Alert archive / Arizona / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012

Flash Flood Warning 30, NWS Tucson, AZ

August 17, 2012Santa Cruz County, Arizona

NWS Tucson, AZ issued this flash flood warning at Aug 17, 2012, 10:23 AM MST for Santa Cruz County, Arizona. It was in force for 3 hr. 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 17, 2012, 10:23 AM MST (17:23 UTC)
Expired
Aug 17, 2012, 1:00 PM MST
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Tucson, AZ
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

County Santa Cruz County, AZ

The radar

The Tucson radar (KEMX), 62 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:25 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, 5.4 hours before the alert went out and 83 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 2012-08-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 560 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 2012-08-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -2 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
560 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-41 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1232 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
6 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-2 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
47 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.

382 
WGUS55 KTWC 171723
FFWTWC
AZC023-172015-
/O.NEW.KTWC.FF.W.0030.120817T1723Z-120817T2015Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
1023 AM MST FRI AUG 17 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  SOUTH CENTRAL SANTA CRUZ COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST ARIZONA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF NOGALES...

* UNTIL 115 PM MST

* AT 1010 AM MST...LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS REPORTED FLASH   
  FLOODING IN NOGALES. SEVERAL STREETS ARE CLOSED TO DUE TO 
  HEAVY RAIN AND FLOODING AND MORE RAIN IS EXPECTED THIS MORNING.
  HEAVY RAIN IN SONORA THIS MORNING WILL CAUSE ADDITIONAL
  SIGNIFICANT RISES IN NOGALES WASH WHICH WILL OVERTOP ITS BANKS
  AND CREATE ADDITIONAL FLOODING OF STREETS...HOMES AND WASHES
  IN NOGALES.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO NOGALES.

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. IF YOU ENCOUNTER
RAPIDLY FLOWING WATER..TURN AROUND DONT DROWN.

&&

LAT...LON 3147 11107 3151 11087 3133 11080 3133 11108

$$

KD
1 follow-up statement
971 
WGUS75 KTWC 172000
FFSTWC

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
100 PM MST FRI AUG 17 2012

AZC023-172008-
/O.CAN.KTWC.FF.W.0030.000000T0000Z-120817T2015Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
SANTA CRUZ AZ-
100 PM MST FRI AUG 17 2012

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR SOUTH CENTRAL SANTA
CRUZ COUNTY...

HEAVY RAIN HAS ENDED IN THE NOGALES AREA AND FLOOD CONTROL
OFFICIALS STATED THAT STREET FLOODING HAD SUBSIDED AND
WASH LEVELS WERE CONTINUING TO DROP.  A RAIN GAUGE IN NOGALES
MEASURED 4.02 INCHES OF RAIN THIS MORNING.

A FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF SOUTHEAST
ARIZONA UNTIL 8 PM MST AS ADDITIONAL RAINFALL IS POSSIBLE
THIS AFTERNOON.

LAT...LON 3147 11107 3151 11087 3133 11080 3133 11108

$$

KD

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 16, 10:01 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCGraham119 min
Aug 17, 10:28 AM MSTFlash Flood WatchTWCCochise, Graham, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz6 hr
Aug 17, 11:02 AM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCPima, Pinal118 min
Aug 17, 12:26 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCPima3 hr
Aug 17, 12:39 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCPima117 min
Aug 17, 1:00 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCCochise2 hr
Aug 17, 1:20 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCPinal3 hr
Aug 17, 2:05 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCPima, Pinal115 min
Aug 17, 2:36 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCPima3 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.