Tornado and Hail in Arizona, July 28, 1994

Name: Tornado and Hail in Arizona, July 28, 1994
Start: 1994-07-28T15:00
End: 1994-07-28T20:30
Location: Arizona

July 28, 1994 · 11 events in 4 counties and zones

9 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail, 1 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 10 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $505,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 11

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

Event by event

9 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Gila

When: July 28, 3:00 PM MST
Where: Gila County, Payson
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 33.800, -110.812 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Tornado, Pima

When: July 28, 4:28 PM MST to 4:35 PM MST
Where: Pima County, To 12 to Nnw Tucson
Rating: F2
Path length: 2 mi
Path width: 25 yd
Property damage: $500,000
Coordinates: 32.380, -111.020

A tornado touched down on the Hill Top area of northwest Tucson. The tornado travelled in a west-northwest direction, and its width varied from about a yard to 50 yards. The 7700 blocks of Soledad and Redwing Circle were particularly hit hard. A back porch and much of the roof of one home was destroyed, an entire roof was removed from another house and scattered in nearby yards, two large evaporative coolers were thrown into a backyard swimming pool, and large trees were uprooted. Also, cars were damaged by flying debris, windows were shattered, and a brick wall was flattened.

Thunderstorm Wind, Pima

When: July 28, 4:45 PM MST
Where: Pima County, Tucson
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph)
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 32.097, -111.790 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winds from a thunderstorm microburst blew down nearly a dozen power poles, ripped shingles off roofs, downed trees, blew a mobile home off its foundation, and overturned a tractor trailer. An off duty National Weather Service employee recorded wind gusts to 65 mph.

Thunderstorm Wind, Pinal

When: July 28, 6:50 PM MST
Where: Pinal County, Apache Junction
Coordinates: 32.904, -111.345 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm winds blew shingles off some roofs and snapped large branches off trees.

Thunderstorm Wind, Maricopa

When: July 28, 7:00 PM MST
Where: Maricopa County, Mesa
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Coordinates: 33.349, -112.491 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A cluster of severe thunderstorms moved west across the Phoenix metropolitan area between 7 and 8 pm. The thunderstorms toppled and uprooted large trees, blew shingles off roofs, and downed power lines. Lightning also struck a manufacturing plant, and the resulting fire destroyed the building and its contents.

Thunderstorm Wind, Maricopa

When: July 28, 7:28 PM MST
Where: Maricopa County, Phoenix
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates: 33.349, -112.491 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Maricopa

When: July 28, 7:30 PM MST
Where: Maricopa County, Tempe
Coordinates: 33.349, -112.491 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Maricopa

When: July 28, 7:35 PM MST
Where: Maricopa County, Phoenix
Coordinates: 33.349, -112.491 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Maricopa

When: July 28, 7:38 PM MST
Where: Maricopa County, Phoenix
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph)
Coordinates: 33.349, -112.491 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Maricopa

When: July 28, 8:00 PM MST
Where: Maricopa County, Phoenix
Coordinates: 33.349, -112.491 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Maricopa

When: July 28, 8:30 PM MST
Where: Maricopa County, El Mirage
Coordinates: 33.349, -112.491 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winds from a severe thunderstorm demolished a shed and uprooted a tree.

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Tornado: A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Arizona in 1994 Every state in 1994 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Arizona, 1994 Warnings in Arizona, July 1994

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 10316489, 10316257, 10316301, 10316457, 10316527, 10316528, 10316529, 10316530, 10316531, 10316532, 10316533.