Alert archive / Arizona / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012

Flash Flood Warning 71, NWS Tucson, AZ

September 7, 2012Cochise County, Arizona

NWS Tucson, AZ issued this flash flood warning at Sep 7, 2012, 1:58 PM MST for Cochise 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 7, 2012, 1:58 PM MST (20:58 UTC)
Expired
Sep 7, 2012, 5:00 PM MST
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Tucson, AZ
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

County Cochise County, AZ

The radar

The Tucson radar (KEMX), 92 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:01 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, 9.0 hours before the alert went out and 107 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 2012-09-07Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1118 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 2012-09-07The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 33 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
1118 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-53 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
871 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
7 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
33 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
25 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.

806 
WGUS55 KTWC 072058
FFWTWC
AZC003-080000-
/O.NEW.KTWC.FF.W.0071.120907T2058Z-120908T0000Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
158 PM MST FRI SEP 7 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN COCHISE COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST ARIZONA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF WILLCOX...

* UNTIL 500 PM MST

* AT 150 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  VERY HEAVY RAIN AND LIKELY FLASH FLOODING FROM A THUNDERSTORM 
  OVER THE WILLCOX AREA. 

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO WILLCOX.
  COCHISE AND BOWIE ARE ALSO INCLUDED IN THIS WARNING WHERE 
  ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAIN MAY FALL.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF WASHES
AND STREAMS...URBAN AREAS...HIGHWAYS...STREETS AND UNDERPASSES AS
WELL AS OTHER DRAINAGE AREAS AND LOW LYING SPOTS.

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.

&&

LAT...LON 3242 11004 3242 10937 3213 10931 3206 11010

$$

KD
2 follow-up statements
127 
WGUS75 KTWC 072210
FFSTWC

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
310 PM MST FRI SEP 7 2012

AZC003-080000-
/O.CON.KTWC.FF.W.0071.000000T0000Z-120908T0000Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
COCHISE AZ-
310 PM MST FRI SEP 7 2012

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 500 PM MST FOR
NORTHERN COCHISE COUNTY...

AT 303 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN OVER SOUTHEAST
OF WILLCOX ALONG AND SOUTH OF ROUTE 186 NEAR SOUTH BUTTERFIELD 
ROAD AND OTHER ROADS IN THE AREA.

LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING ARE MAINLY CONFINED TO RURAL AREAS
BETWEEN HIGHWAY 191 AND ROUTE 186 SOUTHEAST OF WILLCOX.

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.

&&

LAT...LON 3242 11004 3242 10937 3213 10931 3206 11010

$$

KD
176 
WGUS75 KTWC 072358
FFSTWC

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
458 PM MST FRI SEP 7 2012

AZC003-080006-
/O.EXP.KTWC.FF.W.0071.000000T0000Z-120908T0000Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
COCHISE AZ-
458 PM MST FRI SEP 7 2012

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 500 PM MST FOR NORTHERN
COCHISE COUNTY...

RADAR INDICATED THAT HEAVY RAIN HAS ENDED ACROSS NORTHERN COCHISE 
COUNTY. FLOW IS WASHES AND STREAMS LIKELY HAS STARTED TO RECEDED. 
ADDITIONAL RAINFALL IS POSSIBLE BETWEEN 630 PM AND 8 PM IF THE 
STORMS UP NEAR SAFFORD CONTINUE TO MOVE TO THE SOUTHWEST. 

LAT...LON 3242 11004 3242 10937 3213 10931 3206 11010

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 6, 5:15 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCPinal90 min
Sep 6, 5:37 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCGreenlee38 min
Sep 6, 5:54 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCGreenlee111 min
Sep 6, 8:48 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCGraham117 min
Sep 6, 9:14 PM MSTSpecial Weather StatementTWCGraham46 min
Sep 7, 4:50 AM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCPima3 hr
Sep 7, 5:47 AM MSTFlash Flood WatchTWCCochise, Graham, Greenlee, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz12 hr
Sep 7, 6:13 AM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCPima3 hr
Sep 7, 6:21 AM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCPima, Pinal3 hr
Sep 7, 7:44 AM MSTAreal Flood WarningTWCPima6 hr
Sep 7, 12:55 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCCochise, Santa Cruz110 min
Sep 7, 1:08 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCCochise112 min
Sep 7, 2:45 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCCochise90 min
Sep 7, 3:35 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCCochise115 min
Sep 7, 3:47 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCGreenlee118 min
Sep 7, 4:52 PM MSTSpecial Weather StatementTWCGraham23 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.