Alert archive / Arizona / Special Weather Statements in 2012

Special Weather Statement, NWS Tucson, AZ

August 21, 2012Cochise County, Arizona

NWS Tucson, AZ issued this special weather statement at Aug 21, 2012, 2:10 PM MST for Cochise County, Arizona. It was in force for 50 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, 2:10 PM MST (21:10 UTC)
Expired
Aug 21, 2012, 3:00 PM MST
In force
50 min
Issued by
NWS Tucson, AZ

County Cochise County, AZ

The radar

The Tucson radar (KEMX), 39 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:13 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, 9.2 hours before the alert went out and 223 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 2012-08-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 931 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Phoenix, AZ at 12:00Z on 2012-08-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 20 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
931 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-180 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1715 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
14 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
20 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
35 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.

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What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this special weather statement went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Tucson, AZ wrote its last area forecast discussion before this special weather statement went out at Aug 21, 9:50 AM MST, 4 hours 20 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 21, 9:50 AM MST, 4 hours 20 minutes before
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  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
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</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
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        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
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        Please try again in a few minutes.
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Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 21, 9:41 AM MST, 4 hours 29 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
941 AM MST TUE AUG 21 2012

AZZ501>515-220600-
WESTERN PIMA COUNTY-TOHONO O'ODHAM NATION-
UPPER SANTA CRUZ RIVER VALLEY/ALTAR VALLEY-TUCSON METRO AREA-
SOUTH CENTRAL PINAL COUNTY-SOUTHEAST PINAL COUNTY-
UPPER SAN PEDRO RIVER VALLEY-
EASTERN COCHISE COUNTY BELOW 5000 FEET-UPPER GILA RIVER VALLEY-
WHITE MOUNTAINS OF GRAHAM AND GREENLEE COUNTIES-
GALIURO AND PINALENO MOUNTAINS-CHIRICAHUA MOUNTAINS-
DRAGOON AND MULE AND HUACHUCA AND SANTA RITA MOUNTAINS-
CATALINA AND RINCON MOUNTAINS-BABOQUIVARI MOUNTAINS-
941 AM MST TUE AUG 21 2012

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST
ARIZONA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

A MOIST ATMOSPHERE RESIDING ACROSS SOUTHEAST ARIZONA WILL RESULT IN
SCATTERED COVERAGE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TODAY...WITH BEST
CHANCES OF PRECIPITATION WEST OF A SAFFORD-TO-BISBEE LINE.

THE MORE FAVORED AREA FOR STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE ACROSS SOUTH
CENTRAL ARIZONA LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY THIS EVENING. THIS
WOULD INCLUDE SANTA CRUZ...CENTRAL AND EASTERN PIMA AND SOUTHEAST
PINAL COUNTIES. THE COMBINATION OF A VERY MOIST ATMOSPHERE AND
INCREASINGLY MORE UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE WILL RESULT IN AN ELEVATED
RISK OF DAMAGING DOWNBURST WINDS AND LOCALIZED FLOODING ISSUES.
A MORE DEFINED THUNDERSTORM OUTFLOW WITH BLOWING DUST TRACKING
NORTHWEST ACROSS CENTRAL/EASTERN PIMA AND SOUTHERN PINAL COUNTIES
WILL BE POSSIBLE LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY THIS EVENING.

OTHERWISE...A MORE STABLE LAYER ALOFT WILL LIMIT THE OVERALL
INTENSITY OF INDIVIDUAL STORMS EAST OF TUCSON. EXPECT STORMS TO
DEVELOP OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN LATE THIS MORNING...BUT STRUGGLE TO
MOVE OFF THE MOUNTAINS INTO THE VALLEYS THIS AFTERNOON. ALTHOUGH
THESE STORMS WILL STILL BE ABLE TO PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL
AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS...THE RISK OF WIDESPREAD FLOODING ISSUES OR
DAMAGING DOWNBURST WINDS IS RELATIVELY LOW.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

AN INCREASE IN SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM COVERAGE IS EXPECTED
WEDNESDAY AS MOISTURE CONTINUES TO MOVE INTO THE AREA FROM THE SOUTH.
THIS WILL RESULT IN A RISK OF WIDESPREAD HEAVY RAINFALL.

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL THEN BE POSSIBLE THURSDAY AS A TROUGH OF
LOW PRESSURE TRACKS EASTWARD ACROSS NORTHERN ARIZONA AND INTERACTS
WITH THE VERY MOIST ATMOSPHERE IN PLACE.

A STRONG DECREASE IN THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED FRIDAY...
PERSISTING INTO THE WEEKEND.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.

WEATHER.GOV/TUCSON

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Aug 21, 2:10 PM MST, 0 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
210 PM MST TUE AUG 21 2012

AZZ507-508-513-212200-
DRAGOON/MULE/HUACHUCA AND SANTA RITA MOUNTAINS INCLUDING
BISBEE/CANELO HILLS/MADERA CANYON AZ-EASTERN COCHISE COUNTY BELOW
5000 FEET INCLUDING DOUGLAS/WILLCOX AZ-UPPER SAN PEDRO RIVER VALLEY
INCLUDING SIERRA VISTA/BENSON AZ-
210 PM MST TUE AUG 21 2012

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR WESTERN COCHISE COUNTY UNTIL 300
PM MST...

AT 206 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM 6 MILES NORTHEAST OF BENSON...OR 29 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF WILLCOX...MOVING SOUTH AT 10 MPH.

WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM...ALONG WITH
HEAVY RAIN.

AREAS AFFECTED BY THIS STORM INCLUDE...BENSON.

LAT...LON 3211 11032 3207 11007 3192 11015 3198 11041
TIME...MOT...LOC 2110Z 022DEG 7KT 3203 11026

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, 2:49 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, 3:34 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCPima41 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

Special Weather Statements in Arizona, 2012Every special weather statement 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.