochise County, Arizona. It was in force for 90 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 17, 2011, 4:30 PM MST (23:30 UTC)
Expired
Aug 17, 2011, 6:00 PM MST
In force
90 min
Issued by
NWS Tucson, AZ
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

County Cochise County, AZ

The radar

The Tucson radar (KEMX), 60 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:31 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, 11.5 hours before the alert went out and 99 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 2011-08-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 901 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 2011-08-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 17 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
901 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-67 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1550 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
10 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
17 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
43 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.

388 
WGUS55 KTWC 172330
FFWTWC
AZC003-180100-
/O.NEW.KTWC.FF.W.0046.110817T2330Z-110818T0100Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
430 PM MST WED AUG 17 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHWESTERN COCHISE COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST ARIZONA...

* UNTIL 600 PM MST

* AT 425 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  A CLUSTER OF THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAINFALL OVER 
  SOUTHWEST COCHISE COUNTY...FROM THE CHARLESTON AREA TO EASTERN
  AREAS OF SIERRA VISTA TO NEAR THE JUNCTIONS OF STATE HIGHWAY 80
  AND STATE HIGHWAY 90.  

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO CHARLESTON

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF SMALL
CREEKS AND STREAMS...HIGHWAYS AND UNDERPASSES. ADDITIONALLY...COUNTRY
ROADS AND FARMLANDS ALONG THE BANKS OF CREEKS...STREAMS AND OTHER LOW
LYING AREAS ARE SUBJECT TO FLOODING.

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 3152 11025 3166 11026 3168 11016 3169 11004
      3154 10992 3146 10996 3145 11016

$$
ZELL
2 follow-up statements
948 
WGUS75 KTWC 172359
FFSTWC

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
459 PM MST WED AUG 17 2011

AZC003-180100-
/O.CON.KTWC.FF.W.0046.000000T0000Z-110818T0100Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
COCHISE AZ-
459 PM MST WED AUG 17 2011

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 600 PM MST FOR
SOUTHWESTERN COCHISE COUNTY...

AT 555 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO 
INDICATE A THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAINFALL IN SOUTHWEST 
COCHISE COUNTY...EAST OF SIERRA VISTA AND SOUTH OF CHARLESTON. RADAR 
RAINFALL ESTIMATES FROM THIS LOCATION INDICATED THAT BETWEEN TWO AND 
THREE INCHES OF RAINFALL HAS FALLEN. SHERIFF DISPATCH INDICATED 
THAT WATER WAS FLOWING OVER STATE HIGHWAY 90 IN THE WARNING AREA.

LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO CHARLESTON

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF SMALL
CREEKS AND STREAMS...HIGHWAYS AND UNDERPASSES. ADDITIONALLY...COUNTRY
ROADS AND FARMLANDS ALONG THE BANKS OF CREEKS...STREAMS AND OTHER LOW
LYING AREAS ARE SUBJECT TO FLOODING.

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.

&&

LAT...LON 3152 11025 3166 11026 3168 11016 3169 11004
      3154 10992 3146 10996 3145 11016

$$
ZELL
693 
WGUS75 KTWC 180058
FFSTWC

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
558 PM MST WED AUG 17 2011

AZC003-180107-
/O.EXP.KTWC.FF.W.0046.000000T0000Z-110818T0100Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
COCHISE AZ-
558 PM MST WED AUG 17 2011

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 600 PM MST FOR SOUTHWESTERN
COCHISE COUNTY...

AT 555 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED THAT ONLY 
LIGHT SHOWERS REMAINED OVER THE WARNING AREA IN THE SOUTHWEST 
COCHISE COUNTY. THEREFORE...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN ALLOWED 
TO EXPIRE.   


LAT...LON 3152 11025 3166 11026 3168 11016 3169 11004
      3154 10992 3146 10996 3145 11016

$$
ZELL

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 17, 12:22 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCCochise83 min
Aug 17, 1:17 PM MSTSpecial Weather StatementTWC43 min
Aug 17, 2:29 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCCochise91 min
Aug 17, 2:44 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCSanta Cruz31 min
Aug 17, 3:25 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCPinal80 min
Aug 17, 3:44 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCCochise2 hr
Aug 17, 3:53 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCCochise37 min
Aug 17, 4:27 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCCochise33 min
Aug 17, 4:57 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCCochise33 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.