Alert archive / Arizona / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012

Flash Flood Warning 56, NWS Tucson, AZ

September 3, 2012Cochise County, Arizona

NWS Tucson, AZ issued this flash flood warning at Sep 3, 2012, 6:41 PM MST for Cochise County, Arizona. It was in force for 79 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 3, 2012, 6:41 PM MST (01:41 UTC)
Expired: Sep 3, 2012, 8:00 PM MST
In force: 79 min
Issued by: NWS Tucson, AZ
Area: Storm-based polygon
Flood severity: None

County Cochise County, AZ

The radar

The Tucson radar (KEMX), 35 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:44 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

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Sep 3, 7:31 PM MST	FLOOD	1 Se Saint David, AZ	LAUNDRY ROOM FLOODED... FLOWING WATER THROUGH PROPERTY

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, 1.7 hours before the alert went out and 69 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.

007 
WGUS55 KTWC 040141
FFWTWC
AZC003-040300-
/O.NEW.KTWC.FF.W.0056.120904T0141Z-120904T0300Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 800 PM MST

* AT 637 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  VERY HEAVY RAIN FROM A CLUSTER OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER WEST CENTRAL
  COCHISE COUNTY. RADAR RAINFALL ESTIMATES RANGED FROM BETWEEN ONE
  AND TWO INCHES OF RAINFALL...WITH THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL EAST OF 
  SAINT DAVID ALONG STATE HIGHWAY 80...AS WELL AS ALONG STATE 
  HIGHWAY 82 TO THE NORTHWEST OF TOMBSTONE. THE CLUSTER OF 
  THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING TO THE WEST-SOUTHWEST AT 10 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO SAINT 
  DAVID

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 3194 11042 3206 11029 3200 11011 3196 11011
      3172 11012 3162 11022 3164 11044

$$
ZELL

2 follow-up statements

616 
WGUS75 KTWC 040225
FFSTWC

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

AZC003-040300-
/O.CON.KTWC.FF.W.0056.000000T0000Z-120904T0300Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
COCHISE AZ-
725 PM MST MON SEP 3 2012

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM MST FOR WEST
CENTRAL COCHISE COUNTY...

AT 720 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE VERY HEAVY RAIN FROM A CLUSTER OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER WEST 
CENTRAL COCHISE COUNTY. RADAR RAINFALL ESTIMATES FROM THIS AREA 
INDICATE THAT UP TO TWO INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN IN THIS AREA... 
MAINLY SOUTH OF BENSON AND NORTH OF TOMBSTONE ALONG STATE HIGHWAY 
80...AS WELL AS ALONG STATE HIGHWAY 82 EAST OF WHETSTONE TO THE 
JUNCTION OF STATE HIGHWAY 80 AND 82. THE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO 
MOVE TO THE WEST-SOUTHWEST AT 10 MPH.

OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
WHETSTONE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE
DANGERS OF FLOODING. IF FLASH FLOODING IS OBSERVED ACT QUICKLY. MOVE
UP TO HIGHER GROUND TO ESCAPE FLOOD WATERS. DO NOT STAY IN AREAS
SUBJECT TO FLOODING WHEN WATER BEGINS RISING.

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 3194 11042 3206 11029 3200 11011 3196 11011
      3172 11012 3162 11022 3164 11044

$$
ZELL

984 
WGUS75 KTWC 040302
FFSTWC

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

AZC003-040310-
/O.EXP.KTWC.FF.W.0056.000000T0000Z-120904T0300Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
COCHISE AZ-
802 PM MST MON SEP 3 2012

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

AT 800 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED THAT THE 
HEAVY RAINFALL HAS COME TO END OVER WEST CENTRAL COCHISE COUNTY. 
THEREFORE...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR WEST 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 3194 11042 3206 11029 3200 11011 3196 11011
      3172 11012 3162 11022 3164 11044

$$
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, 5:21 PM MST	Flash Flood Warning	TWC	Cochise	114 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, 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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.