Damaging Wind in Arizona, August 14, 2001

Name: Damaging Wind in Arizona, August 14, 2001
Start: 2001-08-14T15:30
End: 2001-08-14T15:30
Location: Arizona

August 14, 2001 · NWS PSR · 1 event in 1 county or zone

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

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
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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
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 forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Phoenix, AZ wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 14, 10:40 AM MST, 4 hours 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 14, 10:40 AM MST, 4 hours 50 minutes before

AZZ020>028-CAZ030>033-142245-

SOUTHWEST ARIZONA/SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
1040 AM MST TUE AUG 14 2001

.SYNOPSIS...
A WEAK DISTURBANCE ACROSS ARIZONA TODAY WILL SERVE TO PRODUCE
ANOTHER ROUND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING...MAINLY OVER SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA. MEANWHILE...SOMEWHAT
DRIER AND MORE STABLE AIR MOVING IN FROM THE WEST WILL PROVIDE FOR
ONLY SPARSE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY IN SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA. UPPER
LEVEL HIGH PRESSURE PUSHING IN FROM THE WEST AFTER MIDWEEK WILL MAKE
FOR HOTTER DAYTIME TEMPERATURES...WITH DRIER AIR EXPECTED TO
INFILTRATE MOST OF SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA...FOR DECREASING CHANCES OF
DAILY THUNDERSTORMS. BY EARLY NEXT WEEK...THE HIGH WILL MOVE NORTH
OF THE REGION AND WILL ALLOW MOISTURE AND THUNDERSTORMS TO RETURN TO
THE FORECAST AREA.

.DISCUSSION...
PLOTS SHOW HIGH MOISTURE VALUES AT 850 AND 700 MB AGAIN...EVEN IN
SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA. MODEST HEIGHT FALLS EVIDENT AT 500 MB. A COL
AREA AT THE 300/250 MB LEVELS WAS PRESENT OVER PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST
CALIFORNIA AND WESTERN ARIZONA WITH WITH A SHORTWAVE TROUGH OVER THE
GREAT BASIN. SOME SLIGHT COOLING OF THE TEMPERATURE PROFILES HAS
TAKEN PLACE SINCE YESTERDAY MORNING ALONG WITH SOME DECREASES IN
PWATER...ESPECIALLY AT DRA AND 1Y7. WIND PROFILES HAVE SHOWN SOME
VEERING IN THE MID AND UPPER LEVELS. NO BIG CHANGES IN CAPE EXCEPT
WHERE THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT DRYING. OTHERWISE...ONLY MINOR CHANGES
IN STABILITY THROUGH TEMPERATURE PROFILE CHANGES WITH SLIGHTLY
COOLER TEMPS ALOFT AND SLIGHTLY WARMER TEMPS IN THE LOWER LEVELS.

MODELS SHOW STEERING FLOW FOR OUR CWA TO BECOME NORTHEASTERLY BY
THIS AFTERNOON. THE UPPER LEVEL COL AREA IS PROGGED TO SLIDE
SOUTHWARD AWAY FROM US FOR LESS HELP IN STORM ACTIVITY. HOWEVER SOME
DIFFLUENCE SHOULD BE AROUND...MAINLY OVER SOUTHWEST ARIZONA AND
SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA. PROGS CONTINUE TO SHOW DRYING TREND AS RIDGE
AXIS BUILDS INTO THE WEST. AVN FASTER WITH DRYING THAN ETA...BUT IT
APPEARS THEY HAVE SLOWED THE DRYING A BIT. IN SHORT TERM...WOULD
EXPECT ANOTHER ACTIVE PERIOD NEXT 12 HOURS OR SO. BY
THURSDAY...DRIER AIR THROUGH A DEEP LAYER SHOULD BE IN PLACE FOR A
SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY. BELIEVE THE AVN TOO
QUICK WITH DRYING SO EXPECT SOME MENTION OF STORM ACTIVITY WEDNESDAY
NIGHT. HOWEVER...IT WILL HAVE TO COME IN FROM THE HIGHER TERRAIN
WITH MAINLY SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA PORTION OF CWA HAVING THE MAIN
THREAT.

JAMISON

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Aug 14, 12:45 PM MST, 2 hours 45 minutes before

AZZ020>028-150200-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
1245 PM MST TUE AUG 14 2001

...HAZARDOUS WEATHER POSSIBLE OVER SOUTH-CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST
ARIZONA THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...

COUNTIES IN THE RISK AREA INCLUDE:
     IN ARIZONA...MARICOPA...NORTHWEST PINAL...SOUTHERN GILA...LA
PAZ AND YUMA.

THE PRIMARY HAZARDOUS WEATHER RISKS INCLUDE:
     LOCALIZED VERY HEAVY RAIN...AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS.

STORM SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NECESSARY LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND
TONIGHT.

JAMISON

Special weather statement, Aug 14, 12:45 PM MST, 2 hours 45 minutes before

AZZ020>028-150200-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
1245 PM MST TUE AUG 14 2001

...HAZARDOUS WEATHER POSSIBLE OVER SOUTH-CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST
ARIZONA THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...

COUNTIES IN THE RISK AREA INCLUDE:
     IN ARIZONA...MARICOPA...NORTHWEST PINAL...SOUTHERN GILA...
                  LA PAZ AND YUMA.

THE PRIMARY HAZARDOUS WEATHER RISKS INCLUDE:
     LOCALIZED VERY HEAVY RAIN...AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS.

STORM SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NECESSARY LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND
TONIGHT.

JAMISON

The radar

The Phoenix radar (KIWA), 82 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:31 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, 3:30 PM MST
Where: Maricopa County, New River
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Reported by: UTILITY COMPANY
Coordinates: 33.917, -112.133

Severe thunderstorm wind gusts damage house roof at 13th Ave and Bell. Fire station under construction is blown down. Electric power utility poles broken in two at 7th street and Desert Hills. Between 1538 pm and 1550 pm, a house fire was caused by lightning. Arizona Public Service reported 8000 customers lost electric service for the remainder of the day.

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

Every storm in Arizona in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Arizona, August 2001

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: 5262350.