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AP-UT-PSR-UT PublicInformationStatement
163
NOUS45 KPSR 032102
PNSPSR
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
200 PM MST MON MAR 3 2014
...STORM SURVEY FOR MESA TORNADO...
AT APPROXIMATELY 12:45 PM MST ON MARCH 1ST 2014 A SMALL TORNADO
TOUCHED DOWN IN MESA NEAR BEVERLY PARK AND THE PALM COVE APARTMENT
COMPLEX BETWEEN ALMA SCHOOL ROAD AND EXTENSION ROAD AND BETWEEN MAIN
STREET AND UNIVERSITY AVENUE...ABOUT ONE MILE WEST OF DOWNTOWN MESA.
A STORM SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED ON THE MORNING OF SUNDAY MARCH 2ND BY
THE WARNING COORDINATION METEOROLOGIST. DAMAGE PHOTOS WERE TAKEN
THAT INCLUDED TILE ROOF DAMAGE...SEVERAL DOWNED TREES...A BLOWN IN
CAR WINDSHIELD...TWO APARTMENT WINDOWS BLOWN IN...A DOWNED POWER
LIGHT POLE...AND AN INVERTED HOT TUB. MANY WITNESSES WERE
INTERVIEWED INCLUDING THOSE WHO DIRECTLY OBSERVED THE FUNNEL CLOUD
DESCENDING OVER BEVERLY PARK AND THEN MOVING INTO THE APARTMENT
COMPLEX. AT LEAST FOUR OBSERVERS REPORTED SEEING THE HOT TUB ALOFT
IN THE CLOUD...SPINNING OVER THE APARTMENT COMPLEX.
A PLOT OF THE DAMAGE LOCATIONS WAS CONSTRUCTED AND UPLOADED TO THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX WEB PAGE.
TWO DAMAGE INDICATORS WERE IDENTIFIED FOR THIS EVENT FROM THE
ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE TOOLKIT. THESE WERE FOR TREE DAMAGE AND ROOF
DAMAGE. BOTH INDICATED ESTIMATED WIND SPEEDS OF 80 TO 85 MPH...WHICH
CLASSIFIES THIS STORM AS AN EF0 ON THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE.
THE LAST KNOWN TORNADO TOUCHDOWN IN THE GREATER PHOENIX AREA
OCCURRED JANUARY 2005 NEAR LUKE AIR FORCE BASE.
FOR MORE INFORMATION INCLUDING PHOTOS AND RADAR IMAGERY OF THIS
UNUSUAL EVENT PLEASE REFER TO OUR WEB SITE AT:
HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/PSR/PNS/2014/MARCH/2014MAR1\_SUMMARY.PHP
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX
PUBLIC LINE: (602) 275-0073
WATERS
Delivered by Weather Underground Inc. Mon Mar 3 2014 4:02PM EST
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