Alert archive / Arizona / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012

Flash Flood Warning 48, NWS Tucson, AZ

September 2, 2012Pima County, Arizona

NWS Tucson, AZ issued this flash flood warning at Sep 2, 2012, 5:02 PM MST for Pima County, Arizona. It was in force for 118 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
Sep 2, 2012, 5:02 PM MST (00:02 UTC)
Expired
Sep 2, 2012, 7:00 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), 109 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:03 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
Sep 2, 6:30 PM MSTFLASH FLOODTopawa, AZSWIFT WATER RESCUE...2 PEOPLE RESCUED FROM VEHICLE CAUGHT IN FLASH FLOOD

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

The nearest sounding before it

Tuscon, AZ (KTUS), launched 00:00Z, 0.0 hours before the alert went out and 92 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 2012-09-03Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 289 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 2012-09-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 52 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
289 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-214 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2494 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
4 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
52 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
42 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.

555 
WGUS55 KTWC 030002
FFWTWC
AZC019-030200-
/O.NEW.KTWC.FF.W.0048.120903T0002Z-120903T0200Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
502 PM MST SUN SEP 2 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 700 PM MST

* AT 454 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  FLASH FLOODING FROM AN AREA OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS JUST EAST AND
  SOUTHEAST OF SELLS...INCLUDING TOPAWA AND FRESNAL CANYON. EXPECT
  RAINFALL AMOUNTS IN EXCESS OF 2 INCHES IN SOME LOCATIONS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THIS INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING STREAMS AND DRAINAGES...
FRESNAL WASH...VAMORI WASH...CHUTUM VAYA WASH...SELLS WASH...SAN JUAN
WASH...TOPAWA WASH...BAILEY WASH...COMOBABI WASH...ALI MOLINA WASH...
BABOQUIVARI WASH...MORAS WASH.

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF WASHES
AND STREAMS...URBAN AREAS...HIGHWAYS...STREETS AND OTHER DRAINAGE
AREAS AND LOW LYING SPOTS.

&&

LAT...LON 3187 11189 3201 11172 3165 11160 3168 11183

$$

MEYER
2 follow-up statements
869 
WGUS75 KTWC 030038
FFSTWC

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
538 PM MST SUN SEP 2 2012

AZC019-030200-
/O.CON.KTWC.FF.W.0048.000000T0000Z-120903T0200Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
PIMA AZ-
538 PM MST SUN SEP 2 2012

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 700 PM MST FOR SOUTH
CENTRAL PIMA COUNTY...

AT 535 PM MST...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE BEGINNING TO WEAKEN 
EAST AND SOUTHEAST OF SELLS...INCLUDING AREAS AROUND TOPAWA AND 
FRESNAL CANYON. EARLIER STORM TOTALS WERE ESTIMATED TO BE BETWEEN 2 
AND 3 INCHES WITH HEAVY FLOW EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TO GENERATE FLASH 
FLOODING OVER THE WARNED AREA.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THIS INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING STREAMS AND DRAINAGES...
FRESNAL WASH...VAMORI WASH...CHUTUM VAYA WASH...SELLS WASH...SAN 
JUAN WASH...TOPAWA WASH...BAILEY WASH...COMOBABI WASH...ALI MOLINA 
WASH...BABOQUIVARI WASH...MORAS WASH.

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF WASHES
AND STREAMS...URBAN AREAS...HIGHWAYS...STREETS AND OTHER DRAINAGE
AREAS AND LOW LYING SPOTS.

&&

LAT...LON 3187 11189 3201 11172 3165 11160 3168 11183

$$

MEYER
060 
WGUS75 KTWC 030152
FFSTWC

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
652 PM MST SUN SEP 2 2012

AZC019-030201-
/O.EXP.KTWC.FF.W.0048.000000T0000Z-120903T0200Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
PIMA AZ-
652 PM MST SUN SEP 2 2012

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 700 PM MST FOR SOUTH
CENTRAL PIMA COUNTY...

AT 650 PM MST SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAD ENDED IN THE WARNING 
AREA EAST AND SOUTHEAST OF SELLS. EXPECT HEAVY FLOW IN NORMALLY DRY 
STREAMBEDS AND WASHES TO CONTINUE OVERNIGHT.

LAT...LON 3187 11189 3201 11172 3165 11160 3168 11183

$$

MEYER

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 2, 5:10 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCPima80 min
Sep 2, 5:25 PM MSTBlowing Dust AdvisoryTWCPima, Pinal100 min
Sep 2, 5:52 PM MSTSpecial Weather StatementTWCPima38 min
Sep 2, 6:59 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCPima, Pinal2 hr
Sep 2, 8:22 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCPima, Pinal3 hr
Sep 2, 8:40 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCPima80 min
Sep 3, 1:47 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCCochise118 min
Sep 3, 3:03 PM MSTSpecial Weather StatementTWCSanta Cruz42 min
Sep 3, 3:25 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCSanta Cruz2 hr
Sep 3, 3:35 PM MSTSpecial Weather StatementTWCSanta Cruz40 min
Sep 3, 3:57 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCCochise93 min
Sep 3, 4:05 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCCochise115 min
Sep 3, 4:28 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCPima47 min
Sep 3, 4:46 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCPima119 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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.