Abundant moisture moved into Southeast Arizona as a result of a Gulf Surge from Tropical Storm Julio. Locally heavy rainfall and isolated severe thunderstorms occurred across Pima and Southwest Pinal County.
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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.
Abundant moisture moved into Southeast Arizona as a result of a Gulf Surge from Tropical Storm Julio. Locally heavy rainfall and isolated severe thunderstorms occurred across Pima and Southwest Pinal County.
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 25, 9:00 AM MST, 4 hours 3 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ 900 AM MST MON AUG 25 2008 .SYNOPSIS...MOISTURE WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE OVER THE AREA TODAY...RESULTING IN BETTER THUNDERSTORM CHANCES TODAY AND TUESDAY. THE INCREASED MOISTURE WILL ALSO RESULT IN LOWER DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURES. SOME DRYING WILL TAKE PLACE LATER THIS WEEK INTO NEXT WEEKEND...RESULTING IN LESSER CHANCES OF STORMS... AND WARMER DAYTIME TEMPERATURES. && .DISCUSSION...ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN FOR SOUTHEAST ARIZONA THIS MORNING. WEVE SEEN QUITE A SURGE OF MOISTURE FROM THE GULF OF CALIFORNIA MOVE IN OVERNIGHT AS A RESULT OF TS JULIO NOW OVER THE CENTRAL BAJA PENINSULA. DEWPOINTS ARE RUNNING ABOUT 10 DEGREES HIGHER THAN 24 HOURS AGO FROM TUCSON WESTWARD WITH LITTLE CHANGE IN MUCH OF COCHISE/GRAHAM/GREENLEE COUNTIES WHERE INCREASED MOISTURE HAS NOT QUITE MADE IT. THIS MOISTURE IS CLEARLY DEPICTED IN THE 12Z KTWC SOUNDING WHICH HAS PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUE OF 1.68 INCHES. CURRENT VISIBLE SATELLITE AND RADAR IMAGERY DEPICT QUITE A BIT OF CLOUDINESS THIS MORNING ACROSS MOST OF SOUTHEAST ARIZONA AND ISOLATED LIGHT SHOWER ACTIVITY MAINLY ACROSS PIMA AND COCHISE COUNTIES. THE SOUNDING REMAINS UNSTABLE AND EXPECT ENOUGH BREAKS IN THE CLOUDS TODAY TO GENERATE CONSIDERABLY MORE CONVECTION LATER THIS AFTERNOON GIVEN THE INCREASED LOWER LEVEL MOISTURE. STORM MOTIONS WILL REMAIN TOWARD THE WEST AND WEST NORTHWEST AS THE EASTERLY STEERING FLOW CONTINUES BETWEEN THE MID LEVEL HIGH OVER COLORADO/UTAH AND TS JULIO WELL TO OUR SOUTH. WILL MAKE SOME MINOR ADJUSTMENTS TO THE FIRST PERIOD TRENDS...LOWERING HIGH TEMPERATURES A FEW DEGREES AND ADDING ISOLATED PRECIPITATION COVERAGE THIS MORNING. ABUNDANT LOW LEVEL MOISTURE IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN ACROSS SOUTHEAST ARIZONA TUESDAY AND INTO WEDNESDAY AS WELL WITH THE 12Z NAM SHOWING ANOTHER SURGE OF MOISTURE MOVING NORTH FROM THE GULF OF CALIFORNIA TONIGHT. TS JULIO ITSELF IS NOT EXPECTED TO BE A MAJOR FACTOR IN OUR WEATHER AS THE OFFICIAL NHC FORECAST SHOWS THE LOW LEVEL CENTER OF JULIO WEAKENING ACROSS THE NORTHERN GULF OF CALIFORNIA THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. HOWEVER...SOME OF THE MODELS INCLUDING THE 12Z NAM ARE DEPICTING MID LEVEL ENERGY BREAKING AWAY FROM THE LOWER LEVEL REMNANTS OF TS JULIO TO MOVE INTO SONORA TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY RESULTING IN SOME DISTURBANCES ALOFT ROTATING INTO SOUTHERN ARIZONA WHICH COULD AID CONVECTION. MEANWHILE...AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH IS FORECAST TO MOVE INTO WESTERN ARIZONA TONIGHT AND ACROSS ARIZONA TUESDAY ALSO RESULTING IN A FAVORABLE SETUP FOR MORE ACTIVE CONVECTION FOR SOUTHEAST ARIZONA TUESDAY. MEDIUM RANGE GUIDANCE IS DEPICTING MID LEVEL RIDGING DEVELOPING TO OUR NORTH LATER THIS WEEK. HOWEVER WITH EASTERLY FLOW REMAINING AND MUCH OF THE INCREASED LOWER LEVEL MOISTURE IN PLACE WILL LIKELY NEED TO BUMP UP POPS STARTING THURSDAY AND CONTINUING INTO THIS WEEKEND WITH THE AFTERNOON PACKAGE. && .AVIATION...EXPECT INCREASING COVERAGE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...AND AGAIN ON TUESDAY. EAST TO SOUTHEAST WIND OF 10 TO 15 KNOTS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE DAY WITH GUSTY AND ERRATIC WINDS NEAR THUNDERSTORMS. AVIATION DISCUSSION NOT UPDATED FOR TAF AMENDMENTS. && .TWC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. WEATHER.GOV/TUCSON
