Alert archive / Arizona / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012

Flash Flood Warning 41, NWS Phoenix, AZ

August 19, 2012Gila County, Arizona

NWS Phoenix, AZ issued this flash flood warning at Aug 19, 2012, 4:52 PM MST for Gila County, Arizona. It was in force for 83 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 19, 2012, 4:52 PM MST (23:52 UTC)
Expired: Aug 19, 2012, 6:15 PM MST
In force: 83 min
Issued by: NWS Phoenix, AZ
Area: Storm-based polygon
Flood severity: None

County Gila County, AZ

The radar

The Phoenix radar (KIWA), 111 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:51 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

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Aug 19, 6:00 PM MST	FLASH FLOOD	6 W San Carlos, AZ	SAN CARLOS TRIBAL POLICE REPORTED MOTORIST VEHICLE STRANDED IN WASH ALONG INDIAN ROUTE 6 OLD SAN CARLOS RD.

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

The nearest sounding before it

Tuscon, AZ (KDMA), launched 12:00Z, 11.9 hours before the alert went out and 138 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: 669 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -75 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1202 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 12 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 42 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 4 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.

432 
WGUS55 KPSR 192352
FFWPSR
AZC007-200115-
/O.NEW.KPSR.FF.W.0041.120819T2352Z-120820T0115Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
452 PM MST SUN AUG 19 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PHOENIX HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  SOUTH CENTRAL GILA COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL ARIZONA...
  ALONG INDIAN HIGHWAY 6 BETWEEN CUTTER AND THE TOWN OF
   OF SAN CARLOS...PARTICULARLY ALONG THE GIBSON WASH.

* UNTIL 615 PM MST

* AT 442 PM MST...VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORM RAINS WERE OCCURRING ALONG
   SAN CARLOS INDIAN RESERVATION HIGHWAY 6...NEAR THE GIBSON WASH
   AND THE TOWN OF SAN CARLOS. HEAVY WASH FLOODING OR FLASH FLOOD
   IS LIKELY.


PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IF YOU ARE NEAR THE BANK OF A WASH OR CREEK IN THE WARNING AREA...
MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IMMEDIATELY.

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT PEOPLE ALONG THE BANKS OF WASHES AND
CREEKS SHOULD MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IMMEDIATELY. NORMALLY DRY WASHES
AND STREAMS WILL SUDDENLY HAVE RUNNING WATER AND MAKE UNBRIDGED
CROSSINGS IMPASSABLE. STREETS...UNDERPASSES...AND LOW SPOTS WILL
BECOME INUNDATED MAKING DRIVING HAZARDOUS IN THE WARNED AREA.

&&

LAT...LON 3337 11043 3336 11043 3335 11044 3330 11044
      3323 11060 3340 11069 3347 11042 3338 11041

$$

HV

2 follow-up statements

254 
WGUS75 KPSR 200050
FFSPSR

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
550 PM MST SUN AUG 19 2012

AZC007-200115-
/O.CON.KPSR.FF.W.0041.000000T0000Z-120820T0115Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
GILA AZ-
550 PM MST SUN AUG 19 2012

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 615 PM MST FOR SOUTH
CENTRAL GILA COUNTY...

THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING POSTED FOR PORTIONS OF THE SAN CARLOS INDIAN 
RESERVATION...SPECIFICALLY ALONG INDIAN HIGHWAY 6 BETWEEN APACHE 
GOLD CASINO AND THE TOWN OF SAN CARLOS REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 615 
PM.

VERY HEAVY RAIN FELL IN THE AREA. AT 540 PM TRIBAL POLICE REPORTED 
FLOODING ALONG THE GILSON WASH AND NEARBY AREAS ON HIGHWAY 6.  NO 
SPECIFIC REPORTS HAVE BEEN RECEIVED UNTIL TRIBAL POLICE CHECK OUT 
THE FLOODING REPORTS.

ALTHOUGH RAINFALL HAS ENDED IN THE AREA...IT MAY TAKE UP TO AN HOUR 
BEFORE FLOODED WASHES RECEDE. THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING IS THEREFORE 
IN EFFECT UNTIL 615 PM.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IF YOU ARE NEAR THE BANK OF A WASH OR CREEK IN THE WARNING AREA...
MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IMMEDIATELY.

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT PEOPLE ALONG THE BANKS OF WASHES AND
CREEKS SHOULD MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IMMEDIATELY. NORMALLY DRY WASHES
AND STREAMS WILL SUDDENLY HAVE RUNNING WATER AND MAKE UNBRIDGED
CROSSINGS IMPASSABLE. STREETS...UNDERPASSES...AND LOW SPOTS WILL
BECOME INUNDATED MAKING DRIVING HAZARDOUS IN THE WARNED AREA.

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF NORMALLY
DRY WASHES AND CREEKS...ROADS...AND LOW LYING SPOTS. UNBRIDGED
CROSSINGS WILL BE ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS.

&&

LAT...LON 3337 11043 3336 11043 3335 11044 3330 11044
      3323 11060 3340 11069 3347 11042 3338 11041

$$

HV

425 
WGUS75 KPSR 200115
FFSPSR

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
615 PM MST SUN AUG 19 2012

AZC007-200123-
/O.EXP.KPSR.FF.W.0041.000000T0000Z-120820T0115Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
GILA AZ-
615 PM MST SUN AUG 19 2012

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 615 PM MST FOR SOUTH
CENTRAL GILA COUNTY...

THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING ISSUED EARLIER FOR THE GILSON WASH AND 
HIGHWAY 6 BETWEEN THE APACHE GOLD CASINO AND THE TOWN OF SAN CARLOS 
WILL EXPIRE AT 615 PM.  THERE WERE REPORTS OF FLOODING WITH AT LEAST 
ONE MOTORIST STRANDED IN FLOOD WATERS.  RAIN HAS ENDED IN THE AREA.

LAT...LON 3337 11043 3336 11043 3335 11044 3330 11044
      3323 11060 3340 11069 3347 11042 3338 11041

$$

HV

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Aug 18, 5:09 PM MST	Flash Flood Warning	PSR	Maricopa	81 min
Aug 18, 6:42 PM MST	Areal Flood Advisory	PSR	Maricopa	68 min
Aug 18, 6:49 PM MST	Flash Flood Warning	PSR	Maricopa	56 min
Aug 18, 7:14 PM MST	Special Weather Statement	PSR		76 min
Aug 19, 1:41 PM MST	Areal Flood Advisory	PSR	Gila, Maricopa, Pinal	2 hr
Aug 19, 4:38 PM MST	Areal Flood Advisory	PSR	Gila	112 min
Aug 19, 4:50 PM MST	Special Weather Statement	PSR	Gila	70 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Arizona, 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.