Hail, Pinal
- When
- August 17, 11:00 AM MST to 11:30 AM MST
- Where
- Pinal County, Red Rock to Picacho
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 32.580, -111.330
Flash Flood and Hail in Arizona, August 17, 1997
Thunderstorms blew some large trees down between Red Rock and Picacho and also dropped large hail. Thunderstorms winds also blew down some large trees, some as high as 40 feet, near Oracle.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 4
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 TWC wrote it up.
Thunderstorms blew some large trees down between Red Rock and Picacho and also dropped large hail. Thunderstorms winds also blew down some large trees, some as high as 40 feet, near Oracle. Thunderstorms with very heavy rain caused flash flooding between Red Rock and Arizona City closing 15 roads and washing out one road stranding 60 residents.
The radar
The Phoenix radar (KIWA), 85 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 17:59 UTC.
Event by event
2 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm Wind, Pinal
- When
- August 17, 11:00 AM MST to 11:30 AM MST
- Where
- Pinal County, Red Rock to Picacho
- Measured
- 60 kt (69 mph)
- Coordinates
- 32.580, -111.330
Thunderstorm Wind, Pinal
- When
- August 17, 12:00 PM MST to 12:10 PM MST
- Where
- Pinal County, Oracle
- Measured
- 60 kt (69 mph)
- Coordinates
- 32.620, -110.770
Flash Flood, Pinal
- When
- August 17, 12:00 PM MST to 1:00 PM MST
- Where
- Pinal County, Southwest Portion
- Coordinates
- 32.904, -111.345 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Hail
- Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
- 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.
- Flash Flood
- Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Flash Flood and Hail in West Virginia, August 17 to 18, 1997
- Lightning Strike in West Virginia, August 17, 1997
- Heat in Missouri, August 17, 1997
- Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, August 17, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Maryland, August 17, 1997
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Ohio, August 17, 1997
- Damaging Winds and Lightning Strikes in Virginia, August 17, 1997
- Flash Flooding and Flood in Ohio, August 17 to 20, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Wind in New Mexico, August 17, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Pennsylvania, August 17, 1997
- Lightning Strike in West Virginia, August 17, 1997
- Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in Kentucky, August 17, 1997
More
Every storm in Arizona in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Arizona, August 1997
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: 5613957, 5613958, 5613959, 5613960.