Alert archive / Arizona / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012

Flash Flood Warning 3, NWS Tucson, AZ

July 4, 2012Pima County, Arizona

NWS Tucson, AZ issued this flash flood warning at Jul 4, 2012, 1:32 PM MST for Pima 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 4, 2012, 1:32 PM MST (20:32 UTC)
Expired: Jul 4, 2012, 3:30 PM MST
In force: 118 min
Issued by: NWS Tucson, AZ
Area: Storm-based polygon
Flood severity: None

County Pima County, AZ

The radar

The Tucson radar (KEMX), 95 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:32 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, 8.5 hours before the alert went out and 63 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: 613 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -63 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 876 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 12 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 33 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 40 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.

056 
WGUS55 KTWC 042032
FFWTWC
AZC019-042230-
/O.NEW.KTWC.FF.W.0003.120704T2032Z-120704T2230Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
132 PM MST WED JUL 4 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 330 PM MST

* AT 123 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED   
FLASH FLOODING FROM NUMBEROUS THUNDERSTORMS FROM THE PICTURE ROCKS 
AREA SOUTHWARD THROUGH THREE POINTS AND THEN WESTWARD INTO THE 
TOHONO OODHAM NATION. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE 
VERYHEAVY RAINFALL AS THEY MOVE TO THE NORTH AT 10 MPH. ADDITIONAL 
RAINFALL OF ONE INCH OR MORE IS POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS. 

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO SILVER
  BELL...SIL NAGGIA AND QUEENS WELL.

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.

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 3230 11194 3250 11142 3222 11114 3202 11109
      3189 11185

$$

2 follow-up statements

182 
WGUS75 KTWC 042128
FFSTWC

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
228 PM MST WED JUL 4 2012

AZC019-042230-
/O.CON.KTWC.FF.W.0003.000000T0000Z-120704T2230Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
PIMA AZ-
228 PM MST WED JUL 4 2012

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 330 PM MST FOR
CENTRAL PIMA COUNTY...

AT 219 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO 
INDICATE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING FLASH FLOODING FROM THE PICTURE 
ROCKS AND AVRA VALLEY AREA WESTWARD ONTO THE TOHONO OODHAM NATION. 
RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF ONE TO TWO INCHES HAS OCCURRED IN NUMEROUS 
LOCATIONS WITHIN THIS REGION AND FLASH FLOODING WILL CONTINUE. 

LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO SILVER
BELL...SIL NAGGIA AND QUEENS WELL.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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. MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.

MOST FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES. NEVER DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO
AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE ROADWAY. FLOOD WATERS ARE USUALLY
DEEPER THAN THEY APPEAR. JUST ONE FOOT OF FLOWING WATER IS POWERFUL
ENOUGH TO SWEEP VEHICLES OFF THE ROAD. WHEN ENCOUNTERING FLOODED
ROADS MAKE THE SMART CHOICE...TURN AROUND...DONT DROWN.

&&

LAT...LON 3230 11194 3250 11142 3222 11114 3202 11109
      3189 11185

$$

GL

396 
WGUS75 KTWC 042224
FFSTWC

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
324 PM MST WED JUL 4 2012

AZC019-042233-
/O.EXP.KTWC.FF.W.0003.000000T0000Z-120704T2230Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
PIMA AZ-
324 PM MST WED JUL 4 2012

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 330 PM MST FOR CENTRAL PIMA
COUNTY...

FLASH FLOODING ACROSS CENTRAL PIMA COUNTY HAS DIMINISHED...THUS THE 
FLASH FLOOD WARING WILL BE ALLOWED TO EXPIRE. WATER WILL STILL BE 
FLOWING ACROSS AREA WASHES AND CAUTION SHOULD STILL BE EXERCISED 
ACROSS THIS AREA THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS. 

LAT...LON 3230 11194 3250 11142 3222 11114 3202 11109
      3189 11185

$$

GL

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 3, 8:21 PM MST	Areal Flood Advisory	TWC	Cochise	3 hr
Jul 3, 9:14 PM MST	Flash Flood Warning	TWC	Cochise	2 hr
Jul 3, 9:25 PM MST	Areal Flood Advisory	TWC	Pima	3 hr
Jul 3, 10:02 PM MST	Areal Flood Advisory	TWC	Santa Cruz	3 hr
Jul 3, 10:15 PM MST	Areal Flood Advisory	TWC	Pima	3 hr
Jul 4, 12:00 AM MST	Flash Flood Watch	TWC	Cochise, Graham, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz	17 hr
Jul 4, 12:59 AM MST	Areal Flood Advisory	TWC	Cochise, Pima, Santa Cruz	2 hr
Jul 4, 10:00 AM MST	Areal Flood Advisory	TWC	Pinal	3 hr
Jul 4, 10:48 AM MST	Areal Flood Advisory	TWC	Pima	12 min
Jul 4, 10:58 AM MST	Areal Flood Advisory	TWC	Pima	82 min
Jul 4, 12:16 PM MST	Areal Flood Advisory	TWC	Pima	3 hr
Jul 4, 12:48 PM MST	Areal Flood Advisory	TWC	Pima	117 min
Jul 4, 12:59 PM MST	Flash Flood Warning	TWC	Pima	2 hr
Jul 4, 1:45 PM MST	Flash Flood Warning	TWC	Pima	111 min
Jul 4, 2:24 PM MST	Flash Flood Warning	TWC	Pinal	3 hr
Jul 4, 2:55 PM MST	Areal Flood Advisory	TWC	Cochise, Graham, Greenlee, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz	3 hr
Jul 4, 4:11 PM MST	Areal Flood Advisory	TWC	Graham, Greenlee	3 hr

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.