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ 1247 PM MST MON AUG 25 2008 AZZ019-030-035-261200- NORTHERN GREENLEE COUNTY-UPPER GILA RIVER VALLEY-COCHISE COUNTY- 1247 PM MST MON AUG 25 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST ARIZONA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT NO WEATHER HAZARDS ARE EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. HOWEVER...SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BRING LOCALLY HEAVY DOWNPOURS TO THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY SCATTERED RAINFALL CAN BE EXPECTED THE NEXT FEW DAYS AS THE AREA EXPERIENCES THE AFFECTS OF TROPICAL STORM JULIO SPINNING OVER THE GULF OF CALIFORNIA. THE MAIN IMPACT WILL BE FROM RUNOFF IN TO THE SOUTH TO NORTH FLOWING STREAMS ACROSS COCHISE COUNTY AS VERY HEAVY RAINFALL CAN BE EXPECTED SOUTH OF THE INTERNATIONAL BORDER TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. IMPROVING WEATHER CAN BE EXPECTED BY FRIDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. AZZ029-031>034-261200- SOUTHEAST PINAL COUNTY-WESTERN PIMA COUNTY-TOHONO OODHAM NATION- TUCSON METRO/MARANA/GREEN VALLEY-SANTA CRUZ COUNTY- 1247 PM MST MON AUG 25 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL ARIZONA AND SOUTHEAST ARIZONA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT THERE IS AN INCREASING THREAT OF FLASH FLOODING THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT ACROSS PARTS OF SOUTHEAST ARIZONA. ALTHOUGH THE AREA REMAINED WELL NORTH OF TROPICAL STORM JULIO CENTERED OVER THE CENTRAL BAJA PENINSULA THIS MORNING...ENOUGH MOISTURE HAD ALREADY MOVED IN TO THE AREA TO SUPPORT WIDESPREAD RAINFALL. THIS MOISTURE COMBINED WITH AN UNSTABLE AIRMASS WILL LEAD TO SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAINFALL THAT COULD LEAD TO FLASH FLOODING AND AS WELL AS MORE PROLONGED URBAN STREET FLOODING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY THE AFFECTS OF TROPICAL STORM JULIO WILL CONTINUE TO IMPACT THE REGION THROUGH AT LEAST WEDNESDAY WITH RAINFALL OFF AND ON DURING THE PERIOD. SOME HEAVY RAINFALL WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH SMALL STREAM AND WASH FLOODING THE MAIN CONCERN THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. PERSONS IN SOUTHEAST ARIZONA SHOULD CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE WEATHER FOR POSSIBLE WATCHES AND WARNINGS TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. IMPROVING WEATHER CONDITIONS CAN BE ANTICIPATED THURSDAY AND FRIDAY AS THE AFFECTS OF DISSIPATING TROPICAL SYSTEM JULIO DIMINISH. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. WEATHER.GOV/TUCSON
The Tucson radar (KEMX), 44 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:56 UTC.
1 lightning, 1 flash flood, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Lightning struck a building at Rincon/University High Schools blowing apart several cinder blocks and strewing them across a patio.
Law enforcement reported washes flowing along Indian Road 35. The road was impassable.
Roof damage occurred to three homes.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arizona in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Arizona, August 2008
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: 124885, 122445, 122446.