Alert archive / Arizona / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012

Flash Flood Warning 16, NWS Tucson, AZ

July 17, 2012Cochise County, Santa Cruz County, Arizona

NWS Tucson, AZ issued this flash flood warning at Jul 17, 2012, 2:05 PM MST for Cochise County, Santa Cruz County, Arizona. It was in force for 55 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 17, 2012, 2:05 PM MST (21:05 UTC)
Expired
Jul 17, 2012, 3:00 PM MST
In force
55 min
Issued by
NWS Tucson, AZ
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

Counties Cochise County, AZ, Santa Cruz County, AZ

The radar

The Tucson radar (KEMX), 28 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:08 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 12:00Z, 9.1 hours before the alert went out and 67 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 12:00Z on 2012-07-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 114 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 12:00Z on 2012-07-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 60 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
114 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-122 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1846 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
19 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
60 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
57 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.

396 
WGUS55 KTWC 172105
FFWTWC
AZC003-023-172200-
/O.NEW.KTWC.FF.W.0016.120717T2105Z-120717T2200Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
205 PM MST TUE JUL 17 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHWESTERN COCHISE COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST ARIZONA...
  NORTHEASTERN SANTA CRUZ COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST ARIZONA...

* UNTIL 300 PM MST

* AT 158 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED 
ESTIMATED RAINFALL RATES OF UP TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR ASSOCIATED WITH 
A THUNDERSTORM OVER THE WARNED AREA. GIVEN THE RAINFALL SEEN IN THE 
AREA OVER THE PAST TWO DAYS...THIS AMOUNT OF RAINFALL WILL LIKELY 
TRIGGER FLASH FLOODING OVER THE WARNED AREA.

* THE STORM PRODUCING FLASH FLOODING WILL REMAIN OVER MAINLY RURAL 
AREAS OF SANTA CRUZ AND COCHISE COUNTIES.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF WASHES
AND STREAMS...COUNTRY ROADS...AS WELL AS FARMLAND ALONG THE BANKS OF
CREEKS AND STREAMS.

&&

LAT...LON 3173 11062 3173 11045 3154 11037 3153 11060

$$

SMR
2 follow-up statements
216 
WGUS75 KTWC 172131
FFSTWC

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
231 PM MST TUE JUL 17 2012

AZC003-023-172200-
/O.CON.KTWC.FF.W.0016.000000T0000Z-120717T2200Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
COCHISE AZ-SANTA CRUZ AZ-
231 PM MST TUE JUL 17 2012

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 300 PM MST FOR
NORTHEASTERN SANTA CRUZ AND SOUTHWESTERN COCHISE COUNTIES...

AT 222 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO 
INDICATE AREAS OF ESTIMATED RAINFALL RATES OF UP TO 2 INCHES PER 
HOUR ASSOCIATED WITH A THUNDERSTORM OVER THE WARNED AREA. ALTHOUGH 
CURRENT RADAR TRENDS SHOW THE STORM BEGINNING TO DIMINISH...THE 
CONTINUED HEAVY RAINFALL OVER AN AREA THAT HAS SEEN SIGNIFICANT 
HEAVY RAINFALL OVER THE PAST TWO DAYS IS LIKELY TO TRIGGER FLASH 
FLOODING. 

THIS THUNDERSTORM WITH EXCESSIVE RAIN WILL REMAIN OVER MAINLY RURAL 
AREAS OF SANTA CRUZ COUNTY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS IMMINENT OR OCCURRING.
IF YOU ARE IN THE WARNING AREA MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IMMEDIATELY.
RESIDENTS LIVING ALONG STREAMS AND CREEKS SHOULD TAKE IMMEDIATE
PRECAUTIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS
SWIFTLY FLOWING WATERS OR WATERS OF UNKNOWN DEPTH BY FOOT OR BY
AUTOMOBILE.

&&

LAT...LON 3173 11062 3173 11045 3154 11037 3153 11060

$$

SMR
136 
WGUS75 KTWC 172155
FFSTWC

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
255 PM MST TUE JUL 17 2012

AZC003-023-172202-
/O.EXP.KTWC.FF.W.0016.000000T0000Z-120717T2200Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
COCHISE AZ-SANTA CRUZ AZ-
255 PM MST TUE JUL 17 2012

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 300 PM MST FOR NORTHEASTERN
SANTA CRUZ AND SOUTHWESTERN COCHISE COUNTIES...

AT 252 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED 
THAT THE STORM RESPONSIBLE FOR THE HEAVY RAINFALL HAD 
DISSIPATED...THUS ENDING THE THREAT FOR FLASH FLOODING AT THIS TIME. 
HOWEVER...GIVEN THE RAIN THIS AREA HAS ALREADY RECEIVED...ANY 
ADDITIONAL RAINFALL MAY CREATE FLASH FLOODING WITH LITTLE OR NO 
WARNING.

LAT...LON 3173 11062 3173 11045 3154 11037 3153 11060

$$

SMR

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 16, 7:07 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCCochise83 min
Jul 16, 7:19 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCCochise116 min
Jul 16, 7:54 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCPima51 min
Jul 16, 8:09 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCPima111 min
Jul 16, 9:22 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCCochise3 hr
Jul 17, 3:51 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCCochise3 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.