Alert archive / Arizona / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012

Flash Flood Warning 12, NWS Tucson, AZ

July 15, 2012Pima County, Pinal County, Arizona

NWS Tucson, AZ issued this flash flood warning at Jul 15, 2012, 7:02 PM MST for Pima County, Pinal County, Arizona. It was in force for 118 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Jul 15, 2012, 7:02 PM MST (02:02 UTC)
Expired
Jul 15, 2012, 9:00 PM MST
In force
118 min
Issued by
NWS Tucson, AZ
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

Counties Pima County, AZ, Pinal County, AZ

The radar

The Tucson radar (KEMX), 59 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:02 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

Tuscon, AZ (KTUS), launched 00:00Z, 2.0 hours before the alert went out and 23 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, Tuscon, AZ at 00:00Z on 2012-07-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 880 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Tuscon, AZ at 00:00Z on 2012-07-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -13 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
880 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-23 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2268 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
13 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-13 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
33 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.

839 
WGUS55 KTWC 160202
FFWTWC
AZC019-021-160400-
/O.NEW.KTWC.FF.W.0012.120716T0202Z-120716T0400Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
702 PM MST SUN JUL 15 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  NORTHEASTERN PIMA COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL ARIZONA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF...TUCSON...ORO VALLEY...
  SOUTHEASTERN PINAL COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL ARIZONA...

* UNTIL 900 PM MST

* AT 650 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  THAT POCKETS OF HEAVY RAIN CONTINUED ACROSS THE TUCSON METRO ARE.
  IN ADDITION...RUNOFF FROM VERY HEAVY RAIN EARLIER TODAY CONTINUED
  INTO WASHES.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO THE 
  TUCSON METRO AREA.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF WASHES
AND STREAMS...URBAN AREAS...HIGHWAYS...STREETS AND UNDERPASSES AS
WELL AS OTHER DRAINAGE AREAS AND LOW LYING SPOTS.

DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS
SAFELY.

&&

LAT...LON 3267 11114 3264 11046 3198 11045 3191 11123

$$

KD
1 follow-up statement
605 
WGUS75 KTWC 160354
FFSTWC

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
854 PM MST SUN JUL 15 2012

AZC019-021-160401-
/O.EXP.KTWC.FF.W.0012.000000T0000Z-120716T0400Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
PIMA AZ-PINAL AZ-
854 PM MST SUN JUL 15 2012

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 900 PM MST FOR SOUTHEASTERN
PINAL AND NORTHEASTERN PIMA COUNTIES...

WHILE SOME PONDING OF WATER WILL REMAIN IN LOW SPOTS AND SOME LOW
WATER CROSSINGS MAY CONTINUE TO HAVE MINOR FLOWS THROUGH THEM...
THE BEST RUNOFF HAD ENDED ACROSS THE WARNED AREA AND THE THREAT OF
HEAVY RAIN HAD ALSO ENDED.  THEREFORE THE WARNING WILL BE ALLOWED 
TO EXPIRE. ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE STILL POSSIBLE
THE REST OF THE NIGHT HOWEVER.

LAT...LON 3267 11114 3264 11046 3198 11045 3191 11123

$$

KD

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 15, 5:00 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCPima, Pinal2 hr
Jul 15, 6:11 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCPinal67 min
Jul 15, 6:13 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCGraham, Pinal32 min
Jul 15, 6:17 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCCochise, Pima, Santa Cruz3 hr
Jul 15, 6:51 PM MSTAreal Flood WarningTWCPima12 hr
Jul 15, 7:11 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCGraham, Greenlee, Pinal3 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Arizona, 2012Every 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.