Alert archive / Arizona / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012

Flash Flood Warning 55, NWS Tucson, AZ

September 3, 2012Cochise County, Arizona

NWS Tucson, AZ issued this flash flood warning at Sep 3, 2012, 5:21 PM MST for Cochise County, Arizona. It was in force for 114 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued: Sep 3, 2012, 5:21 PM MST (00:21 UTC)
Expired: Sep 3, 2012, 7:15 PM MST
In force: 114 min
Issued by: NWS Tucson, AZ
Area: Storm-based polygon
Flood severity: None

County Cochise County, AZ

The radar

The Tucson radar (KEMX), 68 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:24 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 00:00Z, 0.4 hours before the alert went out and 99 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: 768 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -47 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 2007 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 5 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -37 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 15 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.

090 
WGUS55 KTWC 040021
FFWTWC
AZC003-040215-
/O.NEW.KTWC.FF.W.0055.120904T0021Z-120904T0215Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
521 PM MST MON SEP 3 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL COCHISE COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST ARIZONA...

* UNTIL 715 PM MST

* AT 510 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  VERY HEAVY RAIN FROM A CLUSTER OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER CENTRAL
  COCHISE COUNTY. RADAR RAINFALL ESTIMATES RANGED FROM BETWEEN ONE
  AND TWO INCHES OF RAINFALL...WITH OVER TWO INCHES OF RAINFALL
  SOUTHWEST OF SUNIZONA...JUST WEST OF HIGHWAY 191. THE CLUSTER OF
  THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING SOUTH AT 10 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO SUNIZONA
  AND PEARCE-SUNSITES

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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.

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS IMMINENT OR OCCURRING.
IF YOU ARE IN THE WARNING AREA MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IMMEDIATELY.
RESIDENTS LIVING ALONG STREAMS AND CREEKS SHOULD TAKE IMMEDIATE
PRECAUTIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS
SWIFTLY FLOWING WATERS OR WATERS OF UNKNOWN DEPTH BY FOOT OR BY
AUTOMOBILE.

&&

LAT...LON 3192 11010 3210 10989 3199 10962 3169 10971
      3169 10988 3174 11011

$$
ZELL

2 follow-up statements

997 
WGUS75 KTWC 040118
FFSTWC

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
618 PM MST MON SEP 3 2012

AZC003-040215-
/O.CON.KTWC.FF.W.0055.000000T0000Z-120904T0215Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
COCHISE AZ-
618 PM MST MON SEP 3 2012

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 715 PM MST FOR
CENTRAL COCHISE COUNTY...

AT 615 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO 
INDICATE A CLUSTER OF THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN OVER 
CENTRAL COCHISE COUNTY. THE STORMS WERE LOCATED 5 MILES SOUTHWEST OF 
PEARCE-SUNSITES...MOVING SOUTHWEST AT 10 MPH. 

RADAR RAINFALL ESTIMATES OF BETWEEN TWO AND TWO AND A HALF INCHES OF 
RAIN HAS FALLEN IN THE WARNING AREA. THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL HAS 
OCCURRED NEAR THE FOLLOWING ROADWAYS...GLEESON-PEARCE ROAD...E 
GLEESON ROAD...N MIDDLEMARCH ROAD...AND E BENNETT RANCH ROAD. 

THIS THUNDERSTORM WITH EXCESSIVE RAIN WILL OTHERWISE REMAIN OVER
MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF THE INDICATED COUNTY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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.

IN HILLY TERRAIN THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF LOW WATER CROSSINGS WHICH ARE
POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS IN HEAVY RAIN. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO TRAVEL ACROSS
FLOODED ROADS. FIND ALTERNATE ROUTES. IT TAKES ONLY A FEW INCHES OF
SWIFTLY FLOWING WATER TO CARRY VEHICLES AWAY.

&&

LAT...LON 3192 11010 3210 10989 3199 10962 3169 10971
      3169 10988 3174 11011

$$
ZELL

518 
WGUS75 KTWC 040217
FFSTWC

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
717 PM MST MON SEP 3 2012

AZC003-040225-
/O.EXP.KTWC.FF.W.0055.000000T0000Z-120904T0215Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
COCHISE AZ-
717 PM MST MON SEP 3 2012

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING HAS EXPIRED FOR CENTRAL COCHISE COUNTY...

AT 715 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED THAT ONLY 
LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN CONTINUED ACROSS CENTRAL COCHISE COUNTY. THE 
THREAT OF HEAVY RAINFALL HAS SHIFTED FURTHER WEST. THEREFORE...THE 
FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR CENTRAL COCHISE COUNTY HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO 
EXPIRE. 

HOWEVER...WITH THE EARLIER RAINFALL...EXPECT HEAVY FLOW IN NORMALLY 
DRY STREAMBEDS AND WASHES INTO THE EVENING HOURS.  

LAT...LON 3192 11010 3210 10989 3199 10962 3169 10971
      3169 10988 3174 11011

$$
ZELL

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Sep 3, 5:03 PM MST	Special Weather Statement	TWC	Cochise	42 min
Sep 3, 5:19 PM MST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TWC	Cochise	41 min
Sep 3, 5:34 PM MST	Special Weather Statement	TWC	Santa Cruz	41 min
Sep 3, 6:17 PM MST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TWC	Cochise	43 min
Sep 3, 6:39 PM MST	Special Weather Statement	TWC	Graham	51 min
Sep 3, 6:41 PM MST	Flash Flood Warning	TWC	Cochise	79 min
Sep 3, 8:39 PM MST	Areal Flood Advisory	TWC	Cochise	3 hr
Sep 4, 6:24 AM MST	Areal Flood Advisory	TWC	Pima	111 min
Sep 4, 7:56 AM MST	Areal Flood Advisory	TWC	Pima	3 hr
Sep 4, 4:09 PM MST	Special Weather Statement	TWC	Graham	51 min

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.