Alert archive / Arizona / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012

Flash Flood Warning 59, NWS Tucson, AZ

September 6, 2012Pima County, Arizona

NWS Tucson, AZ issued this flash flood warning at Sep 6, 2012, 1:48 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, 1:48 PM MST (20:48 UTC)
Expired
Sep 6, 2012, 4:45 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 Phoenix radar (KIWA), 155 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:51 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

Phoenix, AZ (KPSR), launched 12:00Z, 8.8 hours before the alert went out and 152 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, Phoenix, AZ at 12:00Z on 2012-09-06Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 888 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, Phoenix, AZ at 12:00Z on 2012-09-06The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -15 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
888 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-136 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1475 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
4 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-15 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
55 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.

859 
WGUS55 KTWC 062048
FFWTWC
AZC019-062345-
/O.NEW.KTWC.FF.W.0059.120906T2048Z-120906T2345Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 445 PM MST

* AT 139 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  FLASH FLOODING FROM THUNDERSTORMS OVER AJO...KUAKATCH AND EAST
  OF LUKEVILLE.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO AJO...
  KUAKATCH AND GU VO.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF SMALL
CREEKS AND STREAMS...HIGHWAYS AND UNDERPASSES. ADDITIONALLY...COUNTRY
ROADS AND FARMLANDS ALONG THE BANKS OF CREEKS...STREAMS AND OTHER LOW
LYING AREAS ARE SUBJECT TO FLOODING.

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

&&

LAT...LON 3250 11295 3250 11258 3177 11245 3191 11289

$$

KD
2 follow-up statements
721 
WGUS75 KTWC 062217
FFSTWC

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

AZC019-062345-
/O.CON.KTWC.FF.W.0059.000000T0000Z-120906T2345Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
PIMA AZ-
317 PM MST THU SEP 6 2012

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 445 PM MST FOR
WESTERN PIMA COUNTY...

AT 301 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING FLASH FLOODING OVER THE WARNED 
AREA. PIMA COUNTY SHERIFF OFFICE HAS REPORTED MULTIPLE WASHES 
FLOODED IN AJO. PRECIPITATION ESTIMATES INDICATED UP TO 2 INCHES PER 
HOUR RAINFALL RATES ARE STILL OCCURRING.  

DRIVERS SHOULD USE EXTREME CAUTION IF TRAVELING IN THIS AREA.

LAT...LON 3250 11295 3250 11258 3177 11245 3191 11289

$$
778 
WGUS75 KTWC 062344
FFSTWC

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

AZC019-062352-
/O.EXP.KTWC.FF.W.0059.000000T0000Z-120906T2345Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
PIMA AZ-
444 PM MST THU SEP 6 2012

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 445 PM MST FOR WESTERN PIMA
COUNTY...

ALTHOUGH RAINFALL HAS WEAKENED ACROSS WESTERN PIMA COUNTY...WEATHER 
RADAR ESTIMATED 1.50 TO 2.25 INCHES OF RAIN HAD FALLEN NEAR THE TOWN 
OF AJO...AND ALONG HIGHWAY 85 BETWEEN WHY AND ORGAN PIPE NATIONAL 
MONUMENT. EXPECT HEAVY FLOWS IN THE GIBSON ARROYO AND SIKORT CHUAPO 
WASH NEAR AJO...AS WELL AS THE GROWLER...KUAKATCH AND ALAMO WASHES 
SOUTH OF WHY. 

ALTHOUGH AMPLE TIME HAS ELAPSED WHERE FLASH FLOODING IS NO LONGER A 
THREAT...SIGNIFICANT WATER FLOWING IN NORMALLY DRY WASHES...ROADWAY 
DIPS AND OTHER LOW LYING AREAS IS STILL LIKELY TO RESULT IN MINOR 
FLOODING ISSUES.

A SMALL STREAM FLOOD ADVISORY WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM 
MST FOR SOUTHERN PINAL...PIMA...SANTA CRUZ AND EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN
COCHISE COUNTIES.

LAT...LON 3250 11295 3250 11258 3177 11245 3191 11289

$$

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, 12:55 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCPima3 hr
Sep 6, 1:19 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCCochise, Pima, Santa Cruz116 min
Sep 6, 1:39 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCPima2 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.