Alert archive / Arizona / Flash Flood Warnings in 2026
Flash Flood Warning 13, NWS Tucson, AZ
NWS Tucson, AZ issued this flash flood warning at Jul 11, 2026, 3:01 PM MST for Santa Cruz County, Arizona. It was in force for 119 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- Jul 11, 2026, 3:01 PM MST (22:01 UTC)
- Expired
- Jul 11, 2026, 5:00 PM MST
- In force
- 119 min
- Issued by
- NWS Tucson, AZ
- Area
- Storm-based polygon
- Flood severity
- None
County Santa Cruz County, AZ
The radar
The Tucson radar (KEMX), 45 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:01 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.
Did it verify
Not verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow found no qualifying storm report inside this flash flood warning while it was in force. That is not proof nothing happened: reports are thin where few people live.
Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.
The nearest sounding before it
Phoenix, AZ (KPSR), launched 12:00Z, 10.0 hours before the alert went out and 233 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 347 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -281 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 2036 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 30 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 47 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 51 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted.
922
WGUS55 KTWC 112201
FFWTWC
AZC023-120000-
/O.NEW.KTWC.FF.W.0013.260711T2201Z-260712T0000Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Flash Flood Warning
National Weather Service Tucson AZ
301 PM MST Sat Jul 11 2026
The National Weather Service in Tucson has issued a
* Flash Flood Warning for...
Central Santa Cruz County in southeastern Arizona...
* Until 500 PM MST.
* At 301 PM MST, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing
between 0.75 and 1.50 inches of heavy rain north of Patagonia Lake.
Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly, especially
along drainages that feed into Sonoita Creek and Josephine Canyon
Creek.
HAZARD...Flash flooding caused by thunderstorms.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Flash flooding of small creeks and streams, urban areas,
highways, streets and underpasses as well as other poor
drainage and low-lying areas.
* Some locations that will experience flash flooding include...
Rio Rico, Patagonia and Patagonia Lake State Park.
This includes Route 82 between mile markers 11 and 19.
This includes the following streams and drainages...
Santa Cruz River, Sonoita Creek and Josephine Canyon.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood
deaths occur in vehicles.
&&
LAT...LON 3163 11092 3159 11099 3148 11099 3143 11079
3150 11075 3157 11076
FLASH FLOOD...RADAR INDICATED
$$
CWR1 follow-up statement
551
WGUS75 KTWC 120003
FFSTWC
Flash Flood Statement
National Weather Service Tucson AZ
503 PM MST Sat Jul 11 2026
AZC023-120013-
/O.EXP.KTWC.FF.W.0013.000000T0000Z-260712T0000Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
Santa Cruz AZ-
503 PM MST Sat Jul 11 2026
...FLASH FLOOD WARNING HAS EXPIRED FOR CENTRAL SANTA CRUZ COUNTY...
Flash flooding is no longer expected to pose a threat. Please
continue to heed remaining road closures.
&&
LAT...LON 3163 11092 3159 11099 3148 11099 3143 11079
3150 11075 3157 11076
$$
CWRWhat 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 Tucson, AZ wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flash flood warning went out at Jul 11, 2:13 PM MST, 48 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
- An active monsoon day is likely today across southeastern Arizona. Thunderstorms should initially develop this afternoon over high terrain and eastern areas closer to the New Mexico border and Santa Cruz Counties, with chances transitioning westward through the late afternoon and evening hours. Strong to severe wind gusts producing blowing dust will be possible, with thunderstorms also potentially producing flash flooding and hail.
- Scattered thunderstorms are possible again on Sunday, bringing the potential for severe wind gusts, blowing dust, and flash flooding.
- Thunderstorm chances will continue daily through the upcoming week with day to day variability in location and severity. High temperatures are forecast to sit around to just below normal Monday onwards.
Area forecast discussion, Jul 11, 2:13 PM MST, 48 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Tucson AZ 213 PM MST Sat Jul 11 2026 .KEY MESSAGES... - An active monsoon day is likely today across southeastern Arizona. Thunderstorms should initially develop this afternoon over high terrain and eastern areas closer to the New Mexico border and Santa Cruz Counties, with chances transitioning westward through the late afternoon and evening hours. Strong to severe wind gusts producing blowing dust will be possible, with thunderstorms also potentially producing flash flooding and hail. - Scattered thunderstorms are possible again on Sunday, bringing the potential for severe wind gusts, blowing dust, and flash flooding. - Thunderstorm chances will continue daily through the upcoming week with day to day variability in location and severity. High temperatures are forecast to sit around to just below normal Monday onwards. && .SYNOPSIS...Thunderstorm activity will increase through the afternoon and evening hours across southeastern Arizona. Severe wind gusts, blowing dust, hail, and flash flooding will be possible with any thunderstorm today. Thunderstorm chances will continue through the upcoming week across southeastern Arizona with day to day variability in location and severity. && .DISCUSSION...Isolated storms have begun to form over the White Mountains and Chiricahuas and in Santa Cruz County. These will be the favored areas for thunderstorm development over the next couple of hours. Aloft, high pressure is centered over the Four Corners and Rocky Mountains keeping southeast Arizona under moist easterly flow. GOES total precipitable water ranges from 1.6" in western Pima County to 1.25" along the AZ/NM border, which is 25-50 percent above normal. Mid-level flow is elevated with winds at 500 mb between 20-30 kts. This will help lead to 0-6 km wind shear values between 15-30 kts this afternoon and evening across southeast Arizona. SBCAPE values are around 750 J/kg and and will likely reach as high as 1500 J/kg for portions of southeast Arizona. Low