Alert archive / Arizona / Flash Flood Warnings in 2022

Flash Flood Warning 233, NWS Flagstaff, AZ

August 17, 2022Yavapai County, Arizona

NWS Flagstaff, AZ issued this flash flood warning at Aug 17, 2022, 1:48 PM MST for Yavapai County, Arizona. It was in force for 3 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Aug 17, 2022, 1:48 PM MST (20:48 UTC)
Expired
Aug 17, 2022, 5:00 PM MST
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Flagstaff, AZ
Area
Storm-based polygon
Damage threat
Considerable
Flood severity
None

County Yavapai County, AZ

The radar

The Flagstaff radar (KFSX), 124 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:50 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, 8.8 hours before the alert went out and 98 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 2022-08-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 74 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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 2022-08-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 0 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
74 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-96 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2464 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
7 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
0 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-2 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

What forecasters said that day

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

NWS Flagstaff, AZ wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flash flood warning went out at Aug 17, 9:46 AM MST, 4 hours 2 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 17, 9:46 AM MST, 4 hours 2 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Flagstaff AZ
946 AM MST Wed Aug 17 2022

.SYNOPSIS...An active monsoon pattern will continue across
northern and central Arizona through the remainder of the week.
Heavy rainfall leading to flash flooding will continue to remain a
threat, especially Thursday through Sunday. Cooler temperatures
are expected through the weekend.

&&

.UPDATE...An inverted trough currently over Chihuahua will
continue to retrograde westward today. This feature should
provide a little subsidence across eastern Arizona this afternoon,
subduing afternoon convection over Navajo and Apache counties.
However, mean northeasterly flow should allow thunderstorms to
develop primarily over the western Mogollon Rim (Flagstaff to
Heber-Overgaard), then advect into northern Gila and Yavapai
Counties later this afternoon and evening. The latest SPC HREF
3-hr QPF has neighborhood probabilities of exceeding 1" of
rainfall around 70 percent centered over Yavapai County later
this afternoon. As a result, think flash flooding will be the
primary threat over Yavapai County later this afternoon. Isolated
flash flooding will be possible elsewhere.

&&

.PREV DISCUSSION /236 AM MST/...Another day with scattered showers
and thunderstorms across the region is expected today. While we
won't be completely storm free, we will see less coverage of
storms than we have seen the past week or so. This brief
reduction in widespread storms will only last through today as we
will see an uptick in activity starting Thursday and increasing
across the region through the end of the week. Even with less
coverage today, any storms that do develop will still have heavy
rainfall and the potential for flash flooding will remain a
concern.

The monsoon will really start to pick up again on Thursday as
moisture increases across the forecast area in response to a
system moving across northern Mexico. This disturbance is
bringing in some tropical moisture and with it we will see PWATs
rise between 1.25"- 2" across the region. This influx of deep
moisture will result in an increased potential for heavy rainfall
resulting in flash flooding as we head through the weekend,
starting Friday where parts of the forecast area have been moved
into a moderate risk for excessive rainfall by the WPC. The best
forcing and instability may be off to our south but some of the
model guidance is indicating that we will see a very active day.
Whether in slight or moderate, the risk is there for widespread
1-2" rainfall amounts which combined with our already wet
antecedent conditions may lead to flash flooding. There remains
some limiting factors as cloud cover and lingering convection
will affect what areas may see the greatest impacts. As a
reminder, be sure to avoid flood prone areas (recent burn scars,
slot canyons, and low-water crossings) and never cross flooded
roadways.

With troughing across the region, temperatures are expected to be
much cooler through Saturday and generally 10-15 degrees below
normal for this time of year.

The active monsoon looks to continue into early next week but with
ridging situated across the area, we actually start to see some
drying out of the atmosphere. We still expect some storms to
develop each day but coverage may be more isolated to scattered
storms versus the numerous storms we anticipate over the weekend.
Temperatures will also start to rebound and rise back to near or
just below normal through the start of the week.

&&

.AVIATION...For the 18z TAF package...Primarily VFR conditions
are expected outside of thunderstorms over the next 24 hours.
Scattered showers and thunderstorms will develop from KGCN-KFLG
around midday, then will move westward into KSEZ-KPRC later this
afternoon/evening. Surface winds will generally be light away from
storms. Aviation discussion not updated for TAF amendments.

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...Scattered showers and thunderstorms will develop
along the Mogollon Rim this afternoon, then move into Gila and
Yavapai Counties later this afternoon and evening. An uptick in
activity is expected Thursday. Gusty, erratic winds, and flash
flooding will be likely.

Friday through Sunday...Widespread shower and thunderstorm activity
is expected Friday into the weekend. Risk of flash flooding will
increase, especially on Friday.

&&

&&

.FGZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE.

&&

PUBLIC...TM/Meola
AVIATION...TM
FIRE WEATHER...TM/ET

For Northern Arizona weather information visit
weather.gov/flagstaff

In the hours before

Local storm report, Aug 17, 12:27 PM MST, 1 hour 21 minutes before
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The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 16, 5:08 PM MSTFlash Flood Warning Considerable damage threatFGZApache3 hr
Aug 16, 5:42 PM MSTFlash Flood Warning Considerable damage threatFGZNavajo3 hr
Aug 16, 7:46 PM MSTFlash Flood Warning Considerable damage threatFGZCoconino3 hr
Aug 17, 11:52 AM MSTFlash Flood Warning Considerable damage threatFGZCoconino3 hr
Aug 17, 1:00 PM MSTFlood WatchFGZApache, Coconino, Gila, Navajo, Yavapai3 days
Aug 17, 1:15 PM MSTFlash Flood Warning Considerable damage threatFGZCoconino, Yavapai5 hr
Aug 17, 2:03 PM MSTSpecial Weather StatementFGZ27 min
Aug 17, 2:32 PM MSTFlash Flood Warning Considerable damage threatFGZYavapai3 hr
Aug 17, 3:23 PM MSTSpecial Weather StatementFGZ37 min
Aug 17, 3:34 PM MSTSpecial Weather StatementFGZGila26 min
Aug 17, 4:25 PM MSTSpecial Weather StatementFGZ50 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Arizona, 2022Every flash flood warning in 2022

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.