1 thunderstorm wind, 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 25, 3:30 PM MST, 4 hours 30 minutes earlier.
AZZ020>028-CAZ030>033-260545-
SOUTHWEST ARIZONA/SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
330 PM MST MON AUG 25 2003
.SYNOPSIS...
A FLOW ALOFT FROM THE EAST THEN SOUTH IS EXPECTED THROUGH WEDNESDAY
AS HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT REMAINS CENTERED NORTH AND EAST OF ARIZONA.
IN ADDITION...THERE WILL BE AN INCREASE IN MOISTURE THROUGH
WEDNESDAY FROM THE EAST SIDE OF HURRICANE IGNACIO WHICH WAS IN THE
SOUTHERN GULF OF CALIFORNIA THIS AFTERNOON. THIS MEANS AN INCREASING
CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS AND COOLER WEATHER. SOME HEAVY
RAIN IS ALSO POSSIBLE. HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT FROM THE PACIFIC IS
EXPECTED TO BRING A REDUCTION IN THUNDERSTORMS BY FRIDAY.
.DISCUSSION...
TEMPERATURES WERE GENERALLY AT LEAST A FEW DEGREES WARMER AT MID
AFTERNOON TODAY COMPARED WITH THE SAME TIME YESTERDAY. TO GO ALONG
WITH THIS DEW POINT TEMPERATURES WERE A FEW DEGREES HIGHER WITH LOTS
OF MOISTURE IN SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA. THUS...ISSUED A FLASH FLOOD
WATCH FOR SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA INCLUDING JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK
UNTIL MIDNIGHT TONIGHT WITH EXCESSIVE RAIN AND FLASH FLOODING
POSSIBLE. THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING JUST NEAR THE NORTHEASTERN
MARICOPA COUNTY BORDERS OVER YAVAPAI AND SOUTHERN GILA COUNTIES AND
TO THE SOUTHEAST OVER SOUTHEAST PINAL COUNTY AND SOUTH OVER
COCHISE...SANTA CRUZ AND EVEN PIMA COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST ARIZONA. THE
THUNDERSTORMS ARE ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE DEVELOPING WEST AND INTO
THE DESERT AREAS INCLUDING THE GREATER PHOENIX AREA TONIGHT WITH
STRONG GUSTY POSSIBLY DAMAGING WINDS AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN.
HURRICANE IGNACIO OVER THE SOUTHERN GULF OF CALIFORNIA WAS OVER THE
SOUTHERN GULF OF CALIFORNIA THIS AFTERNOON AND DRIFTING SLOWLY
TOWARD THE WEST OR NORTHWEST TOWARD BAJA CALIFORNIA. WITH MOISTURE
ALREADY COMING IN FROM THE EAST...THEN MOISTURE FROM THE SOUTHEAST
ON THE EAST SIDE OF IGNACIO...EXPECT AN INCREASING CHANCE OF SHOWERS
AND THUNDERSTORMS ALONG WITH COOLER WEATHER THROUGH WEDNESDAY. THE
MAIN MOISTURE INCREASE IS EXPECTED TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY LEADING
TO AN INCREASING PROBABILITY OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WITH SOME
HEAVY RAIN AND AN INCREASED FLASH FLOOD POTENTIAL. HIGH PRESSURE
ALOFT FROM THE PACIFIC IS EXPECTED TO BRING A REDUCTION IN
THUNDERSTORMS BY FRIDAY. THEN...A PACIFIC LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MAY
BRING SOME INCREASE IN THE CHANCE AND SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THIS
COMING LABOR DAY WEEKEND...MORESO TO OUR NORTH...THEN DRYING EARLY
NEXT WEEK.
.PSR...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA ZONES 30...31...
32...AND 33...EASTERN RIVERSIDE COUNTY AND IMPERIAL COUNTY
INCLUDING ALL OF JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK UNTIL MIDNIGHT PDT
OR 26/0700 GMT.
ELLISAZZ020>028-CAZ030>033-260100- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ 600 AM MST MON AUG 25 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA...AND SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY THE AIRMASS OVER ARIZONA AND SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA REMAINS VERY MOIST AND RATHER UNSTABLE. THUS ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE FORECAST TODAY...MAINLY IN THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING AND MOST NUMEROUS OVER SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA. WHERE STORMS FORM...LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL COULD OCCUR WHICH MIGHT LEAD TO FLOODING OF WASHES... ROADWAY DIPS AND OTHER LOW SPOTS. GUSTY DAMAGING WINDS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE WITH ANY STORMS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY THERE WILL BE AN INCREASED POTENTIAL FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY AS MOISTURE FROM HURRICANE IGNACIO MOVES NORTH AND INTO SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA...SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA. STAY AWAY FROM FLOODED AREAS INCLUDING ROADWAYS AND WASHES...AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND SHOULD A WARNING BE ISSUED. .INSTRUCTIONS TO SPOTTERS... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. BRECKENRIDGE
AZZ020>028-CAZ030>033-261300- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ 617 PM MST MON AUG 25 2003 ...INCREASING PROBABILITY OF HEAVY RAIN AND FLASH FLOOD POTENTIAL IN SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA...SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA THIS WEEK... HURRICANE IGNACIO CONTINUES TO MOVE NORTH ALONG THE GULF COAST OF THE SOUTHERN TIP OF BAJA. THE HURRICANE IS EXPECTED TO MOVE NORTH OVER BAJA ITSELF...WEAKENING AND THEN ENTER THE PACIFIC NEAR THE BAJA SPUR BY LATE IN THE WEEK. MOISTURE SPINNING OFF FROM HURRICANE IGNACIO WILL MOVE INTO SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA...SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA BEGINNING TUESDAY. THIS WILL ADD MOISTURE TO THE ALREADY MOIST AIRMASS OVER SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA...SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL ARIZONA. THIS WILL RESULT IN A HIGHER PROBABILITIES FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN AND FLASH FLOODING ESPECIALLY OVER SOUTH CENTRAL ARIZONA TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT. YOU ARE URGED TO CHECK THE LATEST FORECASTS...STATEMENTS...WATCHES AND WARNINGS THIS WEEK. STAY AWAY FROM FLOODED AREAS INCLUDING FLOODED ROADS...ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT. BE READY TO MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IF A WARNING IS ISSUED THIS WEEK. IF YOU OBSERVE FLOODING...MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IMMEDIATELY... DO NOT WAIT FOR A WARNING TO BE ISSUED. WEATHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET AT WWW.WRH.NOAA.GOV/PHOENIX OR WEATHER RADIO ON THE PUBLIC SERVICE BAND. DKS
The Tucson radar (KEMX), 79 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:57 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Severe thunderstorms developed over the Gailuro Mountains and moved west. A spotter recorded gusts to 63 mph in San Manuel and a shriff's dispatch reported several uprooted trees.
Numerous streets flooded in Oracle, along with a swift water rescue. The gage at Oracle Ridge recorded 0.94 inches in 30 minutes. Over 40 homes were evacuated in the Catalina area along the Canada del Oro Wash.
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: 5374516, 5374517.