Alert archive / Arizona / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 3, NWS Flagstaff, AZ

July 16, 2012Coconino County, Arizona

NWS Flagstaff, AZ issued this tornado warning at Jul 16, 2012, 3:49 PM MST for Coconino County, Arizona. It was in force for 26 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
Jul 16, 2012, 3:49 PM MST (22:49 UTC)
Expired
Jul 16, 2012, 4:15 PM MST
In force
26 min
Issued by
NWS Flagstaff, AZ
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Coconino County, AZ

The radar

The Flagstaff radar (KFSX), 145 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:51 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
Jul 16, 4:10 PM MSTHAIL 1.75Cameron, AZAT CAMERON TRADING POST

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

The nearest sounding before it

Flgstf/Belemont, AZ (KFGZ), launched 12:00Z, 10.8 hours before the alert went out and 80 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, Flgstf/Belemont, AZ at 12:00Z on 2012-07-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 84 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Flgstf/Belemont, AZ at 12:00Z on 2012-07-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 73 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
84 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-67 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
956 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
73 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
128 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.

146 
WFUS55 KFGZ 162249
TORFGZ
AZC005-162315-
/O.NEW.KFGZ.TO.W.0003.120716T2249Z-120716T2315Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ
349 PM MST MON JUL 16 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN FLAGSTAFF HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL COCONINO COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL ARIZONA...

* UNTIL 415 PM MST OR 515 MDT

* AT 346 PM MST...446 MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR 
  INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 
  NEAR CAMERON...OR 25 MILES SOUTHEAST OF DESERT VIEW AT GRAND 
  CANYON...MOVING EAST  AT 25 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  CAMERON AND MILEPOST 295 ON SR 64 BY 355 PM MST OR 455 MDT...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THIS TORNADO WARNING REPLACES THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
PREVIOUSLY IN EFFECT FOR THIS STORM.

WHEN A TORNADO WARNING IS ISSUED BASED ON DOPPLER RADAR...IT MEANS
THAT STRONG ROTATION HAS BEEN DETECTED IN THE STORM. A TORNADO MAY
ALREADY BE ON THE GROUND...OR IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP SHORTLY. IF YOU
ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS DANGEROUS STORM...MOVE INDOORS AND TO THE
LOWEST LEVEL OF THE BUILDING. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. IF DRIVING...DO
NOT SEEK SHELTER UNDER A HIGHWAY OVERPASS.

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

&&

LAT...LON 3597 11129 3578 11124 3577 11158 3586 11160
TIME...MOT...LOC 2248Z 253DEG 21KT 3581 11148

$$

DB

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 15, 5:01 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryFGZCoconino, Navajo119 min
Jul 15, 5:35 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryFGZGila, Navajo3 hr
Jul 15, 5:43 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZYavapai20 min
Jul 15, 5:58 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningFGZNavajo51 min
Jul 15, 6:07 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZCoconino, Yavapai23 min
Jul 15, 6:29 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZCoconino, Yavapai16 min
Jul 15, 9:46 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZCoconino, Gila14 min
Jul 15, 10:29 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryFGZCoconino90 min
Jul 15, 11:29 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryFGZCoconino, Gila, Yavapai2 hr
Jul 16, 12:30 AM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryFGZYavapai87 min
Jul 16, 12:51 AM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryFGZCoconino, Yavapai54 min
Jul 16, 11:52 AM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZCoconino23 min
Jul 16, 1:31 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZCoconino29 min
Jul 16, 1:39 PM MSTTornado WarningFGZCoconino36 min
Jul 16, 2:15 PM MSTTornado WarningFGZCoconino16 min
Jul 16, 3:40 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZCoconino35 min
Jul 16, 4:14 PM MSTTornado WarningFGZCoconino31 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Arizona, 2012Every tornado warning in 2012Tornadoes 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.