Alert archive / Arizona / Dust Storm Warnings in 2013
Dust Storm Warning 4, NWS Tucson, AZ
NWS Tucson, AZ issued this dust storm warning at Jul 12, 2013, 11:48 AM MST for Pinal County, Arizona. It was in force for 102 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Jul 12, 2013, 11:48 AM MST (18:48 UTC)
- Expired
- Jul 12, 2013, 1:30 PM MST
- In force
- 102 min
- Issued by
- NWS Tucson, AZ
County Pinal County, AZ
The radar
The Phoenix radar (KIWA), 52 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:48 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, 6.8 hours before the alert went out and 82 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 118 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -142 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 2071 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 24 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 3 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 63 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- -0.1
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this dust storm warning 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 dust storm warning went out at Jul 12, 9:30 AM MST, 2 hours 18 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jul 12, 9:30 AM MST, 2 hours 18 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ 930 AM MST FRI JUL 12 2013 .SYNOPSIS...WITH A BIT LESS ATMOSPHERIC MOISTURE OVER THE AREA EACH DAY THROUGH SUNDAY THE SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WILL DIMINISH SOMEWHAT THROUGH THE WEEKEND WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES SLOWLY RISING. THEN A WEATHER SYSTEM FROM THE PLAINS STATES WILL MOVE WEST AND BEGIN TO AFFECT OUR WEATHER EARLY NEXT WEEK WITH MORE MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY. THIS WILL INCREASE THE THREAT OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MONDAY ONWARD WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES COOLING OFF A BIT ONCE AGAIN. && .DISCUSSION...OVERNIGHT MCS THAT MOVED ACROSS COCHISE COUNTY INTO GRAHAM AND GREENLEE COUNTIES HAS ALL BUT DISSIPATED. THIS SYSTEM DID PRODUCE SOME SOLID RAINFALL SO WE WILL NEED TO WATCH FOR FLOOD THREATS ACROSS THE SATURATED AREAS TODAY. ADDITIONAL MCS ACTIVITY OVER THE SIERRA MADRES LAST NIGHT TRIGGERED A SERIES OF OUTFLOWS THAT IN TURN PRODUCED NEW STORM COMPLEXES DOWNWIND. THE HI RES MODELS ARE HAVING TROUBLE WITH THE COMPLEX CURRENTLY MOVING INTO SANTA CRUZ AND PIMA COUNTIES. THE HRRR DID SHOW SOME WEAK STORMS REACHING FAR SOUTHERN AZ...AND IS CURRENTLY ON TOP OF THE CLOUD COVER. PLUS...MOISTURE CONTENT IS STILL HIGH SO ANY REMNANT OUTFLOWS FROM THE MCS OVER SOUTHERN AZ MAY KEEP CONVECTION GOING FOR A FEW MORE HOURS WITH THAT IN MIND...I TEND TO FAVOR THE HRRR TODAY WHICH SHOWS A SIMILAR EVOLUTION AS YESTERDAY. THAT DOES MAKE SENSE GIVEN OUR 12Z SOUNDING WHICH SHOWS A SIMILAR PROFILE AS YESTERDAY. A THICK VEIL OF CLOUDS SITS OVER MUCH OF SE AZ AND IT WILL TAKE SOME TIME FOR THE CLOUDS TO DISSIPATE MEANING OUR SURFACE HEATING POTENTIAL WILL BE LIMITED. CURRENTLY...WE ARE RUNNING ABOUT A DEGREE WARMER THAN YESTERDAY...AND THE CONVECTIVE TEMP FOR TODAY SHOULD BE SLIGHTLY LOWER THAN YESTERDAY. SO I DONT THINK THE MORNING CLOUD COVER WILL COMPLETELY ELIMINATE STORM CHANCES TODAY...BUT IT MAY KEEP THE INTENSITY AND COVERAGE DOWN TO MORE ISOLATED TO SCATTERED STORMS. GIVEN OUR RECENT RAIN IN THE SOUTHERN ZONES AND HI MOISTURE CONTENT IN THE ATMOSPHERE...I AM AGAIN CONCERNED ABOUT FLOODING. AN ISOLATED DOWNBURST ALSO IS POSSIBLE AS WE ARE CURRENTLY EXPERIENCING GUSTY WINDS OUT OF THE SOUTHERN AZ MCS. JJB && .AVIATION...CONTINUED ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MOVING NNW AT 10-15 KTS THROUGH THIS EVENING OR 08/06Z. ISOLATED CIGS 0F 3-4K FT NEAR THE STRONGER TSTMS WITH VSBYS POTENTIALLY AS LOW AS 1/2 TO 1SM DUE TO HEAVY RAIN. OUTSIDE OF THE THUNDERSTORMS...SURFACE WINDS DIURNALLY DRIVEN LESS THAN 10 KTS. CLOUDS SCT060-080 BKN100-120. AVIATION DISCUSSION NOT UPDATED FOR TAF AMENDMENTS. && .FIRE WEATHER...SCATTERED MAINLY AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY MORNING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE WITH A DIMINISHING TREND INTO THE WEEKEND. THE STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE GUSTY AND ERRATIC WINDS AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS. OUTSIDE OF THE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY...GENERALLY