Alert archive / Arizona / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012

Flash Flood Warning 17, NWS Tucson, AZ

July 21, 2012Pima County, Arizona

NWS Tucson, AZ issued this flash flood warning at Jul 21, 2012, 1:53 PM MST for Pima County, Arizona. It was in force for 112 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 21, 2012, 1:53 PM MST (20:53 UTC)
Expired
Jul 21, 2012, 3:45 PM MST
In force
112 min
Issued by
NWS Tucson, AZ
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

County Pima County, AZ

The radar

The Tucson radar (KEMX), 15 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:55 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, 8.9 hours before the alert went out and 28 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 2012-07-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 444 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 2012-07-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 43 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
444 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-130 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1517 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
13 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
43 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
29 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.

221 
WGUS55 KTWC 212053
FFWTWC
AZC019-212245-
/O.NEW.KTWC.FF.W.0017.120721T2053Z-120721T2245Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
153 PM MST SAT JUL 21 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  EAST CENTRAL PIMA COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL ARIZONA...

* UNTIL 345 PM MST

* AT 142 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED   
  EXTREMELY HEAVY RAINFALL FROM TWO THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM
  NEAR SAHUARITA EASTWARD TO HIGHWAY 83 SOUTH OF TUCSON AND SOUTH
  OF INTERSTATE 10. MOVEMENT WAS TO THE WEST AND NORTHWEST AT 5 TO
  10 MPH. RAINFALL AMOUNTS IN EXCESS OF 2 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO CORONA DE
  TUCSON

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.

&&

LAT...LON 3201 11098 3202 11058 3184 11057 3184 11078

$$

MEYER
2 follow-up statements
504 
WGUS75 KTWC 212134
FFSTWC

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
234 PM MST SAT JUL 21 2012

AZC019-212245-
/O.CON.KTWC.FF.W.0017.000000T0000Z-120721T2245Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
PIMA AZ-
234 PM MST SAT JUL 21 2012

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 345 PM MST FOR EAST
CENTRAL PIMA COUNTY...

AT 224 PM MST...SHOWERS WERE WEAKENING SOUTH OF TUCSON IN THE 
SAHUARITA...CORONA DE TUCSON AND HIGHWAY 83 AREAS. RAINFALL AMOUNTS 
OF 1 TO 2 INCHES WILL CONTINUE TO CAUSE HEAVY RUNOFF THIS AFTERNOON.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THIS INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING STREAMS AND DRAINAGES...
CIENEGA CREEK...FORTYNINE WASH AND PANTANO WASH.

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 3201 11098 3202 11058 3184 11057 3184 11078

$$

MEYER
095 
WGUS75 KTWC 212238
FFSTWC

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
338 PM MST SAT JUL 21 2012

AZC019-212247-
/O.EXP.KTWC.FF.W.0017.000000T0000Z-120721T2245Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
PIMA AZ-
338 PM MST SAT JUL 21 2012

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 345 PM MST FOR EAST CENTRAL
PIMA COUNTY...

THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THAT BROUGHT HEAVY RAIN TO PORTIONS OF 
EAST CENTRAL PIMA COUNTY HAVE MOVED WEST. THEREFORE THE FLASH FLOOD 
WARNING WILL BE ALLOWED TO EXPIRE AT 345 PM MST. 

LAT...LON 3201 11098 3202 11058 3184 11057 3184 11078

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 20, 5:26 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCPima94 min
Jul 21, 12:49 PM MSTSpecial Weather StatementTWCSanta Cruz41 min
Jul 21, 12:56 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCPima, Santa Cruz34 min
Jul 21, 1:43 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCPima, Santa Cruz2 hr
Jul 21, 2:26 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCGraham2 hr
Jul 21, 2:27 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCPima33 min
Jul 21, 3:01 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCPima44 min
Jul 21, 3:05 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCPima40 min
Jul 21, 3:25 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCPinal50 min
Jul 21, 3:36 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCGraham, Pinal39 min
Jul 21, 3:38 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCPima58 min
Jul 21, 4:07 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCPinal83 min
Jul 21, 4:11 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCPinal79 min
Jul 21, 4:27 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCPima, Pinal108 min

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.