levels are also dry with DCAPE values around 1500 J/kg. All of these ingredients will lead to an active monsoon day with severe wind gusts, hail, heavy rainfall, and blowing dust all a threat. The SPC and WPC both have southeast Arizona under slight risks for severe weather and excessive rainfall. This afternoon expect further development over the higher terrain south and east of Tucson with storms moving into the lower elevations by mid to late afternoon. As this happens there will be a severe wind gust and blowing dust threat, especially near dust prone areas along I-10 east of Tucson. By late afternoon/early evening CAMs show convection mainly outflow driven with storms over eastern Pima County and southeast Pinal County. However there are a couple HREF members that show convection over the Tucson area by mid-afternoon, so a slight chance storms begin earlier than this evening for Tucson. Severe wind gusts and blowing dust will continue to be a threat as storms progress westward. Also, with the wind shear in place storms with stronger and possibly rotating updrafts will be capable of hail and wind gusts in excess of 70 mph. The heavy rainfall and flash flooding threat will cover most of southeast Arizona, but the best chances for heavy rainfall will be over Santa Cruz County and southwest Cochise County. Storms in these areas will be capable of 1"-2" an hour and some of these areas have already received rainfall over the past few days. Storms are expected to dissipate by midnight with skies clearing out overnight into the morning. Atmospheric conditions will will be similar Sunday to today with the main difference being breezy easterly surface winds along the AZ/NM border. This area does dry out some with dewpoints dropping to around 50 degrees and PWAT around an inch. However the rest of the area remains moist. CAMs are showing a slightly earlier start tomorrow for most of the area with initiation around noon or 1 PM from Tucson eastward, excluding eastern Cochise County. By mid-afternoon hi- res guidance shows a broken line of storms from the Mogollon Rim down to Nogales. These storms will progress westward through the late afternoon and evening, potentially reaching all the way to Ajo. The main threats will again be severe wind gusts, blowing dust, hail, and heavy rainfall. If storms do organize as CAMs are suggesting they could generate a large area of blowing dust that moves through Pima, Pinal, and Maricopa Counties. Early into mid next week the high moves further north over the northern Great Plains which decreases 500 mb flow to around 10 knots by Tuesday. However flow will still be out of the east which will keep PWAT values 25-50 percent above normal through the work week. Expect daily afternoon and evening thunderstorms with day to day variability in coverage. Deterministic models are also hinting at a weak upper level low moving through the region mid-week, which could enhance storm activity. With the center of the high so far displaced high temperatures will cool to a couple degrees below normal Monday into the middle of next week. && .AVIATION...Valid through 13/00Z. SCT-BKN cigs 8k-12k ft AGL this afternoon and evening with cloud slowly clearing after midnight. Scattered TSRA expected initially over the higher terrain this afternoon moving into the lower deserts by late afternoon. Any thunderstorm will bring low visibility along with the threat of severe wind gusts, hail, and blowing dust. Thunderstorm activity more likely near KDUG- KOLS now into the evening and near KTUS after 12/00Z. Scattered showers and thunderstorm chances decrease by late evening with isolated activity lingering late west of KTUS- KOLS. Surface winds outside of thunderstorms west to northwest 8-13 kts this afternoon and evening becoming light and terrain driven overnight. Expect another round of scattered TSRA with terminals possibly being impacted by 12/20Z. Aviation discussion not updated for TAF amendments. && .FIRE WEATHER...Scattered thunderstorms are expected to develop across much of southeastern Arizona today. Any thunderstorm will likely bring strong and erratic wind gusts, a few potentially becoming severe. Winds outside of thunderstorm activity will become mainly be west to northwest 10-15 mph this afternoon with gusts up to 22 mph. Areas along the AZ/NM border and the Gila River Valley will see breezy easterly winds Sunday through Tuesday with areas elsewhere following normal diurnal winds. Winds become easterly over most of the area Wednesday. Moisture will be on the rise through the coming days as an active monsoon pattern will set up. Minimum relative humidity will be lowest in the Gila River Valley today at around 16 percent, but otherwise above 20-30 percent elsewhere with further increases into early next week. Daily chances for showers and thunderstorms are forecast through the coming week with day to day variability. && .TWC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Blowing Dust Advisory from 4 PM this afternoon to 11 PM MST this evening for AZZ501>506. Blowing Dust Advisory until 9 PM MST this evening for AZZ507>509. && Hardin Visit us on Facebook, X, YouTube, and at weather.gov/Tucson
The office that day
Everything else NWS Tucson, AZ issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 10, 5:01 PM MST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TWC | Cochise | 44 min |
| Jul 10, 5:46 PM MST | Areal Flood Advisory | TWC | Cochise | 119 min |
| Jul 10, 5:53 PM MST | Dust Storm Warning | TWC | Cochise | 67 min |
| Jul 10, 6:35 PM MST | Areal Flood Advisory | TWC | Cochise | 115 min |
| Jul 10, 6:46 PM MST | Dust Storm Warning | TWC | Cochise | 59 min |
| Jul 11, 12:21 AM MST | Blowing Dust Advisory | TWC | Cochise, Graham, Greenlee, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz | 21 hr |
| Jul 11, 2:30 PM MST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TWC | Santa Cruz | 60 min |
| Jul 11, 3:26 PM MST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TWC | Graham, Greenlee | 64 min |
| Jul 11, 3:32 PM MST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TWC | Cochise | 43 min |
| Jul 11, 4:10 PM MST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TWC | Cochise | 50 min |
| Jul 11, 4:39 PM MST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TWC | Pima | 51 min |
Nearby
Flash Flood Warnings in Arizona, 2026Every flash flood warning in 2026
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.