Alert archive / Arizona / Flash Flood Warnings in 2014

Flash Flood Warning 45, NWS Tucson, AZ

August 17, 2014Pima County, Arizona

NWS Tucson, AZ issued this flash flood warning at Aug 17, 2014, 7:33 PM MST for Pima County, Arizona. It was in force for 87 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 17, 2014, 7:33 PM MST (02:33 UTC)
Expired
Aug 17, 2014, 9:00 PM MST
In force
87 min
Issued by
NWS Tucson, AZ
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

County Pima County, AZ

The radar

The Tucson radar (KEMX), 21 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:34 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 00:00Z, 2.6 hours before the alert went out and 24 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 00:00Z on 2014-08-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 657 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 00:00Z on 2014-08-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -53 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
657 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-26 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2812 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
14 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-53 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
26 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.

593 
WGUS55 KTWC 180233
FFWTWC
AZC019-180400-
/O.NEW.KTWC.FF.W.0045.140818T0233Z-140818T0400Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
733 PM MST SUN AUG 17 2014

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  EAST CENTRAL PIMA COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST ARIZONA...

* UNTIL 900 PM MST

* AT 723 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED   
  FLASH FLOODING FROM A CLUTSER OF THUNDERSTORMS FROM AROUND VAIL TO 
  PANTANO. THE STORMS WERE MOVING SLOWLY TO THE WEST AT LESS THAN 10 
  MPH. RAIN GUAGES IN THE AREA HAVE REPORTED OVER 1 INCH HAD FALLEN  
  IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO VAIL...
  SAGUARO NATIONAL PARK EAST AND RITA RANCH

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF SMALL
CREEKS AND STREAMS...HIGHWAYS AND UNDERPASSES. ADDITIONALLY...COUNTRY
ROADS AND FARMLANDS ALONG THE BANKS OF CREEKS...STREAMS AND OTHER LOW
LYING AREAS ARE SUBJECT TO FLOODING.

&&

LAT...LON 3221 11078 3208 11047 3195 11047 3194 11085

$$
2 follow-up statements
926 
WGUS75 KTWC 180308
FFSTWC

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
808 PM MST SUN AUG 17 2014

AZC019-180400-
/O.CON.KTWC.FF.W.0045.000000T0000Z-140818T0400Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
PIMA AZ-
808 PM MST SUN AUG 17 2014

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM MST FOR EAST
CENTRAL PIMA COUNTY...

AT 756 PM MST...RADAR CONTINUED TO SHOW SCATTERED SHOWERS AND 
THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAINFALL AROUND VAIL TO THE PIMA COUNTY 
FAIR GROUNDS. A RAIN GAUGE AT THE PIMA COUNTY FAIR GROUNDS REPORTED 
1.34 INCHES OF RAIN IN WHICH .59 OF IT FELL IN 15 MINUTES. THE 
STORMS WERE MOVING WEST AT LESS THAN 10 MPH.

AN URBAN AND SMALL STREAM FLOOD ADVISORY ALSO REMAINS IN EFFECT 
UNTIL 915 PM MST FOR ALL OF EASTERN PIMA COUNTY. ADDITIONAL STORMS 
WILL LIKELY PRODUCE MINOR FLOODING OF ROADWAYS AND ELEVATED FLOWS IN 
AREA WASHES. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE
DANGERS OF FLOODING. IF FLASH FLOODING IS OBSERVED ACT QUICKLY. MOVE
UP TO HIGHER GROUND TO ESCAPE FLOOD WATERS. DO NOT STAY IN AREAS
SUBJECT TO FLOODING WHEN WATER BEGINS RISING.

&&

LAT...LON 3221 11078 3208 11047 3195 11047 3194 11085

$$
207 
WGUS75 KTWC 180354
FFSTWC

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
854 PM MST SUN AUG 17 2014

AZC019-180401-
/O.EXP.KTWC.FF.W.0045.000000T0000Z-140818T0400Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
PIMA AZ-
854 PM MST SUN AUG 17 2014

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 900 PM MST FOR EAST CENTRAL
PIMA COUNTY...

THE HEAVY RAINFALL THAT PROMPTED THE WARNING HAD ENDED ACROSS THE 
AREA. SEVERAL RAIN GAUGES REPORTED OVER 1.5 INCHES IN A SHORT TIME 
FRAME SO RUNOFF INTO SMALL STREAMS AND WASHES ALONG WITH PONDING OF 
WATER IN LOW-LYING AREAS CAN STILL BE EXPECTED. HOWEVER...THE THREAT 
FOR FLASH FLOODING HAD ENDED SO THE WARNING WILL EXPIRE ON TIME AT 
900 PM MST.  

LAT...LON 3221 11078 3208 11047 3195 11047 3194 11085

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 17, 5:36 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCPinal24 min
Aug 17, 6:01 PM MSTDust Storm WarningTWCPima, Pinal119 min
Aug 17, 6:45 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCCochise, Pima90 min
Aug 17, 7:25 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCCochise, Pima, Pinal110 min
Aug 17, 8:02 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCPima, Santa Cruz88 min
Aug 17, 9:10 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCPima, Santa Cruz110 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Arizona, 2014Every flash flood warning in 2014

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.