Alert archive / Arizona / Flash Flood Warnings in 2011

Flash Flood Warning 51, NWS Tucson, AZ

August 20, 2011Cochise County, Arizona

NWS Tucson, AZ issued this flash flood warning at Aug 20, 2011, 12:00 PM MST for Cochise County, Arizona. It was in force for 90 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Aug 20, 2011, 12:00 PM MST (19:00 UTC)
Expired
Aug 20, 2011, 1:30 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), 57 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:01 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.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Aug 20, 12:30 PM MSTFLASH FLOOD3 Se Ramsey Canyon Pres, AZFLASH FLOOD IN MILLER CANYON. TIME ESTIMATED BASED ON RADAR.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The nearest sounding before it

Tuscon, AZ (KTUS), launched 12:00Z, 7.0 hours before the alert went out and 96 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 2011-08-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 233 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 2011-08-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 9 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
233 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-69 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1510 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
11 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
9 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
11 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.

567 
WGUS55 KTWC 201900
FFWTWC
AZC003-202030-
/O.NEW.KTWC.FF.W.0051.110820T1900Z-110820T2030Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
1200 PM MST SAT AUG 20 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 130 PM MST

* AT 1152 AM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED  
  A THUNDERSTORM WITH HEAVY RAINFALL OVER THE MONUMENT BURN AREA.    
  THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL WAS NEAR RAMSEY CANYON. A RAIN GAUGE AT ASH  
  CANYON REPORTED .67 OF AN INCH WITH ONE AT CARR CANYON REPORTING   
  .55 OF INCH IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. 

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO RAMSEY 
  CANYON PRESERVE...CARR CANYON...AND ASH CANYON.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF WASHES
AND STREAMS...COUNTRY ROADS...AS WELL AS FARMLAND ALONG THE BANKS OF
CREEKS AND STREAMS.

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 3148 11041 3153 11034 3140 11020 3135 11031

$$
2 follow-up statements
130 
WGUS75 KTWC 201925
FFSTWC

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
1225 PM MST SAT AUG 20 2011

AZC003-202030-
/O.CON.KTWC.FF.W.0051.000000T0000Z-110820T2030Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
COCHISE AZ-
1225 PM MST SAT AUG 20 2011

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 130 PM MST FOR 
SOUTHWESTERN COCHISE COUNTY...FOR THE MONUMENT BURN AREA...

AT 1215 PM MST...RADAR INDICATED MODERATE RAINFALL ACROSS THE 
MONUMENT FIRE BURN AREA. AN AUTOMATED RAIN GAUGE AT MILLER/CARR 
CANYON REPORTED .83 OF INCH IN THE PAST HOUR. THIS AMOUNT OF 
RAINFALL WILL LIKELY RESULT IN FLASH FLOODING.  

LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO RAMSEY CANYON
PRESERVE AND MILLER/CARR CANYON...WITH ELEVATED FLOWS IN ASH CANYON 
WHERE RAINFALL HAD ALREADY ENDED. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF SMALL
CREEKS AND STREAMS...COUNTRY ROADS...AS WELL AS FARMLAND ALONG THE
BANKS OF CREEKS AND STREAMS.

&&

LAT...LON 3148 11041 3153 11034 3140 11020 3135 11031

$$
067 
WGUS75 KTWC 202028
FFSTWC

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
128 PM MST SAT AUG 20 2011

AZC003-202037-
/O.EXP.KTWC.FF.W.0051.000000T0000Z-110820T2030Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
COCHISE AZ-
128 PM MST SAT AUG 20 2011

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 130 PM MST FOR SOUTHWESTERN
COCHISE COUNTY...

RAIN HAD ENDED ACROSS THE BURN AREA. THUS...THE WARNING WILL EXPIRE 
AT 130 PM MST. 

LAT...LON 3148 11041 3153 11034 3140 11020 3135 11031

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 19, 5:18 PM MSTSpecial Weather StatementTWCSanta Cruz27 min
Aug 19, 5:57 PM MSTSpecial Weather StatementTWCSanta Cruz33 min
Aug 19, 6:26 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCPima94 min
Aug 19, 7:58 PM MSTSpecial Weather StatementTWCCochise32 min
Aug 20, 2:59 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCSanta Cruz2 hr
Aug 20, 3:30 PM MSTSpecial Weather StatementTWCSanta Cruz30 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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.