Alert archive / Arizona / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012

Flash Flood Warning 78, NWS Phoenix, AZ

October 11, 2012Maricopa County, Arizona

NWS Phoenix, AZ issued this flash flood warning at Oct 11, 2012, 6:35 PM MST for Maricopa County, Arizona. It was in force for 3 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued: Oct 11, 2012, 6:35 PM MST (01:35 UTC)
Expired: Oct 11, 2012, 9:30 PM MST
In force: 3 hr
Issued by: NWS Phoenix, AZ
Area: Storm-based polygon
Flood severity: None

County Maricopa County, AZ

The radar

The Flagstaff radar (KFSX), 73 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:35 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

Flgstf/Belemont, AZ (KFGZ), launched 00:00Z, 1.6 hours before the alert went out and 145 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: 29 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -9 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1607 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 51 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 141 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 371 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

864 
WGUS55 KPSR 120135
FFWPSR
AZC013-120430-
/O.NEW.KPSR.FF.W.0078.121012T0135Z-121012T0430Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
635 PM MST THU OCT 11 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PHOENIX HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  EXTREME NORTHEASTERN MARICOPA COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL ARIZONA...
  THIS INCLUDES SYCAMORE CREEK...SUNFLOWER...

* UNTIL 930 PM MST

* AT 627 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS DETECTED
  HEAVY RAIN OVER THE SUNFLOWER BURN AREA. THE RAIN WILL PRODUCE
  SIGNIFICANT FLOW IN CREEKS AND WASHES ACCOMPANIED BY MUD...ROCKS...
  AND DEBRIS.

* FLASH FLOODING OF THE SYCAMORE CREEK DRAINAGE IS IMMINENT AND 
  WILL IMPACT THE COMMUNITY OF SUNFLOWER...AS WELL AS LOW WATER 
  CROSSINGS OF FOREST ROADS AND TRAILS. 

* THE STORM PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN THAT WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING
  WILL OTHERWISE REMAIN OVER MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF THE INDICATED
  AT LEAST ONE MORE FOLLOW UP STORM WILL ADD TO THE RAINFALL BEFORE 
  8 PM. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IF YOU ARE IN THE IMMEDIATE VICINITY OF SYCAMORE CREEK OR OTHER 
NEARBY DRAINAGE AREAS MOVE AWAY FROM THEM. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE 
THROUGH FLOWING WATER. TURN AROUND DONT DROWN.

THE HEAVY RAINS WILL TRIGGER MUD AND DEBRIS FLOWS...AND ROCKSLIDES 
IN STEEP TERRAIN...ESPECIALLY NEAR THE BURN AREA.

TO REPORT FLOODING...HAVE THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY RELAY
YOUR REPORT.

&&

LAT...LON 3400 11145 3399 11145 3395 11146 3386 11146
      3390 11153 3400 11153

$$

AJ

2 follow-up statements

252 
WGUS75 KPSR 120325
FFSPSR

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
825 PM MST THU OCT 11 2012

AZC013-120430-
/O.CON.KPSR.FF.W.0078.000000T0000Z-121012T0430Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
MARICOPA AZ-
825 PM MST THU OCT 11 2012

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 930 PM MST FOR
EXTREME NORTHEASTERN MARICOPA COUNTY...

AT 819 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS DETECTED 
REPEAT SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN OVER THE 
SUNFLOWER BURN AREA. THIS WILL ADD TO THE RUNOFF AND CONTINUE THE 
FLASH FLOODING.


PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IF YOU ARE IN THE IMMEDIATE VICINITY OF SYCAMORE CREEK OR OTHER 
NEARBY DRAINAGE AREAS MOVE AWAY FROM THEM. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE 
THROUGH FLOWING WATER. TURN AROUND DONT DROWN.

THE HEAVY RAINS WILL TRIGGER MUD AND DEBRIS FLOWS...AND ROCKSLIDES 
IN STEEP TERRAIN...ESPECIALLY IN THE MOST HEAVILY BURNED AREAS.

TO REPORT FLOODING...HAVE THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY RELAY
YOUR REPORT.


&&

LAT...LON 3400 11145 3399 11145 3395 11146 3386 11146
      3390 11153 3400 11153

$$

AJ

232 
WGUS75 KPSR 120432
FFSPSR

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
932 PM MST THU OCT 11 2012

AZC013-120442-
/O.EXP.KPSR.FF.W.0078.000000T0000Z-121012T0430Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
MARICOPA AZ-
932 PM MST THU OCT 11 2012

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING HAS EXPIRED FOR EXTREME NORTHEASTERN
MARICOPA COUNTY...

RAINFALL OVER THE SUNFLOWER BURN AREA HAS DIMINISHED SIGNIFICANTLY 
AND RUNOFF IS NO LONGER EXPECTED TO CREATE A DANGEROUS SITUATION 
ALONG SYCAMORE CREEK AND ASSOCIATED TRIBUTARIES. 


LAT...LON 3400 11145 3399 11145 3395 11146 3386 11146
      3390 11153 3400 11153

$$

AJ

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Oct 11, 6:11 PM MST	Areal Flood Advisory	PSR	Maricopa	109 min
Oct 11, 7:50 PM MST	Special Weather Statement	PSR		40 min
Oct 11, 7:57 PM MST	Special Weather Statement	PSR		33 min
Oct 11, 9:59 PM MST	Areal Flood Advisory	PSR	Gila, Maricopa, Pinal	106 min
Oct 11, 11:29 PM MST	Special Weather Statement	PSR	Gila	46 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.