Hail in Arizona, September 8, 2003

Name: Hail in Arizona, September 8, 2003
Start: 2003-09-08T13:55
End: 2003-09-08T14:00
Location: Arizona

September 8, 2003 · NWS TWC · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A severe thunderstorm developed over the Hereford area producing large hail. A spotter reported hail ranging in size from a half of an inch to three quarters of an inch in diameter.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
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 severe thunderstorm developed over the Hereford area producing large hail. A spotter reported hail ranging in size from a half of an inch to three quarters of an inch in diameter.

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 Sep 8, 9:20 AM MST, 4 hours 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 8, 9:20 AM MST, 4 hours 35 minutes before

SOUTHEAST ARIZONA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
920 AM MST MON SEP 8 2003

.SYNOPSIS...A STORM SYSTEM IS MOVING THROUGH NEVADA AND UTAH...
WHICH WILL INCREASE SHOWER ACTIVITY THROUGH TUESDAY.  TEMPERATURES
ARE EXPECTED TO DECREASE AS THIS STORM PASSES THROUGH NORTHERN
ARIZONA. DRIER CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL THE LATTER PORTION OF THE
WEEK.

.DISCUSSION...BIGGEST FORECAST PROBLEM TODAY IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE
TROUGH MOVING THROUGH THE WESTERN U.S.  THIS TROUGH IS EXPECTED TO
ADVECT MOISTURE INTO NORTHERN ARIZONA AND LIKEWISE PROVIDE DYNAMICS
TO GENERATE PRECIPITATION THROUGHOUT THE STATE.  TIMING THIS
MOISTURE MOVEMENT VARIES WITHIN THE MODELS AND MODEL RUNS.  GENERAL
SCENARIO IS TUESDAY WILL BE THE WETTEST.  BY THURSDAY WE SHOULD BE
DRYING OUT WHICH WILL CONTINUE INTO THE WEEKEND.  YESTERDAYS MODELS
BROUGHT MOISTURE BACK IN ON SATURDAY...SO CONFIDENCE AT 7 DAYS IS
NOT HIGH.  CURRENT FORECAST PACKAGE APPEARS ON TRACK SO WILL TWEAK
THE DETAILS FOR THE AFTERNOON PACKAGE.

THIS MORNINGS SOUNDING DRIED US OUT DOWN TO ABOUT 700 MB.
ADDITIONALLY WE HAVE A SMALL CAP AT 750MB.  GIVEN THESE TWO
CHANGES... THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WILL REMAIN THE ISOLATED VARIETY.
GWS

.TWC...NONE.

Hazardous weather outlook, Sep 8, 11:30 AM MST, 2 hours 25 minutes before

AZZ019-029>035-091400-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
1130 AM MST MON SEP 8 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST ARIZONA

.DAY ONE...TODAY

SYNOPSIS...THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE AREA
TODAY AS A TROUGH APPROACHES FROM THE NORTHWEST ADVECTING MOISTURE
INTO SOUTHERN ARIZONA. THE MAIN THREAT FROM THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL
BE FOR MODERATE RAIN CAUSING LOCAL NUISANCE FLOODING. THERE IS THE
POTENTIAL...ALTHOUGH SLIGHT...FOR AN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM TO CREATE
FLASH FLOODING.

DISCUSSION...THUNDERSTORMS HAVE ALREADY DEVELOPED THIS MORNING JUST
AS THEY DID YESTERDAY. BUT...A FEW THINGS HAVE CHANGED IN THE LAST
24 HOURS. SOME WARMING AND DRYING HAS TAKEN PLACE IN THE MID
LEVELS...THE CAP HAS LOWERED TO AROUND 650 MB AND A TROUGH IS
APPROACHING FROM THE NORTHWEST. THE TROUGH WILL HELP TO PULL SOME
ADDITIONAL MOISTURE INTO SOUTHERN ARIZONA FROM THE SOUTH.
ACTUALLY...MOISTURE HAS ALREADY BEGUN TO INCREASE AT THE LOW AND MID
LEVELS AS SEEN ON THE GOES TOTAL PRECIPITABLE WATER IMAGERY. THIS
ADVECTION OF MOISTURE WILL HELP TO PRODUCE SOME MODERATE RAIN
SHOWERS IF THUNDERSTORMS ARE ABLE TO BREAK THROUGH THE CAP. THE MID
AND UPPER LEVEL FLOW PATTERN IS SUCH THAT MOST MOVEMENT OF THE
STORMS WILL BE TO THE EAST AT ABOUT 10 MPH. THEREFORE...THE MAIN
THREAT FROM THESE STORMS IS FLASH FLOODING...HOWEVER THE THREAT WILL
BE LOW COMPARED TO CLIMATOLOGY.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.

EVANS

The radar

The Tucson radar (KEMX), 72 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:56 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Cochise

When: September 8, 1:55 PM MST to 2:00 PM MST
Where: Cochise County, Hereford
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 31.433, -110.100

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Arizona in 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in Arizona, September 2003

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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5337113.