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 26, 9:10 PM MST, 5 minutes earlier.
AZZ020>028-CAZ030>033-271045- SOUTHWEST ARIZONA/SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ 910 PM MST TUE AUG 26 2003 .SYNOPSIS... A FLOW ALOFT FROM THE EAST THEN SOUTH IS EXPECTED TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY. IN ADDITION...MOISTURE FROM FORMER HURRICANE IGNACIO WILL CONTINUE INCREASING TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY. THIS MEANS AN INCREASING CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT...WITH SOME HEAVY RAIN POSSIBLE AND COOLER WEATHER THROUGH WEDNESDAY. HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT FROM THE PACIFIC IS EXPECTED TO BRING A REDUCTION IN THUNDERSTORMS BY FRIDAY. .DISCUSSION... VERY MOIST AIRMASS CONTINUES OVER ALL OF SE CA SW AND SOUTH CENTRAL AZ. THUNDERSTORMS WERE VERY ACTIVE OVER SE CA THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING WITH SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH. STORMS DIMINISHED AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH WAS CANCELLED. THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPED OVER SOUTH CENTRAL HIGHER TERRAIN THIS EVENING AND MOVED INTO THE ADJCENT DESERTS WITH MANY OUTFLOW BOUNDARES. STORMS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE OVER SOUTH CENTRAL AZ AND DESERT AREAS INTO TONIGHT AS OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES INTER ACT AND DEW POINTS REMAIN IN THE MID TO UPPER 60S. PWATER VALUES OFF PHX 00Z SOUNDING REMAIN HIGH WITH 1.8 INCHES. THUS...WITH THIS VERY MOIST AIRMASS THESE STORMS WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE SOME HEAVY RAINS. THIS WILL KEEP VALID A FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR SOUTH CENTRAL AZ THROUGH WED. CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL ALSO CONTINUE OVER SW AZ SE CA TONIGHT TOO...BUT WILL ALLOW FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR SW AZ SE CA TO EXPIRE AT 05Z. NEW ETA KEEPS UPPER HIGH TO THE EAST OF AZ WITH THE REMAINS OF IGNACIO MOVING NORTH UP THE BAJA PENNSULIA. THIS WILL KEEP A SOUTHERLY FLOW AT BOTH LOW AND MID LEVELS OVER THE REGION AT LEAST THROUGH MID WEEK KEEPING THE AIRMASS MOIST FOR CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH WED NIGHT OVER THE REGION...AND INTO THE LATER PART OF THE WEEK. DKS .PSR...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR SOUTHWEST ARIZONA AND SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA ZONES 20...21...25...26...30...31...32...AND 33 YUMA COUNTY...LA PAZ COUNTY...IMPERIAL COUNTY AND EASTERN RIVERSIDE COUNTY INCLUDING ALL OF JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK 10 PM MST THIS EVENING OR 27/0500 GMT. FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA ZONES 22...23...24...27...AND 28 MARICOPA COUNTY...NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST PINAL COUNTY AND SOUTHERN GILA COUNTY THROUGH WEDNESDAY.
AZZ020>028-CAZ030>033-270100- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ 600 AM MST TUE AUG 26 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 UNSTABLE...AND ADDITIONAL MOISTURE IS EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO ARIZONA FROM FORMER HURRICANE IGNACIO. THUS SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE FORECAST TO DEVELOP TODAY...MAINLY IN THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. HEAVY RAIN IS POSSIBLE WITH ANY THUNDERSTORM...AS WELL AS SOME BLOWING DUST AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS. HEAVY RAIN COULD LEAD TO FLOODING OF ROADS...WASHES AND OTHER LOW SPOTS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THERE WILL BE AN INCREASED THREAT FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT...ESPECIALLY OVER SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA...AS MOISTURE FROM IGNACIO CONTINUES TO SPREAD INTO 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
AZZ020-021-025-026-CAZ030>033-270140- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ 611 PM MST TUE AUG 26 2003 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 896 WHICH INCLUDES WESTERN ARIZONA HAS BEEN CANCELED... THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH AREA WHICH INCLUDED LA PAZ AND YUMA COUNTIES HAS BEEN CANCELLED. WEATHER CONDITIONS WHICH WERE FAVORABLE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS HAS NOW DIMINISHED...SO THE THREAT OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS HAS ALSO DIMINISHED. EVEN THOUGH THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELLED... THERE STILL EXISTS THE CHANCE FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THROUGHOUT TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY.
The Phoenix radar (KIWA), 44 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 04:14 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Power pole and line down resulted in power outage to about 2,000 customers.
Locally heavy rainfall affected a large part of the Phoenix metro area late Tuesday the 26th. The heaviest rain fell north of Sun City where one gage near Surprise recorded about 4 inches. More than 2 inches fell at Antelope Creek near Wickenburg. Washes overflowed and roads were flooded. Several swift water rescues were performed between 183rd Avenue and 187th Avenue. Several homes were damaged by flooding .
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: 5374841, 5374842.