Alert archive / Arizona / Flash Flood Warnings in 2026

Flash Flood Warning 229, NWS Tucson, AZ

September 23, 2026Pima County, Arizona

NWS Tucson, AZ issued this flash flood warning at Sep 23, 2026, 2:54 PM MST for Pima 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 outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Sep 23, 2026, 2:54 PM MST (21:54 UTC)
Expired
Sep 23, 2026, 6:00 PM MST
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Tucson, AZ
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

County Pima County, AZ

The radar

The Yuma radar (KYUX), 187 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:55 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 text

As transmitted.

787 
WGUS55 KTWC 232154
FFWTWC
AZC019-240100-
/O.NEW.KTWC.FF.W.0229.260923T2154Z-260924T0100Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Flash Flood Warning
National Weather Service Tucson AZ
254 PM MST Wed Sep 23 2026

The National Weather Service in Tucson has issued a

* Flash Flood Warning for...
  Western Pima County in southeastern Arizona...

* Until 600 PM MST.

* At 254 PM MST, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing
  heavy rain across the warned area. Between 0.8 and 1.3 inches of
  rain have fallen. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin
  shortly.

  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...
  Lukeville.

This includes Route 85 between mile markers 76 and 80.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood
deaths occur in vehicles.

Be aware of your surroundings and do not drive on flooded roads.

&&

LAT...LON 3189 11286 3195 11284 3193 11271 3185 11272

FLASH FLOOD...RADAR INDICATED

$$

GLZ
2 follow-up statements
015 
WGUS75 KTWC 232252
FFSTWC

Flash Flood Statement
National Weather Service Tucson AZ
352 PM MST Wed Sep 23 2026

AZC019-240100-
/O.CON.KTWC.FF.W.0229.000000T0000Z-260924T0100Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
Pima AZ-
352 PM MST Wed Sep 23 2026

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM MST THIS EVENING
FOR WESTERN PIMA COUNTY...

At 352 PM MST, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing heavy
rain across the warned area. Between 1 and 1.4 inches of rain have
fallen. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly.

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...
  Lukeville.

This includes Route 85 between mile markers 76 and 80.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood
deaths occur in vehicles.

Be aware of your surroundings and do not drive on flooded roads.

&&

LAT...LON 3195 11284 3189 11286 3185 11272 3193 11271

FLASH FLOOD...RADAR INDICATED

$$

GLZ
578 
WGUS75 KTWC 240055
FFSTWC

Flash Flood Statement
National Weather Service Tucson AZ
555 PM MST Wed Sep 23 2026

AZC019-240105-
/O.EXP.KTWC.FF.W.0229.000000T0000Z-260924T0100Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
Pima AZ-
555 PM MST Wed Sep 23 2026

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 6 PM MST THIS EVENING FOR
WESTERN PIMA COUNTY...

The heavy rain has ended. Flooding is no longer expected to pose a
threat. Please continue to heed remaining road closures.

&&

LAT...LON 3195 11284 3189 11286 3185 11272 3193 11271

$$

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 Tucson, AZ wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flash flood warning went out at Sep 23, 12:00 PM MST, 2 hours 54 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 23, 12:00 PM MST, 2 hours 54 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Tucson AZ
1200 PM MST Wed Sep 23 2026

.SYNOPSIS...There will be a chance of showers and thunderstorms
across much of southeast Arizona through Thursday, with the stronger
thunderstorms producing heavy rainfall and an isolated threat of
flash flooding. Drier air then overspreads southeast Arizona Friday
and Saturday. Moisture moves back into the area late in the weekend
into early next week, for a return of the chance of showers and
thunderstorms. High temperatures will be several degrees below
normal through Thursday, warming to within a couple of degrees of
normal over the weekend and then lowering back below normal
through the middle of next week.

&&

.DISCUSSION...The large scale pattern has a trough to our west
and high pressure aloft centered over northeast Mexico and Texas
through Thursday. A system will move across the northern tier of
states Friday and Saturday, pushing the upper high to the southeast
over the Gulf. A low pressure system and associated trough will then
move across California and the Great Basin early next week.

