Alert archive / California / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012

Flash Flood Warning 73, NWS Phoenix, AZ

September 9, 2012Imperial County, California

NWS Phoenix, AZ issued this flash flood warning at Sep 9, 2012, 8:10 PM PDT for Imperial County, California. It was in force for 3 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: Sep 9, 2012, 8:10 PM PDT (03:10 UTC)
Expired: Sep 9, 2012, 11:15 PM PDT
In force: 3 hr
Issued by: NWS Phoenix, AZ
Area: Storm-based polygon
Flood severity: None

County Imperial County, CA

The radar

The Yuma radar (KYUX), 103 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:13 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
Sep 9, 8:45 PM PDT	FLASH FLOOD	3 E Brawley, CA	HIGHWAY 78 CLOSED EAST OF BRAWLEY.

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

The nearest sounding before it

San Diego, CA (KNKX), launched 00:00Z, 3.2 hours before the alert went out and 165 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: 137 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -379 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1160 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 28 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 67 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 107 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.

546 
WGUS55 KPSR 100310
FFWPSR
CAC025-100615-
/O.NEW.KPSR.FF.W.0073.120910T0310Z-120910T0615Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
810 PM PDT SUN SEP 9 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PHOENIX HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL IMPERIAL COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA...
  THIS INCLUDES BRAWLEY...

* UNTIL 1115 PM PDT

* AT 804 PM PDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS DETECTED
  VERY HEAVY RAIN THAT WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING. OVER 1.5 INCHES 
  OF RAIN HAS FALLEN NEAR AND EAST OF WEIST SINCE 700 PM...WITH AN
  ADDITIONAL 3/4 INCH POSSIBLE.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
  CALIPATRIA...AND HIGHWAYS 78 AND 115 EAST OF BRAWLEY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

MOST FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN MOTORIZED VEHICLES. WHEN ENCOUNTERING
FLOODED ROADS...MAKE THE SMART CHOICE...TURN AROUND...DONT DROWN.

&&

LAT...LON 3322 11579 3319 11537 3322 11504 3293 11503
      3294 11584

$$

WOODALL

3 follow-up statements

233 
WGUS75 KPSR 100410
FFSPSR

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
910 PM PDT SUN SEP 9 2012

CAC025-100615-
/O.CON.KPSR.FF.W.0073.000000T0000Z-120910T0615Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
IMPERIAL CA-
910 PM PDT SUN SEP 9 2012

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1115 PM PDT FOR
CENTRAL IMPERIAL COUNTY...

AT 905 PM PDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS DETECTED 
LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN FROM WEST OF GLAMIS...TO CALIPATRIA AND 
BRAWLEY...AND WEST TO NEAR SALTON CITY.

ALTHOUGH THE HEAVY RAIN THAT PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS 
DIMINISHED...RUNOFF AND THE THREAT OF FLOODING WILL CONTINUE INTO 
THE LATE EVENING.

LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO 
WESTMORLAND...WIEST...HIGHWAY 111 NORTH OF BRAWLEY...AND HIGHWAYS 78 
AND 115 NORTHEAST OF BRAWLEY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

MOST FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN MOTORIZED VEHICLES. WHEN ENCOUNTERING
FLOODED ROADS...MAKE THE SMART CHOICE...TURN AROUND...DONT DROWN.

&&

LAT...LON 3322 11579 3319 11537 3322 11504 3293 11503
      3294 11584

$$

WOODALL

580 
WGUS75 KPSR 100519
FFSPSR

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
1019 PM PDT SUN SEP 9 2012

CAC025-100615-
/O.CON.KPSR.FF.W.0073.000000T0000Z-120910T0615Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
IMPERIAL CA-
1019 PM PDT SUN SEP 9 2012

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1115 PM PDT FOR
CENTRAL IMPERIAL COUNTY...

AT 1018 PM PDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS DETECTED 
LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN CONTINUING WEST OF BRAWLEY.

ALTHOUGH THE EARLIER HEAVY RAIN HAD DISSIPATED...RUNOFF FROM THE 
RAIN WILL CONTINUE TO AFFECT AREAS NEAR AND EAST OF BRAWLEY. THE 
IMPERIAL COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE REPORTED THAT HIGHWAY 78 EAST OF 
BRAWLEY WAS CLOSED DUE TO FLOODING.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

MOST FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN MOTORIZED VEHICLES. WHEN ENCOUNTERING
FLOODED ROADS...MAKE THE SMART CHOICE...TURN AROUND...DONT DROWN.

&&

LAT...LON 3322 11579 3319 11537 3322 11504 3293 11503
      3294 11584

$$

WOODALL

774 
WGUS75 KPSR 100614
FFSPSR

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
1114 PM PDT SUN SEP 9 2012

CAC025-100623-
/O.EXP.KPSR.FF.W.0073.000000T0000Z-120910T0615Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
IMPERIAL CA-
1114 PM PDT SUN SEP 9 2012

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 1115 PM PDT FOR CENTRAL
IMPERIAL COUNTY...

HEAVY RAINFALL HAS ENDED ACROSS SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA. WHILE SOME 
NORMALLY DRY WASHES WILL CONTINUE TO RUN INTO THE EARLY MORNING 
HOURS...THE THREAT FOR WIDESPREAD FLASH FLOODING HAS ENDED. USE 
CAUTION IF TRAVELING OVERNIGHT AND DO NOT CROSS ANY ROADS THAT ARE 
UNDER WATER. 

LAT...LON 3322 11579 3319 11537 3322 11504 3293 11503
      3294 11584

$$

LEINS

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Sep 9, 5:15 PM PDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PSR	Imperial	60 min
Sep 9, 5:59 PM PDT	Dust Storm Warning	PSR		2 hr
Sep 9, 6:16 PM PDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PSR	Imperial	59 min
Sep 9, 6:54 PM PDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PSR	San Bernardino	38 min
Sep 9, 7:15 PM PDT	Special Weather Statement	PSR	Imperial	60 min
Sep 9, 7:29 PM PDT	Areal Flood Advisory	PSR	Imperial	2 hr
Sep 9, 8:16 PM PDT	Special Weather Statement	PSR	Imperial	44 min
Sep 10, 2:11 PM PDT	Special Weather Statement	PSR	Riverside	49 min
Sep 10, 2:42 PM PDT	Areal Flood Advisory	PSR	Riverside	2 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in California, 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.