Alert archive / Arizona / Flash Flood Warnings in 2015

Flash Flood Warning 49, NWS Tucson, AZ

September 21, 2015Pima County, Pinal County, Arizona

NWS Tucson, AZ issued this flash flood warning at Sep 21, 2015, 3:35 PM MST for Pima County, Pinal County, Arizona. It was in force for 4 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Sep 21, 2015, 3:35 PM MST (22:35 UTC)
Expired
Sep 21, 2015, 7:30 PM MST
In force
4 hr
Issued by
NWS Tucson, AZ
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

Counties Pima County, AZ, Pinal County, AZ

The radar

The Tucson radar (KEMX), 64 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:35 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 12:00Z, 10.6 hours before the alert went out and 41 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 12:00Z on 2015-09-21Temperature 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 12:00Z on 2015-09-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 32 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
21 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
32 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
61 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

690 
WGUS55 KTWC 212235
FFWTWC
AZC019-021-220230-
/O.NEW.KTWC.FF.W.0049.150921T2235Z-150922T0230Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
335 PM MST MON SEP 21 2015

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TUCSON HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHEASTERN PINAL COUNTY IN SOUTHEASTERN ARIZONA...
  NORTHEASTERN PIMA COUNTY IN SOUTHEASTERN ARIZONA...

* UNTIL 730 PM MST

* AT 326 PM MST...DOPPLER RADAR AND AUTOMATED RAIN GAUGES INDICATED
  BETWEEN 2.50 AND 3.50 INCHES WITH ISOLATED AMOUNTS UP TO 4 INCHES 
  OF RAIN HAD FALLEN ON THE SANTA CATALINA MOUNTAINS. AN AUTOMATED 
  RAINFALL GAGE IN DAN SADDLE RECORDED 4.13 INCHES OF RAIN. ALTHOUGH 
  THIS RAINFALL HAS OCCURRED OVER SEVERAL HOURS...THIS WIDESPREAD AND
  SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL WILL RESULT IN FLASH FLOODING. THE HEAVIEST 
  RAINFALL HAS BEEN IN THE CANADA DEL ORO WATERSHED. THIS RUNOFF 
  TAKES SEVERAL HOURS TO MAKE IT DOWN THE MOUNTAIN.

ADDITIONAL WATERSHEDS THAT MAY EXPERIENCE FLASH FLOODING INCLUDE 
SABINO CREEK AND BEAR CANYON ON THE SOUTHERN SIDE OF THE CATALINA...AND
THE SAN PEDRO RIVER ON THE NORTHEAST SIDE OF THE CATALINA MOUNTAINS. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF WASHES
AND STREAMS...URBAN AREAS...HIGHWAYS...STREETS AND UNDERPASSES AS
WELL AS OTHER DRAINAGE AREAS AND LOW LYING SPOTS.

&&

LAT...LON 3240 11046 3236 11094 3259 11087 3259 11046

$$
1 follow-up statement
935 
WGUS75 KTWC 220225
FFSTWC

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
725 PM MST MON SEP 21 2015

AZC019-021-220232-
/O.EXP.KTWC.FF.W.0049.000000T0000Z-150922T0230Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
PINAL AZ-PIMA AZ-
725 PM MST MON SEP 21 2015

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR SOUTHEASTERN PINAL AND NORTHEASTERN
PIMA COUNTIES WILL EXPIRE AT 730 PM MST...

THE HEAVY RAIN HAS ENDED...AND FLOODING IS NO LONGER EXPECTED TO 
POSE A THREAT. HOWEVER...ADDITIONAL LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN WILL 
CONTINUE THROUGH THE EVENING. IN ADDITION...WASHES WILL CONTINUE TO 
FLOW OVER NORTHEAST PIMA AND SOUTHEAST PINAL COUNTY DURING THE 
REMAINDER OF THE EVENING AND INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS.  

LAT...LON 3240 11046 3236 11094 3259 11087 3259 11046

$$

MOLLERE

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 21, 8:39 AM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCSanta Cruz3 hr
Sep 21, 9:36 AM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCCochise114 min
Sep 21, 10:08 AM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCSanta Cruz3 hr
Sep 21, 11:19 AM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCPima116 min
Sep 21, 12:10 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCPima, Santa Cruz3 hr
Sep 21, 12:33 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCPima, Pinal4 hr
Sep 21, 1:27 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCPima3 hr
Sep 21, 1:35 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCGraham3 hr
Sep 21, 1:38 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCPima112 min
Sep 21, 3:28 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCGraham3 hr

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.