Alert archive / Arizona / Flash Flood Warnings in 2015

Flash Flood Warning 29, NWS Tucson, AZ

August 9, 2015Pima County, Arizona

NWS Tucson, AZ issued this flash flood warning at Aug 9, 2015, 5:32 PM MST for Pima County, Arizona. It was in force for 118 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 9, 2015, 5:32 PM MST (00:32 UTC)
Expired
Aug 9, 2015, 7:30 PM MST
In force
118 min
Issued by
NWS Tucson, AZ
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

County Pima County, AZ

The radar

The Tucson radar (KEMX), 74 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:34 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, 0.5 hours before the alert went out and 75 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 2015-08-10Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 2015-08-10The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -17 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
0 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
13 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-17 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-33 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.

237 
WGUS55 KTWC 100032
FFWTWC
AZC019-100230-
/O.NEW.KTWC.FF.W.0029.150810T0032Z-150810T0230Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
532 PM MST SUN AUG 9 2015

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  SOUTH CENTRAL PIMA COUNTY IN SOUTHEASTERN ARIZONA...

* UNTIL 730 PM MST
    
* AT 526 PM MST...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THAT THE STRONG 
  THUNDERSTORMS EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON NEAR ARIVACA HAD PRODUCED 
  BETWEEN 1 AND 2 INCHES OF RAIN WITH ISOLATED LOCATIONS RECEIVING 
  AS MUCH AS 2.25 INCHES. 

A TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTER IN ARIVACA REPORTED 2.21 INCHES FROM THESE 
STORMS...AND THE SMALL WASHES THAT FEED INTO ARIVACA CREEK WERE OUT 
OF THEIR BANKS. EXPECT FLASH FLOODING NEAR ARIVACA CREEK...AS WELL 
AS SECO ARROYO NORTH OF ARIVACA. BOTH OF THESE WASHES WILL DRAIN 
INTO ALTAR WASH.


PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TURN AROUND...DON'T DROWN WHEN ENCOUNTERING FLOODED ROADS. MOST FLOOD
DEATHS OCCUR IN VEHICLES.

&&

LAT...LON 3153 11132 3165 11145 3175 11141 3169 11131
      3153 11123

$$
2 follow-up statements
767 
WGUS75 KTWC 100133
FFSTWC

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
633 PM MST SUN AUG 9 2015

AZC019-100230-
/O.CON.KTWC.FF.W.0029.000000T0000Z-150810T0230Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
PIMA AZ-
633 PM MST SUN AUG 9 2015

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 730 PM MST FOR
SOUTH CENTRAL PIMA COUNTY...

ALTHOUGH THE STRONG STORMS HAVE WEAKENED AND ONLY LIGHT TO MODERATE 
RAINFALL CONTINUES ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL PIMA COUNTY...THE HEAVY 
RAINFALL EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON NEAR ARIVACA CONTINUES WILL 
CONTINUE TO RAPIDLY DRAIN INTO ARIVACA CREEK AND SECO ARROYO.  

WEATHER RADAR ESTIMATED THESE STORMS PRODUCED BETWEEN 1 AND 2 INCHES 
OF RAIN WITH ISOLATED LOCATIONS TO 2.25 INCHES. AN AUTOMATED RAIN 
GAGE NEAR ARIVACA LAKE RECEIVED 1.42 INCHES. A TRAINED WEATHER 
SPOTTER IN ARIVACA REPORTED 2.21 INCHES. 

FLASH FLOODING ALONG ARIVACA CREEK IS LIKELY...AS WELL AS SECO 
ARROYO NORTH OF ARIVACA. BOTH OF THESE WASHES DRAIN INTO ALTAR WASH.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TURN AROUND...DONT DROWN WHEN ENCOUNTERING FLOODED ROADS. MOST FLOOD
DEATHS OCCUR IN VEHICLES.

&&

LAT...LON 3153 11132 3165 11145 3175 11141 3169 11131
      3153 11123

$$
348 
WGUS75 KTWC 100226
FFSTWC

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
726 PM MST SUN AUG 9 2015

AZC019-100232-
/O.EXP.KTWC.FF.W.0029.000000T0000Z-150810T0230Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
PIMA AZ-
726 PM MST SUN AUG 9 2015

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR SOUTH CENTRAL PIMA COUNTY WILL EXPIRE
AT 730 PM MST...

THE HEAVY RAINFALL THAT HAD FALLEN ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL PIMA COUNTY 
EARLIER HAS HAD AMPLE TIME TO DRAIN INTO ALTAR WASH...AND THE THREAT 
OF FLASH FLOODING HAS PASSED. THEREFORE...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING 
HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO EXPIRE AT 730 PM MST. 

LAT...LON 3153 11132 3165 11145 3175 11141 3169 11131
      3153 11123

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 10, 3:14 PM MSTSpecial Weather StatementTWCCochise46 min
Aug 10, 4:46 PM MSTSpecial Weather StatementTWC29 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Arizona, 2015Every flash flood warning 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.