Alert archive / Arizona / Flash Flood Warnings in 2026
Flash Flood Warning 64, NWS Tucson, AZ
NWS Tucson, AZ issued this flash flood warning at Jul 20, 2026, 3:55 PM MST for Cochise County, Arizona. It was in force for 4 hr. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.
The facts
- Issued
- Jul 20, 2026, 3:55 PM MST (22:55 UTC)
- Expired
- Jul 20, 2026, 8:00 PM MST
- In force
- 4 hr
- Issued by
- NWS Tucson, AZ
- Area
- Storm-based polygon
- Flood severity
- None
County Cochise County, AZ
The radar
The Tucson radar (KEMX), 85 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:56 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.
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 20, 6:02 PM MST | FLASH FLOOD | 12 Ese Tombstone, AZ | Cochise County Sheriff reported flooding on portions of Davis Rd between mile posts 9 and 17. |
Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.
Did it verify
Verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow matched one storm report to this flash flood warning; the first came 127 minutes after it went out.
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, 10.9 hours before the alert went out and 289 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
- 4 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -185 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 2427 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 20 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -2 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 22 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.1
The text
As transmitted.
606
WGUS55 KTWC 202255
FFWTWC
AZC003-210200-
/O.NEW.KTWC.FF.W.0064.260720T2255Z-260721T0200Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Flash Flood Warning
National Weather Service Tucson AZ
355 PM MST Mon Jul 20 2026
The National Weather Service in Tucson has issued a
* Flash Flood Warning for...
South Central Cochise County in southeastern Arizona...
* Until 700 PM MST.
* At 355 PM MST, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing
heavy rain across the warned area. Between 1 and 2 inches of rain
have fallen. Additional rainfall amounts up to 1 inch are possible
in the warned area. 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...
Mainly rural areas of South Central Cochise County.
This includes Route 80 between mile markers 348 and 349.
This includes the following Flash Flood Prone Locations...
Davis Rd between HWY 80 & HWY 191.
This includes the following streams and drainages...
Whitewater Draw and Gadwell Canyon.
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 3155 10998 3143 10983 3146 10970 3160 10968
3166 10971 3164 10992
FLASH FLOOD...RADAR INDICATED
$$
KJS3 follow-up statements
820
WGUS75 KTWC 202313
FFSTWC
Flash Flood Statement
National Weather Service Tucson AZ
413 PM MST Mon Jul 20 2026
AZC003-210200-
/O.CON.KTWC.FF.W.0064.000000T0000Z-260721T0200Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
Cochise AZ-
413 PM MST Mon Jul 20 2026
...FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM MST THIS EVENING
FOR SOUTH CENTRAL COCHISE COUNTY...
At 413 PM MST, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing heavy
rain across the warned area. Between 1 and 2.5 inches of rain have
fallen. Additional rainfall amounts of 0.5 to 1.5 inches are possible
in the warned area. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin
shortly.
HAZARD...Life threatening flash flooding. Thunderstorms producing
flash flooding.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Life threatening flash flooding of creeks and streams, urban
areas, highways, streets and underpasses.
Some locations that will experience flash flooding include...
Mainly rural areas of South Central Cochise County.
This includes Route 80 between mile markers 348 and 349.
This includes the following Flash Flood Prone Locations...
Davis Rd between HWY 80 & HWY 191.
This includes the following streams and drainages...
Whitewater Draw and Gadwell Canyon.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood
deaths occur in vehicles.
Be aware of your surroundings and do not drive on flooded roads.
&&
LAT...LON 3155 10998 3143 10983 3146 10970 3160 10968
3166 10971 3164 10992
FLASH FLOOD...RADAR INDICATED
FLASH FLOOD DAMAGE THREAT...CONSIDERABLE
$$
KJS456
WGUS55 KTWC 210145
FFWTWC
AZC003-210300-
/O.EXT.KTWC.FF.W.0064.000000T0000Z-260721T0300Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Flash Flood Warning
National Weather Service Tucson AZ
645 PM MST Mon Jul 20 2026
The National Weather Service in Tucson has extended the
* Flash Flood Warning for...
South Central Cochise County in southeastern Arizona...
* Until 800 PM MST.
* At 645 PM MST, emergency management reported thunderstorms
producing heavy rain along Davis Road between HWY 80 and HWY 191.
