Alert archive / Arizona / Flash Flood Warnings in 2011

Flash Flood Warning 72, NWS Tucson, AZ

September 15, 2011Pima County, Arizona

NWS Tucson, AZ issued this flash flood warning at Sep 15, 2011, 3:25 PM MST for Pima County, Arizona. It was in force for 110 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
Sep 15, 2011, 3:25 PM MST (22:25 UTC)
Expired
Sep 15, 2011, 5:15 PM MST
In force
110 min
Issued by
NWS Tucson, AZ
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

County Pima County, AZ

The radar

The Tucson radar (KEMX), 51 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:28 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, 10.4 hours before the alert went out and 16 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 2011-09-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 927 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 2011-09-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 33 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
927 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-87 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1450 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
29 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
33 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
112 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.1
Supercell composite
0.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

096 
WGUS55 KTWC 152225
FFWTWC
AZC019-160015-
/O.NEW.KTWC.FF.W.0072.110915T2225Z-110916T0015Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
325 PM MST THU SEP 15 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  EASTERN PIMA COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL ARIZONA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF TUCSON...

* UNTIL 515 PM MST

* AT 313 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED   
  TO INDICATE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING FLASH FLOODING OVER THE WARNED 
  AREA. HEAVY RAINFALL AND RUNOFF FROM EARLIER HEAVY RAINS WILL 
  CONTINUE OVER THE TUCSON METRO AREA. RAINFALL AMOUNTS FROM 1.00 TO 
  3.00 INCHES HAVE BEEN WIDESPREAD OVER THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE 
  TUCSON METRO AREA. THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL HAS OCCURRED BETWEEN      
  DAVIS MONTHAN AND SAHUARITA. THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO TRAIN  
  OVER THE AREA THROUGH THE REST OF THE AFTERNOON. THIS IS VERY      
  SERIOUS SITUATION WITH SIGNIFICANT FLASH FLOODING LIKELY. 
  
  A SIGNIFICANT RISE IN THE SANTA CRUZ RIVER WILL ALSO OCCUR OVER    
  THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS. 

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO TUCSON
  INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT...SOUTH TUCSON...SEVEN FALLS...SAGUARO
  NATIONAL PARK WEST...SAGUARO NATIONAL PARK EAST...SABINO CANYON...
  RYAN FIELD...RITA RANCH...DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE AND CATALINA
  FOOTHILLS.

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 3217 11141 3243 11093 3223 11045 3181 11117

$$

SHOEMAKER
1 follow-up statement
175 
WGUS75 KTWC 152304
FFSTWC

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
404 PM MST THU SEP 15 2011

AZC019-160015-
/O.CON.KTWC.FF.W.0072.000000T0000Z-110916T0015Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
PIMA AZ-
404 PM MST THU SEP 15 2011

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

  AT 354 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED   
  TO INDICATE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING FLASH FLOODING OVER THE WARNED 
  AREA. HEAVY RAINFALL AND RUNOFF FROM EARLIER HEAVY RAINS WILL 
  CONTINUE OVER THE TUCSON METRO AREA. RAINFALL AMOUNTS FROM 1.00 TO 
  3.00 INCHES HAVE BEEN WIDESPREAD OVER THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE 
  TUCSON METRO AREA. THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL HAS OCCURRED BETWEEN      
  DAVIS MONTHAN AND SAHUARITA. THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO TRAIN  
  OVER THE AREA THROUGH THE REST OF THE AFTERNOON. THIS IS VERY      
  SERIOUS SITUATION WITH SIGNIFICANT FLASH FLOODING LIKELY. 
  
  A SIGNIFICANT RISE IN THE SANTA CRUZ RIVER WILL ALSO OCCUR OVER    
  THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS. A STAGE OF 10 FEET WAS REPORTED ON THE     
  SANTA CRUZ RIVER AT CONGRESS AT 350 PM. THIS WATER WILL CONTINUE   
  MOVING NORTHWARD DURING NEXT FEW HOURS.

LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO TUCSON

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.

DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF FLOOD WATERS. ONLY A FEW INCHES OF
RAPIDLY FLOWING WATER CAN QUICKLY CARRY AWAY YOUR VEHICLE.

&&

LAT...LON 3217 11141 3243 11093 3223 11045 3181 11117

$$

CS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 14, 5:46 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCPinal44 min
Sep 14, 6:23 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCPinal52 min
Sep 14, 7:14 PM MSTSpecial Weather StatementTWC31 min
Sep 15, 3:22 AM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCGraham27 min
Sep 15, 12:31 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCGraham, Pinal29 min
Sep 15, 1:08 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCCochise, Pima3 hr
Sep 15, 1:18 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCPima57 min
Sep 15, 1:33 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCPima117 min
Sep 15, 3:16 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCCochise44 min
Sep 15, 3:35 PM MSTSpecial Weather StatementTWCGreenlee40 min
Sep 15, 3:53 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCCochise, Graham, Greenlee37 min
Sep 15, 4:14 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCCochise, Graham, Greenlee2 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.