Alert archive / Arizona / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012

Flash Flood Warning 5, NWS Tucson, AZ

July 4, 2012Pinal County, Arizona

NWS Tucson, AZ issued this flash flood warning at Jul 4, 2012, 2:24 PM MST for Pinal 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: Jul 4, 2012, 2:24 PM MST (21:24 UTC)
Expired: Jul 4, 2012, 5:15 PM MST
In force: 3 hr
Issued by: NWS Tucson, AZ
Area: Storm-based polygon
Flood severity: None

County Pinal County, AZ

The radar

The Phoenix radar (KIWA), 81 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:24 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, 9.4 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-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.

064 
WGUS55 KTWC 042124
FFWTWC
AZC021-050015-
/O.NEW.KTWC.FF.W.0005.120704T2124Z-120705T0015Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  EASTERN PINAL COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL ARIZONA...

* UNTIL 515 PM MST

* AT 212 PM MST...A TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTER REPORTED SIX TENTHS OF 
AN INCH OF RAIN IN 15 MINUTES IN ORACLE WHICH WILL PRODUCE FLASH 
FLOODING. RADAR RAINFALL ESTIMATES OF OVER TWO AND A HALF INCHES PER 
HOUR IS ALSO OCCURRING BETWEEN RED ROCK AND ORACLE JUNCTION.   

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

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 3324 11093 3299 11077 3304 11072 3307 11073
      3312 11066 3252 11046 3252 11121 3297 11135
      3325 11096

$$

2 follow-up statements

303 
WGUS75 KTWC 042248
FFSTWC

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

AZC021-050015-
/O.CON.KTWC.FF.W.0005.000000T0000Z-120705T0015Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
PINAL AZ-
348 PM MST WED JUL 4 2012

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 515 PM MST FOR
EASTERN PINAL COUNTY...

AT 330 PM MST...TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS AND DOPPLER RADAR RAINFALL 
ESTIMATES INDICATE THAT EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON A SHOWER BETWEEN RED 
ROCK AND ORACLE PRODUCED RAINFALL IN EXCESS OF 3 INCHES PER HOUR. 
THE RUNOFF FROM THIS SHOWER WILL FLOW EAST TOWARD INTERSTATE 10 AND 
WILL AFFECT BIG WASH...BOWL CREEK...RAINBOW END WASH...GUILD WASH 
JUST TO NAME A FEW. IN ADDITION...HEAVY RAIN ALSO FELL OVER ORACLE 
WITH AMOUNTS ESTIMATED TO BE IN EXCESS OF 1 INCH PER HOUR. THE AREA 
OF SHOWERS HAS MOVED NORTH TOWARD SOUTH CENTRAL PINAL COUNTY AND 
PLACES SUCH AS MAMMOTH AND ARAVAIPA CREEK PRESERVE. THE SHOWERS WILL 
CONTINUE TO MOVE NORTH WITH SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL AND SUBSEQUENT 
RUNOFF FOR AT LEAST ANOTHER HOUR OR SO.  

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF SMALL
CREEKS 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. MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.

&&

LAT...LON 3324 11093 3299 11077 3304 11072 3307 11073
      3312 11066 3252 11046 3252 11121 3297 11135
      3325 11096

$$

MOLLERE

093 
WGUS75 KTWC 050007
FFSTWC

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

AZC021-050017-
/O.EXP.KTWC.FF.W.0005.000000T0000Z-120705T0015Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
PINAL AZ-
507 PM MST WED JUL 4 2012

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 515 PM MST FOR EASTERN
PINAL COUNTY...

RAINFALL AND FLASH FLOODING IS NOW SUBSIDING ACROSS EASTERN PINAL 
COUNTY...THUS THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING WILL BE ALLOWED TO EXPIRE. 
ELEVATED FLOWS WILL CONTINUE IN AREA WASHES FOR THE NEXT FEW HOURS 
AND CAUTION SHOULD STILL BE EXERCISED. 

LAT...LON 3324 11093 3299 11077 3304 11072 3307 11073
      3312 11066 3252 11046 3252 11121 3297 11135
      3325 11096

$$

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, 1:32 PM MST	Flash Flood Warning	TWC	Pima	118 min
Jul 4, 1:45 PM MST	Flash Flood Warning	TWC	Pima	111 min
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.