Name: Dust Storm in Arizona, July 9, 2002
Start: 2002-07-09T15:15
End: 2002-07-09T15:25
Location: Arizona

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $10,000
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 TWC wrote it up.

A dust storm began over the southeast side of Tucson as a result of a collapsing thunderstorm and a outflow boundary from a previous storm. The dust cloud moved over Davis Monthan AFB with visibilities reducing to near zero and 49 mph wind gusts reported at the Tucson International Airport. Reduced visibilities caused a 5 vehicle accident on Interstate 10 near east Valencia Road. No one was injured in the accident, but four cars were towed away. A quarter mile visibility was reported at the Tucson NWS office on the University of Arizona campus.

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 Tucson, AZ wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 9, 11:45 AM MST, 3 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 9, 11:45 AM MST, 3 hours 30 minutes before

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In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 9, 12:12 PM MST, 3 hours 3 minutes before

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Event by event

1 dust storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Dust Storm, Tucson Metro/Marana/Green Valley

When: July 9, 3:15 PM MST to 3:25 PM MST
Where: Tucson Metro/Marana/Green Valley forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT

What these are

Dust Storm: Blowing dust that reduced visibility to a quarter mile or less.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Arizona in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Arizona, July 2002

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5307596.