Alert archive / Arizona / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012

Flash Flood Warning 7, NWS Tucson, AZ

July 12, 2012Pima County, Arizona

NWS Tucson, AZ issued this flash flood warning at Jul 12, 2012, 4:30 PM MST for Pima County, Arizona. It was in force for 2 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 12, 2012, 4:30 PM MST (23:30 UTC)
Expired
Jul 12, 2012, 6:30 PM MST
In force
2 hr
Issued by
NWS Tucson, AZ
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

County Pima County, AZ

The radar

The Tucson radar (KEMX), 121 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:30 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, 11.5 hours before the alert went out and 109 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 2012-07-12Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 650 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 2012-07-12The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 40 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
650 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-96 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1495 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
16 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
40 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
36 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.

157 
WGUS55 KTWC 122330
FFWTWC
AZC019-130130-
/O.NEW.KTWC.FF.W.0007.120712T2330Z-120713T0130Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
430 PM MST THU JUL 12 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 630 PM MST

* AT 424 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED   
  A THUNDERSTORM WEST OF CHOULIC THAT IS LIKELY PRODUCING FLASH      
  FLOODING IN THE AREA AND ALSO EXTENDING TOWARD VAMORI AND SOUTH    
  KOMELIK. 

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO VAMORI...  
  TOPAWA...SOUTH KOMELIK...COWLIC...CHOULIC AND BIG FIELDS.

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.

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 3158 11190 3163 11204 3165 11207 3199 11206
      3175 11167 3154 11169 3153 11169

$$
2 follow-up statements
777 
WGUS75 KTWC 122358
FFSTWC

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
458 PM MST THU JUL 12 2012

AZC019-130130-
/O.CON.KTWC.FF.W.0007.000000T0000Z-120713T0130Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
PIMA AZ-
458 PM MST THU JUL 12 2012

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 630 PM MST FOR SOUTH
CENTRAL PIMA COUNTY...

AT 442 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO 
INDICATE A THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING FLASH FLOODING FROM 
EAST OF VAMORI AND WEST OF A LINE FROM SOUTH KOMELIK TO CHOULIC TO 
SAN MIGUEL.

LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO VAMORI...
TOPAWA...SOUTH KOMELIK...COWLIC AND BIG FIELDS

DOPPLER RADAR RAINFALL ESTIMATES INDICATE THAT AMOUNTS IN EXCESS OF 
3 INCHES PER HOUR ARE FALLING WITH THIS STORM. THE MAIN WASH 
AFFECTED BY THE HEAVY RAIN WILL BE THE VAMORI WASH. IN ADDITION... 
INDIAN ROUTES 2 AND 19 WILL BE AFFECTED BY THE HEAVY RAIN WITH FAST 
FLOWING WATER MOVING ACROSS DIPS IN THE ROADWAY. DO NOT CROSS THE 
HIGHWAY WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.  

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.

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 3158 11190 3163 11204 3165 11207 3199 11206
      3175 11167 3154 11169 3153 11169

$$
368 
WGUS75 KTWC 130130
FFSTWC

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
630 PM MST THU JUL 12 2012

AZC019-130136-
/O.EXP.KTWC.FF.W.0007.000000T0000Z-120713T0130Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
PIMA AZ-
630 PM MST THU JUL 12 2012

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 630 PM MST FOR SOUTH
CENTRAL PIMA COUNTY...

VERY HEAVY RAIN FELL EARLIER IN THE AFTERNOON ACROSS AREAS FROM 
COWLIC TO VAMORI TO SAN MIGUEL. HOWEVER...THE RAIN HAS BEEN 
DIMINISHING DURING THE PAST HALF HOUR OR SO. THEREFORE...THE FLASH 
FLOOD WARNING WILL BE ALLOWED TO EXPIRE AT 630 PM MST. HOWEVER...A 
SMALL STREAM FLOOD ADVISORY FOR THE SAME AREA IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 730 
PM MST THIS EVENING. MOTORISTS TRAVELING NEAR THE VAMORI WASH... 
SPECIFICALLY NEAR INDIAN ROUTES 2 AND 19 SHOULD DRIVE WITH CAUTION 
SINCE SOME AREAS OF THE ROADWAY ARE LIKELY COVERED BY WATER. 

LAT...LON 3158 11190 3163 11204 3165 11207 3199 11206
      3175 11167 3154 11169 3153 11169

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 12, 3:14 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCPima33 min
Jul 12, 3:25 PM MSTSpecial Weather StatementTWCSanta Cruz50 min
Jul 12, 3:39 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCPima2 hr
Jul 12, 3:54 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCPima51 min
Jul 12, 3:59 PM MSTSpecial Weather StatementTWCPima61 min
Jul 12, 4:39 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCPima51 min

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.