Alert archive / Arizona / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012

Flash Flood Warning 28, NWS Tucson, AZ

August 15, 2012Cochise County, Arizona

NWS Tucson, AZ issued this flash flood warning at Aug 15, 2012, 2:43 PM MST for Cochise County, Arizona. It was in force for 92 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: Aug 15, 2012, 2:43 PM MST (21:43 UTC)
Expired: Aug 15, 2012, 4:15 PM MST
In force: 92 min
Issued by: NWS Tucson, AZ
Area: Storm-based polygon
Flood severity: None

County Cochise County, AZ

The radar

The Tucson radar (KEMX), 108 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:44 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 (KDMA), launched 12:00Z, 9.7 hours before the alert went out and 138 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: 149 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -282 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1692 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 14 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -47 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 66 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.

990 
WGUS55 KTWC 152143
FFWTWC
AZC003-152315-
/O.NEW.KTWC.FF.W.0028.120815T2143Z-120815T2315Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
243 PM MST WED AUG 15 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL COCHISE COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST ARIZONA...

* UNTIL 415 PM MST

* AT 240 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  FLASH FLOODING FROM A THUNDERSTORM OVER THE WEST SIDE OF THE 
  HORSESHOE 2 BURN SCAR. GAUGE DATA INDICATES THAT AN INCH OF RAIN
  FELL AT THE HEADWATERS OF WEST TURKEY CREEK AND RAIN CONTINUES
  TO FALL THERE.  FLOODING ACROSS STATE ROAD 181 IS LIKELY.  THIS
  REPLACES THE FLOOD ADVISORY ISSUED EARLIER UNTIL 330 PM.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A SHORT PERIOD OF MODERATE RAINFALL ON A BURNED WATERSHED CAN LEAD TO
FLASH FLOODS. SEEK HIGHER GROUND IMMEDIATELY...BUT IF IT IS UNSAFE TO
EVACUATE DUE TO FLASH FLOODING...HEAVY RAIN...OR POOR VISIBILITY THE
BEST ACTION MAY BE TO SHELTER IN PLACE IN A STURDY STRUCTURE. THE
FORCE OF RUSHING WATER AND DEBRIS CAN DAMAGE OR DESTROY CULVERTS...
BRIDGES...ROADWAYS...AND BUILDINGS. REMEMBER NEVER TO DRIVE THROUGH
RAPIDLY FLOWING WATER...YOU MAY BE SWEPT AWAY.

&&

LAT...LON 3194 10960 3190 10929 3167 10934 3175 10963

$$

KD

2 follow-up statements

726 
WGUS75 KTWC 152240
FFSTWC

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
340 PM MST WED AUG 15 2012

AZC003-152315-
/O.CON.KTWC.FF.W.0028.000000T0000Z-120815T2315Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
COCHISE AZ-
340 PM MST WED AUG 15 2012

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 415 PM MST FOR
CENTRAL COCHISE COUNTY...

AT 331 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO 
INDICATE A THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING FLASH FLOODING OVER THE WEST
SIDE OF THE HORSESHOE 2 BURN SCAR. AUTOMATED RAIN GAUGE DATA 
INDICATES 1.38 INCHES HAS FALLEN IN THE HEADWATERS OF WEST TURKEY 
CREEK WITH SOME RAINFALL STILL CONTINUING AT THIS TIME. THIS WILL 
CONTINUE TO PRODUCE FLOODING ACROSS STATE ROAD 181.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A SHORT PERIOD OF MODERATE RAINFALL ON A BURNED WATERSHED CAN LEAD TO
FLASH FLOODS. SEEK HIGHER GROUND IMMEDIATELY...BUT IF IT IS UNSAFE TO
EVACUATE DUE TO FLASH FLOODING...HEAVY RAIN...OR POOR VISIBILITY THE
BEST ACTION MAY BE TO SHELTER IN PLACE IN A STURDY STRUCTURE. THE
FORCE OF RUSHING WATER AND DEBRIS CAN DAMAGE OR DESTROY CULVERTS...
BRIDGES...ROADWAYS...AND BUILDINGS. REMEMBER NEVER TO DRIVE THROUGH
RAPIDLY FLOWING WATER...YOU MAY BE SWEPT AWAY.

&&

LAT...LON 3194 10960 3190 10929 3167 10934 3175 10963

$$

GL

030 
WGUS75 KTWC 152311
FFSTWC

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
411 PM MST WED AUG 15 2012

AZC003-152321-
/O.EXP.KTWC.FF.W.0028.000000T0000Z-120815T2315Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
COCHISE AZ-
411 PM MST WED AUG 15 2012

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 415 PM MST FOR CENTRAL
COCHISE COUNTY...

AT 410 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED 
THAT HEAVY RAINFALL OVER THE WARNING AREA HAD DIMINISHED. THUS...THE 
FLASH FLOOD WARNING WILL BE ALLOWED TO EXPIRE.

LAT...LON 3194 10960 3190 10929 3167 10934 3175 10963

$$

SMR

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Aug 14, 5:18 PM MST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TWC	Pima	42 min
Aug 14, 5:21 PM MST	Areal Flood Advisory	TWC	Cochise	84 min
Aug 14, 5:50 PM MST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TWC	Pima	40 min
Aug 14, 6:10 PM MST	Special Weather Statement	TWC	Santa Cruz	65 min
Aug 14, 6:24 PM MST	Special Weather Statement	TWC		51 min
Aug 14, 6:39 PM MST	Special Weather Statement	TWC	Pima	51 min
Aug 14, 6:41 PM MST	Areal Flood Advisory	TWC	Pima	79 min
Aug 14, 6:46 PM MST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TWC	Pima	44 min
Aug 14, 8:02 PM MST	Areal Flood Advisory	TWC	Pima	88 min
Aug 14, 9:32 PM MST	Special Weather Statement	TWC	Pinal	58 min
Aug 15, 1:46 AM MST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TWC	Pima	29 min
Aug 15, 2:06 PM MST	Areal Flood Advisory	TWC	Cochise	84 min
Aug 15, 4:22 PM MST	Special Weather Statement	TWC	Graham	53 min
Aug 15, 4:43 PM MST	Special Weather Statement	TWC	Cochise	47 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.