1 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.
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.
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.
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, 3:20 PM MST, 5 hours 32 minutes earlier.
AZZ020>028-CAZ030>033-150545-
SOUTHWEST ARIZONA/SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
320 PM MST THU AUG 14 2003
.SYNOPSIS...
VERY UNSETTLED WEATHER WILL BE THE RULE ACROSS SOUTHWEST ARIZONA AND
SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA INTO THE WEEKEND AS AN UPPER LOW DRIFTS OVER
THE REGION FROM THE EAST. STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL RUMBLE ACROSS
SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA THIS EVENING...WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE
WEATHER. AFTER TONIGHT...A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL
CONTINUE...WITH ACTIVITY EXPECTED TO DECREASE SOMEWHAT OVER THE
UPCOMING WEEKEND. TEMPERATURES WILL BE WELL BELOW NORMAL ACROSS
SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA ON FRIDAY DUE TO THE RAIN-COOLED AIR...WITH
READINGS EXPECTED TO REBOUND OVER THE WEEKEND. THE WEATHER WILL
RETURN TO A MORE NORMAL MONSOON PATTERN THE FIRST PART OF NEXT WEEK.
.DISCUSSION...
LOTS OF PARAMETERS COMING TOGETHER FOR A VERY ACTIVE EVENING ACROSS
MAINLY ERN CWFA. THESE FACTORS INCLUDE A VERY MOIST...UNSTABLE
AIRMASS...A FAVORABLE NELY STEERING FLOW WITH LOTS OF SHEER IN THE
0-6KM LAYER...DIVERGENCE ALOFT WITH LARGE SCALE MID LEVEL CONVERGENCE
...DYNAMICS WITH APPROACHING INVERTED TROF...IE JUST ABOUT ALL ONE
COULD ASK FOR TO ENSURE LOTS OF WEATHER. AS A RESULT...HAVE GONE
WITH VERY HIGH POPS FOR SCNTRL AZ TONIGHT INTO FRIDAY MORNING WITH
LOWER NUMBERS FURTHER W. SPC ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH
EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON FOR BASICALLY SOUTH-CENTRAL INTO NE AZ TIL
04Z. IN ADDITION...HEAVY RAIN THREAT HAS PROMPTED US TO ISSUE FLASH
FLOOD WATCH FOR SCTNRL AZ UNTIL 12Z FRIDAY.
AFTER TONIGHT...INVERTED TROF MOVES INTO AZ AND THEN MEANDERS NWD
DURING THE WEEKEND. COOLER AIR ALOFT WILL SERVE TO DESTABLIZE THE
AMS EVEN FURTHER FRIDAY AND SATURDAY...ALTHOUGH IF TONIGHT IS ACTIVE
...WE WOULD HAVE LOTS OF CONVECTIVE INHIBITION TO OVERCOME IN THE
ABSENCE OF MORE UPPER FORCING. WE MAY HAVE SOME OF THAT BOTH FRIDAY
AND SATURDAY AS ADDITIONAL VORT MAXIMA ROTATE AROUND TROUGH. SO...
WILL BASICALLY KEEP CHANCE TYPE POPS GOING INTO SATURDAY...LOWERING
POPS A BIT ON SUNDAY...WITH A LOW GRADE MONSOON FORECAST MAINTAINED
MONDAY THRU THURSDAY.
.PSR...SVR TSTM WATCH SCNTRL AZ...ZONES 22...23...24...27 AND
28 TIL 04Z.
FLASH FLOOD WATCH SAME ZONES 00Z-12Z.AZZ020>028-CAZ030>033-150100- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ 619 AM MST THU AUG 14 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA...AND SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY THERE IS A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL ARIZONA. THE STRONGEST STORMS WILL OCCUR LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THUNDERSTORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG POSSIBLY DAMAGING WINDS...DENSE BLOWING DUST...AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY AN UNUSUALLY STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVING FROM TEXAS INTO ARIZONA WILL CONTINUE THE UNSETTLED WEATHER ON FRIDAY. A CHANCE FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CAN BE EXPECTED ACROSS PARTS OF SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA...AND SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL ARIZONA. THUNDERSTORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG POSSIBLY DAMAGING WINDS...DENSE BLOWING DUST...AND HEAVY RAINFALL. DECREASING THREATS FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THIS WEEKEND AND EARLY NEXT WEEK. .INSTRUCTIONS TO SPOTTERS... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX, AZ
607 PM MST THU AUG 14 2003
TIME(MST) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0530 PM 5 E SACATON AZ FLASH FLOODS
08/14/03 PINAL FLOODING REPORTED ON STATE
HIGHWAY 87 NEAR MILE MARKER
147. ROAD REPORTED AS
IMPASSIBLE. REPORTED BY LAW
ENFORCEMENT
FOWLEPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX, AZ
637 PM MST THU AUG 14 2003
TIME(MST) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0615 PM QUEEN CREEK AZ 60 MPH TSTM WIND GUST
08/14/03 MARICOPA ESTIMATED WIND GUST
MEASURED BY STORM SPOTTER.
FOWLEThe Phoenix radar (KIWA), 77 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 03:51 UTC.
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy rain was blamed on a partial roof collapse at the Albertson's warehouse at 99th Ave and Lower Buckeye Road. At least 15 homes were flooded according to the Tolleson Fire Chief. Numerous streets flooded.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arizona in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Arizona, August 2003
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: 5374725.