Alert archive / Arizona / Flash Flood Warnings in 2023

Flash Flood Warning 64, NWS Flagstaff, AZ

September 13, 2023Navajo County, Arizona

NWS Flagstaff, AZ issued this flash flood warning at Sep 13, 2023, 2:46 PM MDT for Navajo 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
Sep 13, 2023, 2:46 PM MDT (20:46 UTC)
Expired
Sep 13, 2023, 5:45 PM MDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Flagstaff, AZ
Area
Storm-based polygon
Damage threat
Considerable
Flood severity
None

County Navajo County, AZ

The radar

The Flagstaff radar (KFSX), 122 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:47 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 136 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 2023-09-13Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 296 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 2023-09-13The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 60 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
296 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-24 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
864 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
60 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
108 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 Sep 13, 10:45 AM MDT, 4 hours 1 minute earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 13, 10:45 AM MDT, 4 hours 1 minute before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Flagstaff AZ
945 AM MST Wed Sep 13 2023

.SYNOPSIS...Areas of showers and thunderstorms will continue through
Thursday. Drier weather will develop by Friday and continue over the
weekend, however, isolated showers and thunderstorms cannot be ruled
out. Temperatures remain seasonable, with generally light winds.

&&

.DISCUSSION...Moisture and instability continue to be present
across Arizona, especially central Arizona. This moisture is a
combination of several sources, former Hurricane/TS Jova continues
to inject some mid-level moisture and is responsible for initiating
this convection a few days ago. Also, there remains residual Monsoon
moisture south of the Mogollon Rim and over the deserts, as well as
recycled moisture and ground moisture from days of activity.

This moisture will interact with cool temperatures aloft, much of
our CWA is around -10C, which makes up for dwindling PW values by
providing instability. There are also a series of weak troughs in
the eastern Great Basin that will provide occasional lift through
Friday, before a ridge sets up next weekend.

We expect a fairly active day today as a result, especially south of
the I-40 corridor, where the deeper moisture exists. By no means are
we ruling anywhere out, all zones carry at least scattered coverage
today. The 12Z KFGZ sounding has some potential for isolated severe
and training of cells may lead to isolated flooding issues.

On Thursday, we start to see some decrease in activity as PW values
continue to fade, however, enough dynamics and instability remains
for scattered coverage, isolates stronger cells. Similar trends on
Friday, but still not enough to remove all activity.

Morning grids/forecasts look good, no updates.

&&

.AVIATION...For the 18Z TAF Package...VFR for most areas and the
majority of the time frame, except in and near convective activity.
Convective activity may cause brief MVFR. SCT-NMRS SHRA/TSRA with
ISOLD +TSRA today, especially AFT 19Z-20Z, fading coverage AFT 03Z.
Sfc winds generally light and from the SW, outside of storms.
Aviation discussion not updated for TAF amendments.

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...Wednesday and Thursday...Scattered showers and
thunderstorms will stick around today and tomorrow. Gusty outflow
winds from storms will be possible, with southwesterly winds 10 to
20 mph elsewhere.

Friday through Sunday...Isolated showers and thunderstorms remain
possible through this period, but generally, expect drier and warmer
conditions will develop through the weekend. Westerly winds 5 to 15
mph Friday, before shifting southwesterly Saturday and Sunday.

&&

.FGZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...None.

&&

PUBLIC...Peterson
AVIATION...Peterson
FIRE WEATHER...Peterson

For Northern Arizona weather information visit
weather.gov/flagstaff

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 12, 7:07 PM MDTFlash Flood Warning Considerable damage threatFGZGila3 hr
Sep 12, 9:06 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementFGZ24 min
Sep 13, 1:15 PM MDTFlash Flood Warning Considerable damage threatFGZCoconino3 hr
Sep 13, 1:38 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZApache, Navajo23 min
Sep 13, 2:35 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZNavajo25 min
Sep 13, 2:55 PM MDTFlash Flood Warning Considerable damage threatFGZYavapai3 hr
Sep 13, 3:16 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZCoconino29 min
Sep 13, 3:28 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZNavajo34 min
Sep 13, 3:45 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZCoconino15 min
Sep 13, 3:57 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZYavapai48 min
Sep 13, 4:01 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZCoconino29 min
Sep 13, 4:10 PM MDTFlash Flood Warning Considerable damage threatFGZCoconino3 hr
Sep 13, 4:55 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementFGZ35 min
Sep 13, 5:13 PM MDTFlash Flood Warning Considerable damage threatFGZYavapai13 hr
Sep 13, 5:25 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGZNavajo50 min
Sep 13, 5:51 PM MDTFlash Flood Warning Considerable damage threatFGZCoconino, Navajo6 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Arizona, 2023Every flash flood warning in 2023

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.