Alert archive / Arizona / Tornado Warnings in 2015

Tornado Warning 3, NWS Flagstaff, AZ

October 5, 2015Gila County, Navajo County, Arizona

NWS Flagstaff, AZ issued this tornado warning at Oct 5, 2015, 3:12 PM MST for Gila County, Navajo County, Arizona. It was in force for 33 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
Oct 5, 2015, 3:12 PM MST (22:12 UTC)
Expired
Oct 5, 2015, 3:45 PM MST
In force
33 min
Issued by
NWS Flagstaff, AZ
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Gila County, AZ, Navajo County, AZ

The radar

The Flagstaff radar (KFSX), 120 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:14 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

Flgstf/Belemont, AZ (KFGZ), launched 12:00Z, 10.2 hours before the alert went out and 206 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, Flgstf/Belemont, AZ at 12:00Z on 2015-10-05Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 91 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Flgstf/Belemont, AZ at 12:00Z on 2015-10-05The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 72 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
91 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
581 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
40 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
72 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
112 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.

689 
WFUS55 KFGZ 052212
TORFGZ
AZC007-017-052245-
/O.NEW.KFGZ.TO.W.0003.151005T2212Z-151005T2245Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ
312 PM MST MON OCT 5 2015

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN FLAGSTAFF HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHEASTERN GILA COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL ARIZONA...
  SOUTHEASTERN NAVAJO COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL ARIZONA...

* UNTIL 345 PM MST
    
* AT 312 PM MST...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
  CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS DANGEROUS STORM WAS LOCATED
  NEAR FORT APACHE RESERVATION...OR 15 MILES SOUTH OF SHOW LOW...AND
  MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  SHOW LOW...PINETOP-LAKESIDE...HONDAH...WAGON WHEEL...LAKE OF THE
  WOODS--PINETOP-LAKESIDE...FORT APACHE RESERVATION...LAKESIDE
  CAMPGROUND...WHITE MOUNTAIN APACHE RESERVATION AND SCOTT RESERVOIR
  CAMPGROUND.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW. MOVE TO A BASEMENT OR AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR OF A STURDY BUILDING. AVOID WINDOWS. IF YOU ARE IN A VEHICLE OR
OUTDOORS...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER AND PROTECT
YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

&&

LAT...LON 3390 11008 3400 11026 3427 11005 3417 10985
TIME...MOT...LOC 2212Z 212DEG 39KT 3403 11012 

$$

KD
2 follow-up statements
409 
WWUS55 KFGZ 052225
SVSFGZ

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ
325 PM MST MON OCT 5 2015

AZC007-052232-
/O.CAN.KFGZ.TO.W.0003.000000T0000Z-151005T2245Z/
GILA-
325 PM MST MON OCT 5 2015

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHEASTERN GILA COUNTY IS CANCELLED...
    
THE TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS MOVED OUT 
OF GILA COUNTY. THE WARNING CONTINUES FOR SOUTHERN NAVAJO COUNTY. 

LAT...LON 3404 11001 3411 11016 3427 11005 3419 10989
TIME...MOT...LOC 2222Z 213DEG 29KT 3409 11007 

$$

AZC017-052245-
/O.CON.KFGZ.TO.W.0003.000000T0000Z-151005T2245Z/
NAVAJO-
325 PM MST MON OCT 5 2015

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 345 PM MST FOR
SOUTHEASTERN NAVAJO COUNTY...
    
AT 322 PM MST...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE
OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS DANGEROUS STORM WAS LOCATED 7 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF PINETOP-LAKESIDE...OR 10 MILES SOUTH OF SHOW LOW...
MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

IN ADDITION...HAIL TO THE SIZE OF NICKELS REMAINS LIKELY WITH THIS 
STORM.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE... PINETOP-LAKESIDE...SHOW LOW...WAGON 
WHEEL...LAKE OF THE WOODS--PINETOP-LAKESIDE...SCOTT RESERVOIR 
CAMPGROUND AND LAKESIDE CAMPGROUND.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW. MOVE TO A BASEMENT OR AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR OF A STURDY BUILDING. AVOID WINDOWS. IF YOU ARE IN A VEHICLE OR
OUTDOORS...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER AND PROTECT
YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

&&

LAT...LON 3404 11001 3411 11016 3427 11005 3419 10989
TIME...MOT...LOC 2222Z 213DEG 29KT 3409 11007 

$$

KD
250 
WWUS55 KFGZ 052242
SVSFGZ

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ
342 PM MST MON OCT 5 2015

AZC017-052249-
/O.EXP.KFGZ.TO.W.0003.000000T0000Z-151005T2245Z/
NAVAJO-
342 PM MST MON OCT 5 2015

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHEASTERN NAVAJO COUNTY WILL EXPIRE AT
345 PM MST...
                
THE STORM NEAR AND SOUTHWEST OF PINETOP-LAKESIDE WHICH PROMPTED THE 
WARNING HAS WEAKENED BELOW SEVERE LIMITS...AND NO LONGER APPEARS TO 
BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THEREFORE...THE WARNING WILL BE 
ALLOWED TO EXPIRE. HOWEVER GUSTY WINDS AND HEAVY RAIN ARE STILL 
POSSIBLE WITH THIS THUNDERSTORM.

LAT...LON 3404 11001 3411 11016 3427 11005 3419 10989
TIME...MOT...LOC 2238Z 212DEG 39KT 3409 11007 

$$

KD

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Oct 5, 10:46 AM MSTSpecial Weather StatementFGZ29 min
Oct 5, 12:13 PM MSTSpecial Weather StatementFGZ32 min
Oct 5, 3:00 PM MSTSpecial Weather StatementFGZ30 min
Oct 5, 4:38 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZCoconino37 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Arizona, 2015Every tornado warning in 2015Tornadoes in 2015

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.