Alert archive / Arizona / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2012

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 18, NWS Tucson, AZ

July 15, 2012Pima County, Arizona

NWS Tucson, AZ issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 15, 2012, 4:20 PM MST for Pima County, Arizona. It was in force for 40 min. 2 reports 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: Jul 15, 2012, 4:20 PM MST (23:20 UTC)
Expired: Jul 15, 2012, 5:00 PM MST
In force: 40 min
Issued by: NWS Tucson, AZ
Area: Storm-based polygon

County Pima County, AZ

The radar

The Tucson radar (KEMX), 44 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:21 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
Jul 15, 4:30 PM MST	TSTM WND GST 60	2 Sse Tucson, AZ
Jul 15, 5:09 PM MST	HAIL 1	2 Nnw Davis-Monthan Air, AZ	IN TUCSON NEAR ALVERNON AND GRANT

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 12:00Z, 11.3 hours before the alert went out and 19 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: 509 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -217 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1287 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 15 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -5 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 30 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.

094 
WUUS55 KTWC 152320
SVRTWC
AZC019-160000-
/O.NEW.KTWC.SV.W.0018.120715T2320Z-120716T0000Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
420 PM MST SUN JUL 15 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  EAST CENTRAL PIMA COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL ARIZONA...

* UNTIL 500 PM MST

* AT 418 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING QUARTER SIZE HAIL...AND
  DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH.  THIS STORM WAS LOCATED 6 MILES
  NORTH OF SAHUARITA...OR 13 MILES SOUTH OF TUCSON...AND MOVING
  NORTHWEST AT 15 MPH.

* OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
  TUCSON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT...SAN XAVIER MISSION AND SOUTH TUCSON.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

SEEK SHELTER INDOORS. EXPECT DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH...
LARGE HAIL...FREQUENT LIGHTNING...AND HEAVY RAIN WITH THIS STORM.

&&

LAT...LON 3207 11126 3226 11089 3199 11083 3191 11100
TIME...MOT...LOC 2321Z 147DEG 15KT 3206 11098

$$

1 follow-up statement

117 
WWUS55 KTWC 152336
SVSTWC

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
436 PM MST SUN JUL 15 2012

AZC019-160000-
/O.CON.KTWC.SV.W.0018.000000T0000Z-120716T0000Z/
PIMA AZ-
436 PM MST SUN JUL 15 2012

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 500 PM MST
FOR EAST CENTRAL PIMA COUNTY...

AT 431 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING QUARTER SIZE 
HAIL...AND DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH. AT 430 PM MST...THE 
TUCSON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT REPORTED A WIND GUST TO 60 MPH. THIS 
STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR TUCSON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT...OR 11 MILES 
SOUTH OF TUCSON...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

THIS THUNDERSTORM IS PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAINFALL RATES...AND WILL 
LIKELY PRODUCE SWIFT RAINFALL RUNOFF. A FLASH FLOOD WARNING IS IN 
EFFECT FOR EAST CENTRAL PIMA COUNTY UNTIL 615 PM MST.

LAT...LON 3207 11126 3226 11089 3199 11083 3191 11100
TIME...MOT...LOC 2332Z 203DEG 16KT 3209 11095

$$

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 15, 1:35 PM MST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TWC	Pima	40 min
Jul 15, 2:25 PM MST	Special Weather Statement	TWC		50 min
Jul 15, 2:36 PM MST	Areal Flood Advisory	TWC	Pima	114 min
Jul 15, 2:48 PM MST	Special Weather Statement	TWC	Santa Cruz	27 min
Jul 15, 2:52 PM MST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TWC	Pima	38 min
Jul 15, 3:19 PM MST	Areal Flood Advisory	TWC	Cochise, Pima, Santa Cruz	3 hr
Jul 15, 3:32 PM MST	Special Weather Statement	TWC		58 min
Jul 15, 3:45 PM MST	Special Weather Statement	TWC	Cochise	30 min
Jul 15, 4:05 PM MST	Areal Flood Advisory	TWC	Pinal	115 min
Jul 15, 4:09 PM MST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TWC	Pima	51 min
Jul 15, 4:15 PM MST	Flash Flood Warning	TWC	Pima, Santa Cruz	2 hr
Jul 15, 4:38 PM MST	Areal Flood Advisory	TWC	Graham	3 hr
Jul 15, 4:54 PM MST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TWC	Pima, Pinal	66 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Arizona, 2012 Every severe thunderstorm 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.