Alert archive / Arizona / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012

Flash Flood Warning 47, NWS Tucson, AZ

August 31, 2012Santa Cruz County, Arizona

NWS Tucson, AZ issued this flash flood warning at Aug 31, 2012, 5:13 PM MST for Santa Cruz County, Arizona. It was in force for 2 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 31, 2012, 5:13 PM MST (00:13 UTC)
Expired
Aug 31, 2012, 7:15 PM MST
In force
2 hr
Issued by
NWS Tucson, AZ
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

County Santa Cruz County, AZ

The radar

The Tucson radar (KEMX), 66 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:14 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 00:00Z, 0.2 hours before the alert went out and 88 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 00:00Z on 2012-09-01Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 120 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 00:00Z on 2012-09-01The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 1 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
120 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-61 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2732 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
14 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
1 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-26 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.

442 
WGUS55 KTWC 010013
FFWTWC
AZC023-010215-
/O.NEW.KTWC.FF.W.0047.120901T0013Z-120901T0215Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
513 PM MST FRI AUG 31 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 715 PM MST

* AT 505 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  ANOTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORM MOVING SLOWLY NORTH TOWARD NOGALES
  FROM MEXICO. GAGE REPORTS INDICATED RAINFALL AMOUNTS NEAR 1 INCH
  IN SOME LOCATIONS FROM A PREVIOUS STORM. ADDITIONAL RAINFALL
  AMOUNTS IN EXCESS OF 1 INCH ARE EXPECTED TO CAUSE FLASH FLOODING
  IN THE NOGALES AREA.

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 3143 11105 3139 11087 3133 11086 3133 11105

$$

MEYER
2 follow-up statements
298 
WGUS75 KTWC 010057
FFSTWC

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
557 PM MST FRI AUG 31 2012

AZC023-010215-
/O.CON.KTWC.FF.W.0047.000000T0000Z-120901T0215Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
SANTA CRUZ AZ-
557 PM MST FRI AUG 31 2012

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 715 PM MST FOR SOUTH
CENTRAL SANTA CRUZ COUNTY...

AT 550 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS 
INDICATING A THIRD THUNDERSTORM APPROACHING THE NOGALES AREA FROM 
MEXICO. THIS STORM WAS ABOUT 5 MILES SOUTH AND MOVING SLOWLY NORTH. 
THIS STORM COULD ADD UP TO ONE INCH OF ADDITIONAL RAINFALL TO 
EARLIER RAINFALL AMOUNTS BETWEEN .5 AND 1.2 INCHES.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF SMALL
CREEKS AND STREAMS...URBAN AREAS...HIGHWAYS...STREETS AND UNDERPASSES
AS WELL AS OTHER DRAINAGE AREAS AND LOW LYING SPOTS.

&&

LAT...LON 3143 11105 3139 11087 3133 11086 3133 11105

$$

MEYER
090 
WGUS75 KTWC 010208
FFSTWC

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
708 PM MST FRI AUG 31 2012

AZC023-010217-
/O.EXP.KTWC.FF.W.0047.000000T0000Z-120901T0215Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
SANTA CRUZ AZ-
708 PM MST FRI AUG 31 2012

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 715 PM MST FOR SOUTH
CENTRAL SANTA CRUZ COUNTY...

AT 707 PM MST LITTLE ADDITIONAL RAINFALL WAS EXPECTED. EXPECT SOME 
FLOW IN NORMALLY DRY STREAMBEDS AND WASHES OVERNIGHT.

LAT...LON 3143 11105 3139 11087 3133 11086 3133 11105

$$

MEYER

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 31, 5:02 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCPima, Pinal94 min
Sep 1, 3:02 PM MSTSpecial Weather StatementTWC43 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.