Arizona, 2006

Hail and Damaging Wind in Arizona, June 6, 2006

June 6, 2006 · NWS TWC · 2 events in 1 county or zone

A series of thunderstorms marched across the greater Tucson metropolitan area knocking down power poles, producing golf ball sized hail and creating blowing dust. Approximately 10 power poles fell in 5 different locations damaging two vehicles and closing a portion of Interstate 10.

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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$105,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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 series of thunderstorms marched across the greater Tucson metropolitan area knocking down power poles, producing golf ball sized hail and creating blowing dust. Approximately 10 power poles fell in 5 different locations damaging two vehicles and closing a portion of Interstate 10. Neither the large hail nor the reduced visibility from blowing dust sparked any reports of injury or damage.

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 Jun 6, 2:55 PM MST, 18 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 6, 2:55 PM MST, 18 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
ISSUED BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
255 PM MST TUE JUN 6 2006

.SYNOPSIS...HIGH PRESSURE TO THE EAST...AND A LOW CENTER NEAR
THE BAJA...WILL CONTINUE SOUTHERLY WINDS ALOFT TO BRING MOISTURE
INTO SOUTHERN ARIZONA TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY. THE INCREASE OF
MOISTURE...BRINGS A RISK OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS...SOME POSSIBLY
SEVERE TO SOUTHERN ARIZONA THIS EVENING...AND MAY BE REPEATED
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. AS THE BAJA LOW MOVES NORTH
THURSDAY...A DRY SOUTHWEST WIND WILL PUSH THE MOISTURE OFF TO THE
EAST. THIS WEEKEND...TEMPERATURES SHOULD WARM TO WELL ABOVE NORMAL
RANGES IN THE SOUTHWEST.

&&

.DISCUSSION...LOWER LEVEL HEATING HAS KICKED THE UNSTABLE LAYER
UP INTO THE ENRICHED MID LEVEL MOISTURE...DEEP CONVECTION IN
PROGRESS...AND SHOULD CONTINUE INTO THE EVENING. INCREASING
MID-UPPER LEVEL SOUTHEAST WINDS GIVES A BOOST TO THE CONVECTION...
AND COULD POSSIBLY SUSTAIN THE STORMS BEYOND THE EVENING HOURS.
CONVECTION SHOULD REPEAT WEDNESDAY...AS PATTERN REMAINS
QUASI-STATIONARY. A DRIER SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT OVER THE REGION
DEVELOPS FRIDAY AS A BROAD TROUGH DEVELOPS AFTER THE DEPARTURE OF
CLOSED LOW. AS A RESULT...A GRADUAL END...WEST TO EAST...OF THE
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IS EXPECTED BY THE END OF THE WEEK.

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...HIGH PRESSURE TO THE EAST OF ARIZONA THROUGH
THURSDAY...BRINGS DEEP RICH MOISTURE INTO THE REGION FROM THE
SOUTH...AND INCREASES CHANCES OF AFTERNOON AND EVENING
THUNDERSTORMS. THUNDERSTORMS WILL HAVE VERY LITTLE
RAINFALL...BECAUSE IT IS VERY DRY IN THE LOWER LEVELS. THE
RELATIVELY DRY THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD HAVE GUSTY AND ERRATIC
WINDS...AS WELL AS THE RISK OF DRY LIGHTNING.
&&

.AVIATION...TAFS AND TWEBS ADEQUATELY COVER ALL SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
AT KTUS.

&&

.TWC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH UNTIL 8
PM MST...SOUTH CENTRAL AZ COUNTIES...PIMA...AND FOR SOUTHEAST ARIZONA
COCHISE...GRAHAM...SANTA CRUZ.

&&

WEATHER.GOV/TUCSON

The radar

The Tucson radar (KEMX), 42 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:13 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Pima

When
June 6, 3:13 PM MST to 4:50 PM MST
Where
Pima County, 5 mi S of Tucson
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Property damage
$105,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
32.167, -110.933

Hail, Pima

When
June 6, 3:40 PM MST to 3:43 PM MST
Where
Pima County, Marana
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates
32.450, -111.217

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
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

More

Every storm in Arizona in 2006Every state in 2006This day in weather historyWarnings in Arizona, June 2006

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: 5514314, 5514378.