Between 1 and 2.5 inches of rain have fallen. Flash flooding is
already occurring.
HAZARD...Life threatening flash flooding. Thunderstorms producing
flash flooding.
SOURCE...Emergency management reported.
IMPACT...Life threatening flash flooding of creeks and streams,
urban areas, highways, streets and underpasses.
* Some locations that will experience flash flooding include...
Mainly rural areas of South Central Cochise County.
This includes Route 80 between mile markers 348 and 349.
This includes the following Flash Flood Prone Locations...
Davis Rd between HWY 80 & HWY 191.
This includes the following streams and drainages...
Whitewater Draw and Gadwell Canyon.
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 3155 10998 3143 10983 3146 10970 3160 10968
3166 10971 3164 10992
FLASH FLOOD...OBSERVED
FLASH FLOOD DAMAGE THREAT...CONSIDERABLE
$$
KJS171
WGUS75 KTWC 210258
FFSTWC
Flash Flood Statement
National Weather Service Tucson AZ
758 PM MST Mon Jul 20 2026
AZC003-210308-
/O.EXP.KTWC.FF.W.0064.000000T0000Z-260721T0300Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
Cochise AZ-
758 PM MST Mon Jul 20 2026
...FLASH FLOOD WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 8 PM MST THIS EVENING FOR SOUTH
CENTRAL COCHISE COUNTY...
The heavy rain has ended. Washes and low lying drainages may continue
to flow through the late evening. Otherwise, flash flooding threat
has ended. Please continue to heed remaining road closures.
A Flood Watch remains in effect until 1000 PM MST Tuesday for a
portion of Southeast Arizona.
&&
LAT...LON 3155 10998 3143 10983 3146 10970 3160 10968
3166 10971 3164 10992
$$
KJSWhat 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 20, 1:12 PM MST, 2 hours 43 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jul 20, 1:12 PM MST, 2 hours 43 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Tucson AZ 112 PM MST Mon Jul 20 2026 .SYNOPSIS... The combination of ample moisture across Southeast Arizona and an upper-level disturbance moving into the area from New Mexico today will result in widespread showers and thunderstorms, especially to the east and south of Tucson. These storms will be capable of producing heavy rainfall. A Flash Flood Watch is in effect for Graham, Greenlee, Cochise and Santa Cruz counties this through Tuesday evening. Otherwise, daytime temperatures will remain below average by several degrees into midweek increasing to above normal late this week into the weekend. && .DISCUSSION... Biggest change from this morning is extending the Flash Flood Watch through tomorrow evening for Graham, Greenlee, Cochise, and Santa Cruz Counties. The main threat will be very heavy rainfall and flash flooding, with gusty winds a secondary threat. There could be a localized gust to 50 kts as convection moves off the terrain, but 30-40kts are more likely. A deeper dive into the flash flood setup shows abundant moisture and a susceptible area. Widespread 0.5"+ with localized amounts of 2"+ fell across a good chunk of far SEAZ, especially Cochise County yesterday. This area will be the most vulnerable. In addition, CAMs show weakly organized clusters/single cell with the potential for cell mergers and at least some training/backbuilding as flow remains relatively weak. The best chance for training or backbuilding will be across Cochise and Santa Cruz Counties this evening. As the mid/upper level low noses into SEAZ from NM/MX, convection could go well into the evening and perhaps into the overnight. Confidence is low at this time regarding the overnight, but there is at least some signal in the HREF of higher rainfall totals across central Pima County. In addition, at least some higher res solutions now show additional convective development early morning across areas from Tucson south to Nogales and west toward Sells. There still is not enough confidence to expand the Flash Flood Watch west into eastern/central Pima County, but its is not out of the question we have a flash flood warning or two this evening or even tomorrow morning. As for the Tucson Metro, confidence is again low on the evolution and propagation of storms off the rim this evening/overnight. We will likely have storms in the metro, but once again favoring the Catalina Foothills, Oracle/Catalina, the far east side, and south into the Corona De Tucson. We cannot rule out localized flash flooding, but probabilities are rather low. The more likely scenario is seeing light to moderate rain showers with embedded storms late evening into overnight/early morning hours as the mid/upper level low begins to provide more lift and elevated instability to the area. Moving into Tuesday