Alert archive / Arizona / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012

Flash Flood Warning 32, NWS Tucson, AZ

August 17, 2012Pima County, Arizona

NWS Tucson, AZ issued this flash flood warning at Aug 17, 2012, 12:39 PM MST for Pima County, Arizona. It was in force for 117 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Aug 17, 2012, 12:39 PM MST (19:39 UTC)
Expired
Aug 17, 2012, 2:36 PM MST
In force
117 min
Issued by
NWS Tucson, AZ
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

County Pima County, AZ

The radar

The Tucson radar (KEMX), 23 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:41 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.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Aug 17, 12:40 PM MSTFLASH FLOOD6 W Mescal, AZFOUR SEPARATE ACCIDENTS ON INTERSTATE 10 DUE TO FLOODING AND HEAVY RAIN.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The nearest sounding before it

Tuscon, AZ (KDMA), launched 12:00Z, 7.7 hours before the alert went out and 19 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.

643 
WGUS55 KTWC 171939
FFWTWC
AZC019-172230-
/O.NEW.KTWC.FF.W.0032.120817T1939Z-120817T2230Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
1239 PM MST FRI AUG 17 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 330 PM MST

* AT 1230 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR            
  INDICATED FLASH FLOODING FROM THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST   
  PORTIONS OF THE TUCSON METRO AREA. AN AUTOMATED RAIN GAUGE AT      
  CIENEGA CREEK AND I-10 HAS RECORDED OVER AN INCH OF RAINFALL WITH  
  DOPPLER RADAR ESTIMATES IN THAT AREA LOCALLY UP TO TWO INCHES.     
  THIS WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING IN CIENEGA CREEK AND POSSIBLY       
  PANTANO WASH. 

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO VAIL...
  SAGUARO NATIONAL PARK EAST...RITA RANCH AND DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE
  BASE

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF SMALL
CREEKS AND STREAMS...HIGHWAYS AND UNDERPASSES. ADDITIONALLY...COUNTRY
ROADS AND FARMLANDS ALONG THE BANKS OF CREEKS...STREAMS AND OTHER LOW
LYING AREAS ARE SUBJECT TO FLOODING.

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 3213 11090 3224 11086 3233 11046 3187 11045
      3182 11074

$$

GL
2 follow-up statements
358 
WGUS75 KTWC 172030
FFSTWC

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

AZC019-172230-
/O.CON.KTWC.FF.W.0032.000000T0000Z-120817T2230Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
PIMA AZ-
130 PM MST FRI AUG 17 2012

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

AT 123 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO 
INDICATE HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS THE RINCON MOUNTAINS. THE RAINFALL 
THAT HAD PRODUCED OVER AN INCH OF RAINFALL NEAR I-10 AND CIENEGA 
CREEK HAS SUBSIDED CONSIDERABLY. HOWEVER...FLASH FLOODING FROM THIS 
RAINFALL WILL CONTINUE WITH HEAVY FLOWS IN CIENEGA CREEK AND 
POSSIBLY PANTANO WASH. 

LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO SAGUARO
NATIONAL PARK EAST...RITA RANCH AND DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF SMALL
CREEKS AND STREAMS...HIGHWAYS AND UNDERPASSES. ADDITIONALLY...COUNTRY
ROADS AND FARMLANDS ALONG THE BANKS OF CREEKS...STREAMS AND OTHER LOW
LYING AREAS ARE SUBJECT TO FLOODING.

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 3213 11090 3224 11086 3233 11046 3187 11045
      3182 11074

$$

GL
914 
WGUS75 KTWC 172136
FFSTWC

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

AZC019-172145-
/O.CAN.KTWC.FF.W.0032.000000T0000Z-120817T2230Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
PIMA AZ-
236 PM MST FRI AUG 17 2012

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR EAST CENTRAL PIMA
COUNTY...

RAINFALL HAS ENDED ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST PORTIONS OF THE TUCSON METRO 
AREA. IN ADDITION...STREAM GAUGES INDICATE THAT FLOW LEVELS IN THE 
PANTANO WASH AND CIENEGA CREEK ARE DROPPING. THUS...THE FLASH FLOOD 
WARNING FOR THE SOUTHEAST PORTION OF THE TUCSON METRO AREA WILL BE 
CANCELLED. 

LAT...LON 3213 11090 3224 11086 3233 11046 3187 11045
      3182 11074

$$

GL

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, 10:23 AM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCSanta Cruz3 hr
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, 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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.