Alert archive / California / Special Weather Statements in 2021

Special Weather Statement, NWS Phoenix, AZ

August 31, 2021Imperial County, California

NWS Phoenix, AZ issued this special weather statement at Aug 31, 2021, 3:48 PM PDT for Imperial County, California. 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 31, 2021, 3:48 PM PDT (22:48 UTC)
Expired: Aug 31, 2021, 5:15 PM PDT
In force: 87 min
Issued by: NWS Phoenix, AZ
Hail: 0.25 in
Wind: 30

County Imperial County, CA

The radar

The Yuma radar (KYUX), 87 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:49 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

Yuma Prvg Ground, AZ (K1Y7), launched 12:00Z, 10.8 hours before the alert went out and 102 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 302 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -242 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1872 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 14 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 66 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 99 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 1.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

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What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this special weather statement went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Phoenix, AZ wrote its last area forecast discussion before this special weather statement went out at Aug 31, 2:42 PM PDT, 1 hour 6 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 31, 2:42 PM PDT, 1 hour 6 minutes before

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In the hours before

Special weather statement, Aug 31, 12:39 PM PDT, 3 hours 9 minutes before

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Phoenix AZ
1239 PM MST Tue Aug 31 2021

AZZ530-531-533-CAZ569-312045-
Kofa AZ-Parker Valley AZ-Central La Paz AZ-Palo Verde Valley CA-
1239 PM MST Tue Aug 31 2021

...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of southwestern La Paz,
northeastern Imperial and Riverside Counties through 145 PM MST/145
PM PDT/...

At 1238 PM MST/1238 PM PDT/, Doppler radar was tracking a strong
thunderstorm 10 miles southeast of Cibola, or 20 miles north of
Martinez Lake, moving north at 20 mph.

HAZARD...Wind gusts of 50 to 55 mph and pea size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
         unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is
         possible.

Locations impacted include...
Cibola and Palo Verde.

This includes CA Route 78 between mile markers 72 and 80.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

Torrential rainfall is also occurring with this storm and may lead to
localized flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded
roadways.

&&

LAT...LON 3357 11436 3321 11440 3315 11462 3344 11486
      3347 11483
TIME...MOT...LOC 1938Z 166DEG 15KT 3327 11453

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.25 IN
MAX WIND GUST...55 MPH

Hirsch

Special weather statement, Aug 31, 1:35 PM PDT, 2 hours 13 minutes before

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Phoenix AZ
135 PM MST Tue Aug 31 2021

AZZ530-531-CAZ564-565-569-570-312145-
Kofa AZ-Parker Valley AZ-Chuckwalla Mountains CA-
Imperial County Southeast CA-Palo Verde Valley CA-
Chuckwalla Valley CA-
135 PM MST Tue Aug 31 2021

...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of southwestern La Paz,
northeastern Imperial and Riverside Counties through 245 PM MST/245
PM PDT/...

At 135 PM MST/135 PM PDT/, Doppler radar was tracking a strong
thunderstorm near Cibola, or 31 miles northwest of Martinez Lake,
moving north at 10 mph.

HAZARD...Wind gusts of 50 to 55 mph and half inch hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
         unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is
         possible.

Locations impacted include...
Blythe, Cibola, Palo Verde and Ripley.

This includes CA Route 78 between mile markers 56 and 80.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

Torrential rainfall is also occurring with this storm and may lead to
localized flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded
roadways.

Frequent cloud to ground lightning is occurring with this storm.
Lightning can strike 10 miles away from a thunderstorm. Seek a safe
shelter inside a building or vehicle.

&&

LAT...LON 3302 11457 3301 11486 3356 11500 3359 11456
TIME...MOT...LOC 2035Z 171DEG 7KT 3334 11477

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.50 IN
MAX WIND GUST...55 MPH

Hirsch

Local storm report, Aug 31, 2:11 PM PDT, 1 hour 37 minutes before

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Local storm report, Aug 31, 2:13 PM PDT, 1 hour 35 minutes before

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Local storm report, Aug 31, 3:32 PM PDT, 16 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Aug 31, 3:48 PM PDT, 0 minutes before

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The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Aug 30, 8:18 PM PDT	Special Weather Statement	PSR		27 min
Aug 30, 9:06 PM PDT	Flash Flood Warning Considerable damage threat	PSR	La Paz	5 hr
Aug 30, 10:59 PM PDT	Areal Flood Advisory	PSR	Maricopa, Pinal	4 hr
Aug 30, 11:17 PM PDT	Areal Flood Advisory	PSR	La Paz	3 hr
Aug 31, 12:06 AM PDT	Special Weather Statement	PSR	Maricopa	39 min
Aug 31, 12:24 AM PDT	Areal Flood Advisory	PSR	Maricopa	3 hr
Aug 31, 12:50 AM PDT	Flash Flood Warning Considerable damage threat	PSR	Maricopa	4 hr
Aug 31, 2:55 AM PDT	Areal Flood Advisory	PSR	Maricopa	3 hr
Aug 31, 5:52 AM PDT	Areal Flood Advisory	PSR	Maricopa	3 hr
Aug 31, 12:39 PM PDT	Special Weather Statement	PSR		66 min
Aug 31, 1:13 PM PDT	Areal Flood Advisory	PSR	La Paz	6 hr
Aug 31, 1:24 PM PDT	Flash Flood Warning Considerable damage threat	PSR	La Paz	13 hr
Aug 31, 1:35 PM PDT	Special Weather Statement	PSR		70 min
Aug 31, 4:55 PM PDT	Flash Flood Warning Considerable damage threat	PSR	Gila, Maricopa	3 hr
Aug 30, 5:14 PM PDT	Flash Flood Warning Considerable damage threat	PSR	Imperial, Riverside	4 hr
Aug 30, 6:49 PM PDT	Areal Flood Advisory	PSR	Imperial	3 hr
Aug 30, 7:37 PM PDT	Special Weather Statement	PSR	Riverside	23 min
Aug 30, 7:52 PM PDT	Areal Flood Advisory	PSR	Riverside	23 min
Aug 30, 8:13 PM PDT	Flash Flood Warning Considerable damage threat	PSR	Riverside	50 min
Aug 31, 5:46 AM PDT	Areal Flood Advisory	PSR	Imperial	3 hr
Aug 31, 4:15 PM PDT	Special Weather Statement	PSR	Imperial	90 min
Aug 31, 4:30 PM PDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PSR	Imperial	75 min

Nearby

Special Weather Statements in California, 2021 Every special weather statement in 2021

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.