Arizona, 1996

Damaging Wind in Arizona, August 14, 1996

August 14, 1996 · NWS PSR · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Glendale was one of the hardest hit areas after very powerful thunderstorms ripped through the area. The storm collapsed a the roof of an apartment complex and blew metal dumpsters weighing up to two tons into roadways.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

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  • Hail
  • Winter weather
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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
4
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS PSR wrote it up.

Glendale was one of the hardest hit areas after very powerful thunderstorms ripped through the area. The storm collapsed a the roof of an apartment complex and blew metal dumpsters weighing up to two tons into roadways. Sahuaro Ranch School, 10401 N. 63rd Ave., lost part of its roof. An Albertsons grocery store at 59th Avenue and Beardsley Road was battered by the storm, leaving three people hurt. The storm did extensive damage to the roof of Arrowhead Community Hospital, 18701 N. 67th Avenue. At the Northwest Garden Apartments, 9350 N. 67th Avenue, residents were evacuated after the storm collapsed the roof over eight units. Shingles and twisted sheets of park awnings were scattered across the complex. At the Adobe Mountain Juvenile Correctional Facility, one staff member was slightly injured when windows blew out in one of the units. Fences around the perimeters of the facility were damaged by falling trees. About 40 vehicles were damaged, two of them hit by a dumpster blown through the parking lot.

The radar

The Phoenix radar (KIWA), 54 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:31 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Maricopa

When
August 14, 6:30 PM MST
Where
Maricopa County, Glendale
Measured
60 kt (69 mph)
Injuries
4 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates
33.530, -112.180

What these are

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

More

Every storm in Arizona in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Arizona, August 1996

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: 5575566.