2 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it. 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 22, 4:16 PM MST, 5 hours 24 minutes earlier.
AZZ020>028-CAZ030>033-231045- SOUTHWEST ARIZONA/SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ 330 PM MST FRI AUG 22 2003 .SYNOPSIS... THE FLOW ALOFT IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FROM THE SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST AROUND HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT CENTERED NORTHEAST AND EAST OF ARIZONA THROUGH NEXT WEEK. THIS MEANS A CONTINUATION OF A MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS WITH A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. THERE IS A BETTER CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT AND SATURDAY... AND AGAIN SUNDAY NIGHT DUE TO WEAK LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS IN THE FLOW ALOFT FROM THE SOUTHEAST. .DISCUSSION... ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THAT MOVED NORTH FROM YUMA COUNTY THIS MORNING TO LA PAZ COUNTY EARLY THIS AFTERNOON HAD MOSTLY MOVED NORTH INTO MOHAVE COUNTY AT MID AFTERNOON. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE ON THE EDGE OF MOISTURE TO THE EAST AND DRIER AIR ALOFT TO THE WEST. THE DRIER AIR FROM THE SOUTHWEST IS ON THE SOUTHEAST SIDE OF A WEAK LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM ALOFT JUST OFF THE CALIFORNIA COAST. THE STRONGEST DYNAMICS WITH SIGNIFICANT SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE NORTH OF OUR AREA THIS AFTERNOON. OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF THE MARICOPA...PINAL...AND GILA COUNTY BORDERS. A WEAK LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM FROM THE SOUTHEAST IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP SIGNIFICANT SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO OUR SOUTHEAST AND SOUTH THIS EVENING WITH A DUST STORM AND SOME OF THESE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED TO SPREAD NORTHWEST OVER SOUTH-CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ARIZONA INCLUDING THE GREATER PHOENIX AREA TONIGHT. ANOTHER SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO ENHANCE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS SUNDAY NIGHT. ALSO...HAVE SPREAD AT LEAST A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS FURTHER WEST OVER SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA THIS WEEKEND. AFTER THE WEEKEND...HAVE CONTINUED A STANDARD SUMMERTIME FORECAST WITH THE CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY IN THE SOUTH-CENTRAL HIGHER TERRAIN IN THE AFTERNOONS AND EVENINGS. EXCEPT...A WEAK PACIFIC LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MAY BRING A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TEMPORARILY BACK WEST TO SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA ABOUT THURSDAY. .PSR...NONE.
AZZ020>028-CAZ030>033-230100- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ 600 AM MST FRI AUG 22 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA...AND SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY A RATHER MOIST AIRMASS IS IN PLACE OVER ARIZONA AND SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA TODAY. WIDESPREAD THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY IS NOT EXPECTED TODAY. HOWEVER...WHERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE ABLE TO FORM...THERE IS POTENTIAL FOR LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WHICH COULD EASILY CAUSE FLOODING OF WASHES AND LOW WATER CROSSINGS. LOCATIONS WHICH HAVE BETTER POTENTIAL INCLUDE THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA...SOUTHWEST ARIZONA...AND SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA NEAR THE LOWER COLORADO RIVER VALLEY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY SATURDAY IS ANTICIPATED TO BE SIMILAR TO TODAY WHERE THE POTENTIAL FOR LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL TEND TO BE OF AN ISOLATED NATURE.
The Phoenix radar (KIWA), 15 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 04:38 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Johnson Ranch subdivision received damaging winds with signs blown down, homes damaged, and power poles down.
Severe thunderstorms struck this area with high winds blowing down power poles and lines. Homes and businesses were damaged. Salt River Project reported about 200 power poles down in the area near Ellsworth and Ocotillo road, Up to 5,000 customers were left without power. Power was restored the following day to 2,000 households and fully restored by Monday. Hundreds of mature trees blown down and onto streets and homes. Windshields on a number of vehicles were blown out. Winds caused a building to collapse, killing a horse. Several aircraft were overturned by high winds, and a construction trailer in Queen Creek was destroyed.
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: 5374518, 5374836.