Alert archive / Arizona / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2012

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 90, NWS Tucson, AZ

August 21, 2012Pima County, Arizona

NWS Tucson, AZ issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 21, 2012, 3:34 PM MST for Pima County, Arizona. It was in force for 41 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Aug 21, 2012, 3:34 PM MST (22:34 UTC)
Expired
Aug 21, 2012, 4:15 PM MST
In force
41 min
Issued by
NWS Tucson, AZ
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Pima County, AZ

The radar

The Tucson radar (KEMX), 40 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:37 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 (KDMA), launched 12:00Z, 10.6 hours before the alert went out and 10 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 2012-08-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1386 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 2012-08-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 17 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
1386 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-110 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1261 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
3 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
17 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
32 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.

560 
WUUS55 KTWC 212234
SVRTWC
AZC019-212315-
/O.NEW.KTWC.SV.W.0090.120821T2234Z-120821T2315Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
334 PM MST TUE AUG 21 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 415 PM MST

* AT 330 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 NEAR
  TUCSON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT...OR 11 MILES SOUTH OF TUCSON...AND
  MOVING NORTH AT 5 MPH.

* OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO SAN
  XAVIER MISSION...SOUTH TUCSON AND DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE

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 3219 11110 3221 11081 3198 11083 3197 11104
TIME...MOT...LOC 2235Z 186DEG 4KT 3208 11094

$$
1 follow-up statement
962 
WWUS55 KTWC 212301
SVSTWC

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
401 PM MST TUE AUG 21 2012

AZC019-212315-
/O.CON.KTWC.SV.W.0090.000000T0000Z-120821T2315Z/
PIMA AZ-
401 PM MST TUE AUG 21 2012

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 415 PM MST
FOR EAST CENTRAL PIMA COUNTY...

AT 354 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.  THIS STORM WAS
LOCATED NEAR TUCSON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT...OR 9 MILES SOUTH OF
TUCSON...MOVING NORTH AT 5 MPH.

LAT...LON 3219 11110 3221 11081 3198 11083 3197 11104
TIME...MOT...LOC 2301Z 186DEG 4KT 3211 11094

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 20, 5:59 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCPima2 hr
Aug 20, 6:10 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCPima80 min
Aug 20, 7:26 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCPima109 min
Aug 20, 7:40 PM MSTSpecial Weather StatementTWCPima50 min
Aug 21, 12:17 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCGraham28 min
Aug 21, 1:04 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCPinal26 min
Aug 21, 2:10 PM MSTSpecial Weather StatementTWCCochise50 min
Aug 21, 2:49 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCPima86 min
Aug 21, 3:12 PM MSTSpecial Weather StatementTWC48 min
Aug 21, 3:28 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCCochise, Pima47 min
Aug 21, 3:53 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCPima112 min
Aug 21, 4:15 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCPima45 min
Aug 21, 4:34 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCPima116 min
Aug 21, 4:42 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCPima, Santa Cruz2 hr

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Arizona, 2012Every 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.