The flow across southeast Arizona between the trough to the west and
the upper high to the east remains southerly through Thursday. PWATs
of 1.0 to 1.25 inches across the forecast area today/tonight will
lower to near 1.0 inch Thursday. There will be a chance of showers
and thunderstorms from Sells eastward today, and mainly from Tucson
eastward Thursday. A disturbance tracking northward through central
Sonora will move into southeast Arizona late this afternoon/early
evening, helping to enhance shower and thunderstorm development. The
high resolution models mainly keep shower activity across the
eastern counties today, with the main bulk of thunderstorm
development through the evening hours tonight roughly in an area
bounded from Sierra Vista to Oracle westward to Sells. The stronger
thunderstorms through Thursday will be capable of producing heavy
rainfall and an isolated threat of flash flooding.

Drier air begins to overspread southeast Arizona from the west on
Friday, as the flows turns southwest/west in response to a system
tracking east across the northern tier of states. There will still
be a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms on Friday across far
eastern areas. However by Saturday, PWATs lower down to around 0.75
inches and convection should be shunted to our east across New
Mexico and southward into Sonora Mexico.

Sunday into early next week, the combination of an upper low/trough
moving into the West Coast and Hurricane Polo moving northward along
the Mexico coast will help spread moisture back across southeast
Arizona from the south. This moisture begins to move back into the
area on Sunday for a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms,
with deeper moisture moving in Monday and Tuesday and a chance of
showers and thunderstorms across most of southeast Arizona. The
track of Hurricane Polo remains uncertain once it reaches as far
north as Cabo. There is a near equal split in the models and
ensemble members turning the system west as those curving it east
into southern/central Sonora. The exact track will remain highly
dependent upon the timing/depth of the trough and position of Polo
when the trough moves into the west coast.

Behind the trough on Wednesday of next week there will be a slight
chance of showers and thunderstorms. This marks the official end to
the Monsoon Season (September 30). The moisture profile late next
week reflects the end of the monsoon, as high pressure aloft builds
over the eastern Pacific and Baja Peninsula and southeast Arizona
dries out significantly.

Overall, high temperatures will be several degrees below normal
through Thursday, warming to within a couple of degrees of normal
over the weekend, then lowering back below normal again through
the middle of next week.

&&

.AVIATION...Valid through 25/00Z.
West of KTUS, FEW-SCT clouds at 7k-10k ft AGL and SCT-BKN clouds AOA
15k ft AGL. East of KTUS, SCT-BKN clouds at 6k-9k ft AGL and BKN-OVC
clouds AOA 15k ft AGL. SCT -TSRA/-SHRA, slowly diminishing aft
24/05Z. ISOLD-SCT -TSRA/-SHRA developing again aft 24/17Z mainly
from KTUS eastward thru the end of the valid period. Mountain
obscurations, wind gusts to 40 kts and lowered VSBY with any -TSRA.
Outside of the thunderstorms, SELY/ELY winds at 10 kts or less.
Aviation discussion not updated for TAF amendments.

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...There will be a chance of showers and thunderstorms
across portions of southeast Arizona through Thursday. Drier air
overspreads southeast Arizona Friday and Saturday. Moisture then
moves back into the area late in the weekend into early next week,
for a return of the chance of showers and thunderstorms. High
temperatures will be several degrees below normal through Thursday,
warming to within a couple of degrees of normal over the weekend,
then lowering back below normal again through the middle of next
week. Minimum RH values will be in the 17-30 percent range from
Tucson westward through early next week, with values in the 28-40
percent range east of Tucson (even higher in the mountains). 20-foot
winds will be less than 15 mph through the upcoming weekend. Gusty
and erratic winds will be possible with any thunderstorm.

&&

.TWC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
None.

&&

Zell

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The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 23, 2:25 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCPima11 min
Sep 23, 2:36 PM MSTFlash Flood WarningTWCPima3 hr
Sep 23, 2:45 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCPima9 min
Sep 23, 2:45 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCPima45 min
Sep 23, 2:54 PM MSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTWCSanta Cruz51 min
Sep 23, 3:14 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCPima3 hr
Sep 23, 3:43 PM MSTAreal Flood AdvisoryTWCSanta Cruz5 hr

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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.