Arizona, 1996

Damaging Wind in Arizona, August 14, 1996

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

Two juvenile detention centers, the Adobe Mountain Secure Facility and the Black Canyon Secure Facility, both in north Phoenix, sustained an estimated $250,000 combined damage when strong winds damaged a perimeter fence, blew out a plastic glass window and damaged severaly roofs at the complex. Two support pillars under construction at the Interstate 17 and Loop 101 interchange in north Phoenix…

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$500,000
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.

Two juvenile detention centers, the Adobe Mountain Secure Facility and the Black Canyon Secure Facility, both in north Phoenix, sustained an estimated $250,000 combined damage when strong winds damaged a perimeter fence, blew out a plastic glass window and damaged severaly roofs at the complex. Two support pillars under construction at the Interstate 17 and Loop 101 interchange in north Phoenix buckled from the high winds, with an estimated $250,000 damage.

The radar

The Phoenix radar (KIWA), 43 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:20 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, 6:20 PM MST
Where
Maricopa County, Phoenix
Property damage
$500,000
Coordinates
33.480, -112.070

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: 5575567.