NORMAL DIURNAL WIND TRENDS ARE EXPECTED TO OCCUR THROUGH THE WEEKEND. DAYTIME RELATIVE HUMIDITIES WILL RANGE FROM THE 20S TO 40S WITH GOOD NIGHTTIME RECOVERIES. A SLIGHT DRYING TREND IS EXPECTED LATE THIS WEEKEND. && .PREV DISCUSSION...SOME SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE NOW MOVING ACROSS EXTREME SE AZ EARLY THIS MORNING AND THESE SHOULD CONTINUE NNW AND SLOWLY DIE OFF OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS. THEN AS WE MOVE INTO THE DAY...WITH ABUNDANT LOW LEVEL MOISTURE AND SUFFICIENT INSTABILITY IN PLACE ACROSS THE REGION...CONVECTION IS EXPECTED TO FIRE UP LATE THIS MORNING RESULTING IN SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS FOR THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. TIMING OF THE DEVELOPMENT WILL BE SIMILAR TO YESTERDAY WITH SIMILAR STEERING FLOW PUSHING THE STORMS TO THE NNW. WITH A BIT LESS MID AND UPPER LEVEL MOISTURE TO WORK WITH THE STORMS SHOULD BE SLIGHTLY LESS EFFICIENT RAINFALL PRODUCERS AND WITH A LACK OF A STRONG LIFTING MECHANISM THE INTENSITIES SHOULD BE HELD IN CHECK FOR THE MOST PART. THIS THEME CONTINUES INTO THE WEEKEND WITH LOWER LEVELS OF ATMOSPHERIC MOISTURE FOR THE CONVECTION TO WORK WITH SO WILL HAVE AN OVERALL TREND OF LESS SHOWER AND STORM COVERAGE EACH DAY AND LESS INTENSE RAINFALL WITH THE STORMS. HOWEVER...LESS MOISTURE WILL BRING ABOUT A SOMEWHAT ENHANCED THREAT OF STRONG OUTFLOW WINDS WITH THE STRONGER STORMS DUE TO A DRIER BOUNDARY LAYER. LESS MOISTURE ALSO MEANS MORE SUNSHINE RESULTING IN HIGHER AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES. THE HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL BE A COUPLE OF DEGREES WARMER EACH DAY THROUGH SUNDAY WITH SUNDAY LIKELY THE WARMEST DAY BEFORE TEMPS BEGIN TO COOL A BIT AGAIN. THE AFOREMENTIONED COOL DOWN IS THE RESULT OF AN INTERESTING SITUATION THAT WILL RESULT IN AN ACTIVE PATTERN NEXT WEEK IF IT COMES TO PASS AS CURRENTLY MODELED. AN UPPER LEVEL LOW CURRENTLY CENTERED OVER OHIO IS PROGGED TO MOVE WSW ACROSS THE COUNTY THIS WEEKEND EVENTUALLY ENDING UP IN THE VICINITY OF NEW MEXICO TOWARD THE END OF NEXT WEEK. WHILE DEFINITELY NOT THE NORM NEARLY ALL MODEL SOLUTIONS HAVE PICKED UP ON THIS AND THE LAST FEW HOURS OF THE WATER VAPOR LOOP SHOWS THE LOW BEGINNING TO TURN TOWARD THE SOUTHWEST AT THIS TIME. WHAT THIS WOULD RESULT IN IS AN INCREASE IN DEEP MOISTURE FROM EAST TO WEST BEGINNING MONDAY AND REMAINING OVER THE AREA THROUGH THE WEEK WITH ENHANCED INSTABILITY JUST FOR ADDED FUN. WITH THIS SETUP WE WOULD END UP WITH PLENTY OF CONVECTION EACH DAY THAT WOULD LIKELY LAST WELL INTO THE NIGHT AND THE STORMS WOULD BE EFFICIENT RAINFALL PRODUCERS DUE TO THE HIGH LEVEL OF PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES FORECAST. THE INCREASE IN CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY AND THE ASSOCIATED CLOUD COVER WILL SUPPRESS AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES TO A FEW DEGREES BELOW NORMAL TUESDAY ONWARD. WILL BE INTERESTING TO SEE HOW THIS PLAYS OUT. CERNIGLIA && .TWC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && VISIT US ON FACEBOOK...TWITTER...YOUTUBE...AND AT WEATHER.GOV/TUCSON
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Jul 12, 11:12 AM MST, 36 minutes before
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</html>Special weather statement, Jul 12, 11:34 AM MST, 14 minutes before
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<title>Service Notice</title>
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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>
<p id="message1">
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</p>
<p id="message2">
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</html>The office that day
Everything else NWS Tucson, AZ issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 12, 1:40 AM MST | Areal Flood Advisory | TWC | Cochise | 110 min |
| Jul 12, 2:34 AM MST | Areal Flood Advisory | TWC | Cochise | 116 min |
| Jul 12, 4:35 AM MST | Areal Flood Advisory | TWC | Cochise | 3 hr |
| Jul 12, 11:12 AM MST | Special Weather Statement | TWC | Pinal | 48 min |
| Jul 12, 11:34 AM MST | Special Weather Statement | TWC | Pinal | 41 min |
| Jul 12, 12:41 PM MST | Areal Flood Advisory | TWC | Pinal | 3 hr |
Nearby
Dust Storm Warnings in Arizona, 2013Every dust storm warning in 2013
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.