Alert archive / New Mexico / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012

Flash Flood Warning 23, NWS Albuquerque, NM

August 5, 2012Cibola County, McKinley County, New Mexico

NWS Albuquerque, NM issued this flash flood warning at Aug 5, 2012, 1:53 PM MST for Cibola County, McKinley County, New Mexico. It was in force for 2 hr. 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 5, 2012, 1:53 PM MST (20:53 UTC)
Expired: Aug 5, 2012, 4:00 PM MST
In force: 2 hr
Issued by: NWS Albuquerque, NM
Area: Storm-based polygon
Flood severity: None

Counties Cibola County, NM, McKinley County, NM

The radar

The Albuquerque radar (KABX), 135 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:56 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

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Aug 5, 2:15 PM MST	FLASH FLOOD	Thoreau, NM	FLOODING REPORTED INTO THOREAU BAPTIST CHURCH...GIANT GAS STATION...THOREAU CHAPTER HOUSE...AND MULTIPLE OTHER BUSINESSES. SEVERAL BRIDGES ALSO WASHED OVER WITH DEBRIS.

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

The nearest sounding before it

Albuquerq/Krtlnd, NM (KABQ), launched 12:00Z, 8.9 hours before the alert went out and 158 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 2 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -188 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1694 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 24 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 36 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 120 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.

995 
WGUS55 KABQ 052053
FFWABQ
NMC006-031-052300-
/O.NEW.KABQ.FF.W.0023.120805T2053Z-120805T2300Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM
253 PM MDT SUN AUG 5 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ALBUQUERQUE HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  EXTREME NORTH CENTRAL CIBOLA COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL NEW MEXICO     
  SOUTH CENTRAL MCKINLEY COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL NEW MEXICO

* UNTIL 500 PM MDT

* AT 251 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  VERY HEAVY RAIN FROM A THUNDERSTORM NEAR THOREAU. THE STORM
  PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN WAS NEARLY STATIONARY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

BOTH LOCALIZED AND DISTANT HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CREATE SUDDEN AND
DANGEROUS FLOWS IN ARROYOS AND OVER LOW WATER CROSSINGS.

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

&&

LAT...LON 3560 10843 3553 10799 3521 10801 3528 10849

$$

43

1 follow-up statement

940 
WGUS75 KABQ 052227
FFSABQ

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBUQUERQUE NM
427 PM MDT SUN AUG 5 2012

NMC006-031-052300-
/O.CON.KABQ.FF.W.0023.000000T0000Z-120805T2300Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
CIBOLA-MCKINLEY-
427 PM MDT SUN AUG 5 2012

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 500 PM MDT FOR CENTRAL
MCKINLEY AND EXTREME NORTH CENTRAL CIBOLA COUNTIES...

AT 418 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED 
THAT THE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN EARLIER NEAR 
THOREAU HAVE WEAKENED...BUT RADAR REPORTS INDICATED THAT 3 INCHES OR 
MORE OF RAIN FELL NEAR THOREAU BETWEEN 230 PM AND 415 PM SO HIGH 
OR OVERBANK FLOWS ARE STILL LIKELY WITHIN A 15 OR 20 MILE RADIUS OF 
THOREAU.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  COOLIDGE AND THOREAU...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

BOTH LOCALIZED AND DISTANT HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CREATE DANGEROUS FLOWS
IN ARROYOS AND OVER LOW WATER CROSSINGS.

DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DRIVE THROUGH FLOODED LOW WATER CROSSINGS. MANY
FLASH FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES.

&&

LAT...LON 3560 10843 3553 10799 3521 10801 3528 10849

$$

43

The office that day

Everything else NWS Albuquerque, NM issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Aug 4, 5:30 PM MST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ABQ	De Baca, Guadalupe, Quay	45 min
Aug 4, 6:14 PM MST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ABQ	Curry, Quay, Roosevelt	46 min
Aug 4, 6:25 PM MST	Areal Flood Advisory	ABQ	Cibola	2 hr
Aug 4, 7:00 PM MST	Special Weather Statement	ABQ	Curry	30 min
Aug 4, 7:32 PM MST	Special Weather Statement	ABQ	Curry	28 min
Aug 4, 10:27 PM MST	Areal Flood Advisory	ABQ	Socorro	108 min
Aug 5, 1:13 PM MST	Areal Flood Advisory	ABQ	Cibola, McKinley	2 hr
Aug 5, 3:37 PM MST	Areal Flood Advisory	ABQ	Catron	113 min
Aug 5, 3:57 PM MST	Areal Flood Advisory	ABQ	Cibola	2 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in New Mexico, 2012 Every flash flood warning in 2012

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.