Alert archive / Arizona / Flash Flood Warnings in 2022

Flash Flood Warning 216, NWS Las Vegas, NV

August 21, 2022Mohave County, Arizona

NWS Las Vegas, NV issued this flash flood warning at Aug 21, 2022, 8:12 PM MST for Mohave 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 21, 2022, 8:12 PM MST (03:12 UTC)
Expired
Aug 21, 2022, 11:15 PM MST
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Las Vegas, NV
Area
Storm-based polygon
Damage threat
Considerable
Flood severity
None

County Mohave County, AZ

The radar

The Las Vegas radar (KESX), 102 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:12 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 00:00Z, 3.2 hours before the alert went out and 185 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 00:00Z on 2022-08-22Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 36 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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 00:00Z on 2022-08-22The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 36 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
36 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-266 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
3587 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
18 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
36 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
44 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 Las Vegas, NV wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flash flood warning went out at Aug 21, 1:45 PM MST, 6 hours 27 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 21, 1:45 PM MST, 6 hours 27 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Las Vegas NV
145 PM PDT Sun Aug 21 2022

.SYNOPSIS...Isolated showers and thunderstorms will be possible in
the eastern portions of the forecast area this afternoon and
evening. High pressure will move into and over the region,
ushering in warmer temperatures along with a brief reprieve from
storms as they become isolated in nature. This brief reprieve is
expected to last through Tuesday. Moisture and convective activity
will return in the middle of the week.

&&

.SHORT TERM...through Tuesday.

Another round of isolated showers and thunderstorms will be possible
again this afternoon and evening. The areas most likely to see these
storms are Mohave, Clark, and Lincoln Counties. The latest 850 mb
analysis shows a sharp dewpoint gradient extending from the western
portions of Clark and Lincoln Counties down across the Mojave
Preserve in San Bernardino County. This gradient is expected to
slowly shift to the east over the course of the afternoon and
evening. The dry air aloft behind this gradient will have the
potential to limit convective activity over the western portions of
Clark and Lincoln Counties this afternoon and evening. For the
storms that do end up developing, the primary hazards will be heavy
rain, frequent lightning, and strong gusty winds.

Persistent northwesterly flow aloft will continue to push moisture
eastward on Monday and Tuesday as an upper-level ridge moves over
the area. With the eastward displacement of the deepest moisture to
our east, we see PoPs decrease through early next week. While PoPs
will decrease, 1" precipitable water values will linger in the
southern portions of the forecast area, resulting in chances for
isolated afternoon showers and thunderstorms in Mohave County and
the higher terrain of Clark and eastern San Bernardino Counties.
While the moisture decreases, we will see temperatures gradually
increase to near seasonal values by Tuesday.

.LONG TERM...Wednesday through Sunday.

By Wednesday the ridge will have moved over the Four-Corners Region,
resulting more southerly flow aloft. This will allow for deep
moisture to return to the region. Long-range models show 1.25"-1.75"
PWats moving up the Colorado River Valley into Mohave County,
southeastern Clark County and eastern San Bernardino County. The
current forecast reflects this increase in moisture with slightly
cooler temperatures and more widespread PoPs on Wednesday and
Thursday.

Forecast uncertainty increases beyond Thursday as we prepare to head
into the weekend. Long term guidance shows a potential trough moving
through along the US-Canadian border resulting in the flattening and
westward displacement of the Four-Corner's ridge. Should this happen
it could potentially result in another brief lull in convective
activity as the deepest moisture is pushed out of the area. However,
since this occurs at the end of the forecast period and there are
discrepancies between ensemble members, confidence in the exact
details is low.

&&

.AVIATION...For Harry Reid...East-southeast winds 5-8KTS will
persist through the afternoon. Isolated thunderstorms developing
over the mountains to the north of Las Vegas will likely move across
Lake Mead early this evening. Outflow will likely reach the terminal
and result in northeast or east winds temporarily gusting to at
least to 20KTS 01Z-04Z. Isolated storms in the Mormon Mesa and Peach
Springs corridors should dissipate by 06Z. Winds are expected to
become light S-SW after 05Z and continue overnight and become light
and variable early Monday morning under a mostly clear sky. Isolated
storms will still possible over the mountains Monday afternoon,
but will not likely create impacts in the terminal area.

For the rest of southern Nevada, northwest Arizona and southeast
California...Isolated thunderstorms will move toward the southeast
over parts of southern Nevada and northwest Arizona this afternoon
and evening with the potential for strong outflow winds which may
impact IFP and EED in the Colorado River Valley 03Z-06Z this
evening. Storms should dissipate after 06Z. Most of southeast
California will be free of storms with winds generally less than
12KTS. Winds will be fairly light under mostly clear skies late
tonight through Monday morning. Thunderstorms will be more isolated
Monday afternoon over southern Nevada and northwest Arizona.

&&

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...Spotters are encouraged to report
any significant weather or impacts according to standard operating
procedures.

&&

DISCUSSION...Stessman
AVIATION...Adair

For more forecast information...see us on our webpage:
https://weather.gov/lasvegas or follow us on Facebook and Twitter

In the hours before

Local storm report, Aug 21, 5:32 PM MST, 2 hours 40 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV
532 PM PDT SUN AUG 21 2022

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0438 PM     TORNADO          22 SE LITTLEFIELD       36.67N 113.64W
08/21/2022                   MOHAVE             AZ   PUBLIC

            MULTIPLE REPORTS OF A TORNADO OCCURRING
            SOUTHEAST OF LITTLEFIELD IN THE ARIZONA
            STRIP. TIME AND LOCATION ESTIMATED BY RADAR
            AND STORM REPORTS.

&&

MS
Local storm report, Aug 21, 6:07 PM MST, 2 hours 5 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV
607 PM PDT SUN AUG 21 2022

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0606 PM     TSTM WND GST     4 NNE APEX              36.38N 114.89W
08/21/2022  M70 MPH          CLARK              NV   MESONET

            NEVADA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION SITE
            MEASURED A 60 MPH THUNDERSTORM WIND GUST AT
            544PM. GUSTED TO 70 MPH AT 554PM.

&&

MW

The office that day

Everything else NWS Las Vegas, NV issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 21, 5:00 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningVEFClark, Lincoln60 min
Aug 21, 5:56 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningVEFClark64 min
Aug 21, 6:52 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threatVEFClark83 min
Aug 22, 4:52 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threatVEFLincoln38 min
Aug 21, 10:03 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningVEFSan Bernardino72 min
Aug 21, 10:59 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryVEFSan Bernardino3 hr
Aug 21, 7:22 PM MSTFlash Flood Warning Considerable damage threatVEFMohave3 hr
Aug 21, 7:34 PM MSTDust Storm WarningVEFMohave56 min
Aug 21, 7:54 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningVEFMohave81 min
Aug 21, 8:53 PM MSTFlash Flood Warning Considerable damage threatVEFMohave3 hr
Aug 21, 8:57 PM MSTDust Storm WarningVEFMohave63 min
Aug 21, 9:10 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningVEFMohave65 min
Aug 21, 9:36 PM MSTAreal Flood WarningVEFMohave3 hr

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.