Alert archive / Arizona / Mesoscale Discussions in 2021

Mesoscale Discussion 1260

July 11, 2021Gila County, Yavapai County, Arizona

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Jul 11, 2021, 3:59 PM MST for Gila County, Yavapai County, Arizona. It was in force for 2 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Jul 11, 2021, 3:59 PM MST (22:59 UTC)
Expired
Jul 11, 2021, 6:00 PM MST
In force
2 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Concerning
Severe potential...watch unlikely
Chance of a watch
20%

Counties Gila County, AZ, Yavapai County, AZ

The radar

The Flagstaff radar (KFSX), 100 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:01 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, 11.0 hours before the alert went out and 48 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 2021-07-11Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 197 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Flgstf/Belemont, AZ at 12:00Z on 2021-07-11The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 128 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
197 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-303 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2378 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
13 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
128 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
126 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

433 
ACUS11 KWNS 112259
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 112259 
AZZ000-120100-

Mesoscale Discussion 1260
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
0559 PM CDT Sun Jul 11 2021

Areas affected...Northwest/Central AZ

Concerning...Severe potential...Watch unlikely 

Valid 112259Z - 120100Z

Probability of Watch Issuance...20 percent

SUMMARY...A few strong to severe storms are possible from northwest
into central AZ over the next few hours. Limited severe coverage is
expected to preclude the need for a watch.

DISCUSSION...Thunderstorms continue to develop along the higher
terrain stretching from northwest AZ eastward/southeastward into
central AZ. The boundary layer is deeply mixed and modest mid-level
moisture coupled with this deep mixing is fostering marginal
buoyancy. Thus far, individual updrafts have been relatively
short-lived, likely as a result of dry air entrainment and lack of
stronger vertical shear for updraft organization. Cell merger over
central Yavapai County has resulted in a robust updraft, but most of
the ongoing storms only show modest cores. 

Strong to severe storms may occasionally occur for the next few
hours, predominantly as a result of cell mergers, but the overall
air mass appears less conducive for developing into the Lower
Deserts than yesterday. As such, the forecast of limited severe
coverage is expected to preclude the need for a watch.

..Mosier/Thompson.. 07/11/2021

...Please see www.spc.noaa.gov for graphic product...

ATTN...WFO...FGZ...PSR...VEF...

LAT...LON   36141374 36301309 35261205 34090990 33451027 33631101
            34531376 36141374

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 10, 6:55 PM MSTMesoscale DiscussionSPCGila, Graham, Maricopa, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz2 hr
Jul 11, 1:23 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCCochise, Graham, Greenlee8 hr

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Arizona, 2021Every mesoscale discussion 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.