Alert archive / Arizona / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012

Flash Flood Warning 57, NWS Tucson, AZ

September 6, 2012Pima County, Arizona

NWS Tucson, AZ issued this flash flood warning at Sep 6, 2012, 12:55 PM MST for Pima 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
Sep 6, 2012, 12:55 PM MST (19:55 UTC)
Expired
Sep 6, 2012, 4:00 PM MST
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Tucson, AZ
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

County Pima County, AZ

The radar

The Tucson radar (KEMX), 103 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:57 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, 7.9 hours before the alert went out and 87 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 12:00Z on 2012-09-06Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1314 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 12:00Z on 2012-09-06The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -18 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
1314 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-64 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1026 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
11 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-18 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
24 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.

283 
WGUS55 KTWC 061955
FFWTWC
AZC019-062300-
/O.NEW.KTWC.FF.W.0057.120906T1955Z-120906T2300Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
1255 PM MST THU SEP 6 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  SOUTH CENTRAL PIMA COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL ARIZONA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF SELLS...

* UNTIL 400 PM MST

* AT 1248 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR 
  INDICATED FLASH FLOODING FROM A THUNDERSTORM OVER FRESNAL 
  CANYON.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO TOPAWA...
  LITTLE TUCSON...AND FRESNAL CANYON.

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.

TO REPORT FLOODING...HAVE THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY RELAY
YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE IN
TUCSON.

&&

LAT...LON 3194 11155 3148 11150 3164 11203 3194 11192

$$

KD
2 follow-up statements
884 
WGUS75 KTWC 062132
FFSTWC

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
232 PM MST THU SEP 6 2012

AZC019-062300-
/O.CON.KTWC.FF.W.0057.000000T0000Z-120906T2300Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
PIMA AZ-
232 PM MST THU SEP 6 2012

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 400 PM MST FOR SOUTH
CENTRAL PIMA COUNTY...

AT 224 PM MST...THE HEAVIEST RAIN HAD ENDED OVER SOUTH CENTRAL 
PIMA COUNTY...BUT RUNOFF INTO WASHES AND STREAM BEDS WILL 
CONTINUE FROM HEAVY RAIN THAT FELL EARLIER. A RAIN GAUGE AT
FRESNAL CANYON SHOWED OVER AN ONE AND ONE HALF INCHES OF RAIN
HAD FALLEN. ELEVATED FLOWS IN FRESNAL WASH WILL CAUSE FLOODING
NEAR TOPAWA.  HEAVY RAIN ALSO FELL WEST OF SAN MIGUEL WHICH
WILL CAUSE RISES IN VAMORI WASH.

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.

&&

LAT...LON 3194 11155 3148 11150 3164 11203 3194 11192

$$

KD
101 
WGUS75 KTWC 062303
FFSTWC

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
403 PM MST THU SEP 6 2012

AZC019-062311-
/O.EXP.KTWC.FF.W.0057.000000T0000Z-120906T2300Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
PIMA AZ-
403 PM MST THU SEP 6 2012

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING HAS EXPIRED FOR SOUTH CENTRAL PIMA
COUNTY...

THIS WARNING HAD BEEN IN EFFECT UNTIL 400 PM MST. THE HEAVIEST 
RAIN HAD ENDED IN THE WARNED AREA AROUND SOUTH KOMELIK...BUT
RUNOFF FROM EARLIER RAIN WILL CONTINUE INTO SMALL STREAMS
LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING. THIS INCLUDES VAMORI
WASH.  

OTHER FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS REMAIN IN EFFECT LATE THIS
AFTERNOON FOR WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE TOHONO O'ODHAM NATION.
A SMALL STREAM FLOOD ADVISORY WILL BE IN EFFECT FOR ALL
OF WESTERN AND CENTRAL PIMA COUNTY UNTIL 10 PM MST.

LAT...LON 3194 11155 3148 11150 3164 11203 3194 11192

$$

KD

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 5, 5:33 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCPima3 hr
Sep 5, 6:30 PM MSTSpecial Weather StatementTWCGreenlee30 min
Sep 6, 12:13 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCCochise2 hr
Sep 6, 1:19 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCCochise, Pima, Santa Cruz116 min
Sep 6, 1:39 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCPima2 hr
Sep 6, 1:48 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCPima3 hr
Sep 6, 2:06 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCPima84 min
Sep 6, 2:30 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCPima, Santa Cruz2 hr
Sep 6, 2:48 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCPima117 min
Sep 6, 2:50 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCPima, Pinal3 hr
Sep 6, 2:55 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCSanta Cruz35 min
Sep 6, 3:04 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCSanta Cruz116 min
Sep 6, 3:17 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCPima24 min
Sep 6, 3:36 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCPima114 min
Sep 6, 4:05 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCCochise, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz6 hr

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.