still remains a little tricky given how active today will be and how convection lingers into tomorrow morning, but enough CAMS, HREF probs of 3"+ amounts, and the mid/upper level low moving across the CWA is more than enough to bump up confidence. So the watch for tomorrow looks good, with uncertainty remaining for areas along the watch in Pinal/Pima County. As we move into Wed/Thu/Fri, there should be a noticeable downtrend in daily showers/storms. While it will trend drier, there will still be daily convection, most likely favoring the typical areas south and east of Tucson. The flash flood threat will also lessen and allow for soils to recover as we heat up. While the flash flood threat trends down, the threat for gusty winds will increase with better mid and upper level flow/drier air. Monsoon activity looks to ramp back up for the weekend as the high moves into a more favorable region and multiple waves look to track across the area. Daytime temps below average early this week, transitioning to above average by midweek. Spotty major heat risk is possible for portions of Pima County, generally around the metro and across the western third of the county. In addition, the upper Gila River Valley has some spotty major heat risk. As of now, confidence is not high enough for an Extreme Heat Watch, due to the limited coverage and possibility of monsoon activity/clouds lowering aftn temps. We will monitor for now and message an overall upward trend in temps and heat risk by mid week. && .AVIATION /18Z MONDAY THROUGH 18Z TUESDAY/... FEW/SCT cloud decks AOA 8-11k ft agl this afternoon, becoming BKN/OVC as coverage of SHRA/TSRA expands through the evening. KOLS/KDUG has the best chance to see TS with brief MVFR possible under heavy +TSRA. Sfc winds generally less than 12kts, except for around storms where VRB gusts to 40kts will be possible. -TSRA/-SHRA continues into the evening and perhaps overnight with BKN/OVC decks lowering, but VFR will prevail. && .FIRE WEATHER... Daily chances for thunderstorms will continue each afternoon and evening through the next 7 days with day to day variability. Widespread showers and thunderstorms are expected east and south of Tucson today, and again Tuesday. These storms will be capable of producing heavy rainfall with the potential for flash flooding. A Flash Flood Watch is in effect today/tomorrow for the eastern portions of Southeast Arizona. Min RH 25-30% in the lower desert locations and above 40% in the mountains through mid-week. By Thursday into the weekend, RH could dip into the 17-22% range for the lower deserts west of Tucson and the upper Gila River Valley as temperatures warm to above average. Winds this week will remain mainly light and under 15 mph, though strong and erratic winds will be possible with any thunderstorm. && .TWC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Flood Watch through Tuesday evening for AZZ503-507>513. && Visit us on Facebook, X, YouTube, and at weather.gov/Tucson
In the hours before
Local storm report, Jul 20, 3:19 PM MST, 36 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Tucson AZ
319 PM MST Mon Jul 20 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0235 PM Tstm Wnd Gst 10 S Clifton 32.88N 109.31W
07/20/2026 M54 MPH Greenlee AZ Mesonet
Mesonet station QGTA3 Guthrie gusted to 54
mph. Time estimated by radar.
&&
JVTThe office that day
Everything else NWS Tucson, AZ issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 19, 5:10 PM MST | Areal Flood Advisory | TWC | Cochise | 2 hr |
| Jul 19, 5:37 PM MST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TWC | Cochise | 23 min |
| Jul 19, 6:04 PM MST | Areal Flood Advisory | TWC | Cochise | 3 hr |
| Jul 19, 6:29 PM MST | Flash Flood Warning | TWC | Cochise | 3 hr |
| Jul 19, 9:12 PM MST | Areal Flood Advisory | TWC | Cochise | 3 hr |
| Jul 19, 11:13 PM MST | Flood Watch | TWC | Cochise, Graham, Greenlee, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz | 45 hr |
| Jul 20, 2:17 PM MST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TWC | Greenlee | 39 min |
| Jul 20, 3:38 PM MST | Areal Flood Advisory | TWC | Cochise | 3 hr |
| Jul 20, 3:42 PM MST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TWC | Cochise, Graham | 48 min |
| Jul 20, 3:44 PM MST | Flash Flood Warning | TWC | Graham | 3 hr |
| Jul 20, 3:59 PM MST | Dust Storm Warning | TWC | Cochise | 61 min |
| Jul 20, 4:25 PM MST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TWC | Cochise | 50 min |
| Jul 20, 4:33 PM MST | Flash Flood Warning | TWC | Cochise | 3 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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.