A severe thunderstorm caused extensive damage to a neighborhood near Eloy in Pinal County. Meanwhile, southwest of Tucson, lightning struck a suspected illegal immigrant in the Altar Valley.
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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 episode as NWS TWC wrote it up.
A severe thunderstorm caused extensive damage to a neighborhood near Eloy in Pinal County. Meanwhile, southwest of Tucson, lightning struck a suspected illegal immigrant in the Altar Valley.
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 Aug 13, 2:00 PM MST, 6 hours 30 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
200 PM MST MON AUG 13 2007
.SYNOPSIS...HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT WILL BRING HOTTER TEMPERATURES TO
THE AREA OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. MOISTURE SHOULD REMAIN ADEQUATE
ENOUGH TO SUPPORT ISOLATED AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS...
MAINLY NEAR THE MOUNTAINS.
&&
.DISCUSSION...HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT CENTERED OVER THE SOUTHERN PLAINS
OF THE UNITED STATES WILL CONTINUE TO BRING HOT AFTERNOON
TEMPERATURES TO THE LOWER DESERTS. TEMPERATURES TODAY HAVE BEEN
RUNNING 1 TO 2 DEGREES BELOW YESTERDAY AT THE SAME TIME...BUT STILL
ABOVE NORMAL WITH READINGS ABOUT 2 TO 6 DEGREES SHY OF RECORDS. SEE
CLIMATE SECTION BELOW FOR RECORDS AT SEVERAL SELECTED SITES FOR THE
NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. ALTHOUGH THE MAIN WEATHER STORY WILL BE THE
HEAT...THE AIRMASS SHOULD REMAIN MOIST ENOUGH TO SUPPORT AT LEAST
ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS THE NEXT FEW DAYS. THE TUCSON MORNING UPPER
AIR SOUNDING TODAY SHOWED A DRIER AIRMASS IN PLACE COMPARED TO
YESTERDAY AT 12Z...BUT THE TEMPERATURE LAPSE RATE WAS MUCH STEEPER
THAN OVER THE WEEKEND. STORMS THAT DEVELOP THIS EVENING COULD BE
MORE INTENSE THAN THOSE THE PAST 2 DAYS WITH DAMAGING WIND THE MAIN
THREAT. A DEEP EASTERLY FLOW WAS ALSO PRESENT TODAY WHICH WAS MUCH
MORE FAVORABLE FOR STEERING STORMS OFF THE MOUNTAINS INTO THE LOWER
DESERTS. HOWEVER...LOOKING EAST OF HERE IN NEW MEXICO AND WEST TEXAS
THE UPPER AIR DATA INDICATED DRIER AIR IN THIS REGION. THUS...LITTLE
OR NO MOISTURE ADVECTION WAS EXPECTED ACROSS OUR EASTERN CWA IN THE
NEXT 24 HOURS. SO NOT EXPECTING STORMS TO FORM ACROSS COCHISE AND
GRAHAM COUNTIES TO WORK WESTWARD INTO THE LOWER DESERTS THIS
EVENING. HOWEVER...VAPOR IMAGERY WAS SHOWING A WEAK SYSTEM TO OUR
SOUTH OVER SOUTHERN BAJA THAT MAY ENHANCE DEEP CONVECTION IN
NORTHERN MEXICO LATER TODAY. IF THIS HAPPENS...WE COULD SEE OUTFLOW
MOVE INTO SOUTHERN ARIZONA ORGANIZING AND TRIGGERING ADDITIONAL
THUNDERSTORMS IN OUR CWA LATER THIS EVENING. OTHERWISE...MINIMAL
THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY CAN BE EXPECTED THE NEXT FEW DAYS DUE TO THE
LACK OF A FORESEEABLE SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN MOIST AND A LARGE
SCALE FEATURE.
&&
.AVIATION...MINIMAL SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY EXPECTED THIS
AFTERNOON AND EVENING. AVIATION DISCUSSION NOT UPDATED FOR TAF AND
TWEB AMENDMENTS.
&&
.CLIMATE...RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES FOR SELECTED CITIES.
TODAY AUG 14 AUG 15
CITY RCD/YR RCD/YR RCD/YR
TUCSON INTL APT 106/1996 106/1994 109/1915
AJO 112/1962 113/1962 110/1962
ORGAN PIPE CACTUS 111/1996 110/1988 108/1962
KITT PEAK 87/1962 88/1962 87/1962
ORACLE 103/1933 100/1936 101/1962
PICACHO PEAK 110/1996 110/1988 108/2002
NOGALES 6N 102/1962 100/1962 99/1973
BISBEE-DOUGLAS APT 98/1995 98/1962 100/1962
SIERRA VISTA 97/1910 97/1962 97/1902
WILLCOX 101/1994 102/1962 101/1996
TOMBSTONE 103/1962 100/1962 100/1962
SAFFORD AG STATION 103/2003 105/1994 106/1962
CLIFTON 110/1936 109/1936 107/2002
&&
.TWC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE.
WEATHER.GOV/TUCSONThe Tucson radar (KEMX), 98 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 03:30 UTC.
1 lightning, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A suspected illegal immigrant was struck and injured by lightning while traveling through the desert of the Altar Valley near Sasabe. Three of his companions were also shocked when the bolt hit the man who suffered minor injuries.
A microburst caused considerable damage near Arizona City, partially destroying structures and roofs, overturning cars and knocking down walls.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arizona in 2007Every state in 2007This day in weather historyWarnings in Arizona, August 2007
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: 54294, 54305.