Alert archive / Arizona / Flash Flood Warnings in 2014

Flash Flood Warning 72, NWS Tucson, AZ

September 17, 2014Santa Cruz County, Arizona

NWS Tucson, AZ issued this flash flood warning at Sep 17, 2014, 9:02 PM MST for Santa Cruz County, Arizona. It was in force for 3 hr. 3 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
Sep 17, 2014, 9:02 PM MST (04:02 UTC)
Expired
Sep 18, 2014, 12:00 AM MST
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Tucson, AZ
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

County Santa Cruz County, AZ

The radar

The Tucson radar (KEMX), 62 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 04:04 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
Sep 17, 9:12 PM MSTFLASH FLOODNogales, AZWEB REPORT OF NOGALES PD SHUTTING DOWN WESTERN AVE FROM WASH OVERFLOWING
Sep 17, 10:02 PM MSTFLASH FLOODNogales, AZFAMILIES EVACUATED NEAR WESTERN AVENUE IN NOGALES
Sep 17, 11:10 PM MSTFLASH FLOODNogales, AZNOGALES WASH OUT OF ITS BANKS IN SEVERAL LOCATIONS.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The nearest sounding before it

Tuscon, AZ (KDMA), launched 00:00Z, 4.0 hours before the alert went out and 85 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 2014-09-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 85 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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 2014-09-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -58 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
85 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-6 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1316 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
4 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-58 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
22 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.

632 
WGUS55 KTWC 180402
FFWTWC
AZC023-180700-
/O.NEW.KTWC.FF.W.0072.140918T0402Z-140918T0700Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
902 PM MST WED SEP 17 2014

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  SOUTH CENTRAL SANTA CRUZ COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST ARIZONA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF NOGALES...

* UNTIL MIDNIGHT MST

* AT 900 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR CONTINUES TO
  INDICATE HEAVY RAINFALL IN THE NOGALES AREA. OF PARTICULAR
  CONCERN IS THE NOGALES WASH COMING OUT OF ITS BANKS IN THE
  CITY OF NOGALES. 

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.

DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS
SAFELY.

&&

LAT...LON 3147 11100 3145 11091 3133 11090 3133 11098

$$
ZELL
2 follow-up statements
832 
WGUS75 KTWC 180602
FFSTWC

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
1102 PM MST WED SEP 17 2014

AZC023-180700-
/O.CON.KTWC.FF.W.0072.000000T0000Z-140918T0700Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
SANTA CRUZ AZ-
1102 PM MST WED SEP 17 2014

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT MST FOR
SOUTH CENTRAL SANTA CRUZ COUNTY...

AT 1055 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONTINUED TO INDICATE 
LIGHT RAINFALL ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL SANTA CRUZ COUNTY. ALTHOUGH ONLY 
LIGHT RAINFALL WAS CURRENTLY OCCURRING...HEAVY FLOWS WILL CONTINUE 
ON WASHES IN SOUTH CENTRAL SANTA CRUZ COUNTY AND THE NOGALES WASH IN 
THE CITY OF NOGALES DUE TO THE HEAVY RAINFALL EARLIER IN THIS AREA. 

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.

DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS
SAFELY.

&&

LAT...LON 3147 11100 3145 11091 3133 11090 3133 11098

$$
ZELL
892 
WGUS75 KTWC 180705
FFSTWC

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
1205 AM MST THU SEP 18 2014

AZC023-180711-
/O.EXP.KTWC.FF.W.0072.000000T0000Z-140918T0700Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
SANTA CRUZ AZ-
1205 AM MST THU SEP 18 2014

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING HAS EXPIRED FOR SOUTH CENTRAL SANTA CRUZ
COUNTY...

AT 1200 AM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATES THE HEAVY 
RAINFALL HAS COME TO AN END...AND THE NOGALES WASH HAS FALLEN BELOW 
BANKFULL. THEREFORE...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR SOUTH CENTRAL 
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY HAS EXPIRED.

HOWEVER...AN URBAN AND SMALL STREAM FLOOD ADVISORY FOR SOUTH CENTRAL 
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY INCLUDING THE CITY OF NOGALES HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR 
THE SAME AREA IN REPLACE OF A WARNING...WITH THE URBAN AND SMALL 
STREAM FLOOD ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH 3 AM MST. 

LAT...LON 3147 11100 3145 11091 3133 11090 3133 11098

$$
ZELL

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 17, 5:04 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCCochise, Pima, Santa Cruz3 hr
Sep 17, 9:40 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCCochise, Pima, Santa Cruz3 hr
Sep 17, 10:19 PM MSTAreal Flood WarningTWCCochise18 hr
Sep 17, 11:59 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCSanta Cruz3 hr
Sep 18, 1:28 AM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCCochise3 hr
Sep 18, 1:34 AM MSTAreal Flood WarningTWCSanta Cruz15 hr
Sep 18, 2:25 AM MSTAreal Flood WarningTWCCochise6 hr
Sep 18, 8:15 AM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCCochise6 hr
Sep 18, 2:06 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCPima, Santa Cruz12 hr
Sep 18, 4:34 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCCochise12 hr
Sep 18, 4:49 PM MSTAreal Flood WarningTWCPima12 hr

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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.