Abundant moisture resulted in thunderstorm development across the Tucson Metro area with reports of wind damage and flash flooding.
Every event with a place to put it. 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 episode as NWS TWC wrote it up.
Abundant moisture resulted in thunderstorm development across the Tucson Metro area with reports of wind damage and flash flooding.
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 11, 2:00 PM MST, 6 hours 35 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ 200 PM MST THU SEP 11 2008 .SYNOPSIS...DRY AIR WILL START PUSHING IN FROM THE WEST BY FRIDAY...LIMITING OUR CHANCE OF SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY INTO NEXT WEEK. && .DISCUSSION...DEBRIS CLOUD CLEARED BY LATE MORNING WITH EARLIER CLEARING OUT WEST. MOISTURE HAS BEEN GOOD ENOUGH IN THE 1 TO 1.2 INCH RANGE ACROSS SOUTHERN AREAS...MAYBE A LITTLE DEEPER FURTHER EAST...WITH HIGHER VALUES OVER MOST OF SONORA JUST SOUTH. WE HAVE SEEN SOME DRYING HOWEVER...AS SURFACE DEWPTS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO MIX OUT INTO THE MIDDLE AND LOWER 50S THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS CENTRAL AND EASTERN AREAS. RECENT GOES SOUNDER ESTIMATES ARE HINTING AT VALUES CLOSER TO 1 INCH IN THESE AREAS. MOISTURE PUSHED UP FROM LOWELL REMNANT HAS INTERACTED WITH LOW DIGGING INTO NORTHERN BAJA FOR SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS IN SOUTHWEST DESERTS TODAY. WE STILL HAVE A CHANCE OF SHOWERS THIS EVENING IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN AREAS AS MORE FAVORABLE CONDITIONS TRY TO SHIFT IN FROM THE WEST...BUT WE WILL BE FIGHTING SOME ADDITIONAL DRYING TRYING TO INFILTRATE THE FLOW FROM THE SOUTHWEST UNDER THE LOW. SOME REMNANT ENERGY WILL BE LEFT BEHIND AS THE TROUGH LIFTS EASTWARD...BUT MODELS CONTINUE TO TRY TO DRY US OUT AFTER TONIGHT AS THE LARGER SCALE FLOW SHUNTS MOISTURE OUT OF THE AREA. MODEL DRYING MIGHT BE A LITTLE TOO AGGRESSIVE...BUT WILL SERVE WELL AS A GENERAL FORMAT FOR THE PREVAILING TREND. STILL HAVE TO WATCH FOR REMNANT TROPICAL MOISTURE EARLY IN THE NEW WEEK...BUT NEW GFS AND OFFICIAL TRACKS KEEP THINGS FAIRLY FAR EAST. && .AVIATION...ISOLD TO SCATTERED TSRA/SHRA ACROSS ALL OF SE AZ. STRONG GUSTY WINDS NEAR STORMS AND WITH SOME THUNDERSTORM OUTFLOW. AVIATION DISCUSSION NOT UPDATED FOR TAF AMENDMENTS. && .TWC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. WEATHER.GOV/TUCSON
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ 614 AM MST THU SEP 11 2008 AZZ029-030-032>034-120400- SOUTHEAST PINAL COUNTY-UPPER GILA RIVER VALLEY- TOHONO OODHAM NATION-TUCSON METRO/MARANA/GREEN VALLEY- SANTA CRUZ COUNTY- 614 AM MST THU SEP 11 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL ARIZONA AND SOUTHEAST ARIZONA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT AN UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OFF THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COAST THIS MORNING WILL MOVE ACROSS NORTHERN BAJA TODAY AND TONIGHT. SUFFICIENT MOISTURE IS IN PLACE AND COMBINED WITH DAYTIME HEATING AND UPPER LEVEL DYNAMICS ASSOCIATED WITH THE APPROACHING LOW...SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. MAIN THREAT FROM THESE STORMS WILL BE GUSTY WINDS...SMALL HAIL AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN. A FEW AREAS NEAR THE STRONGEST STORMS MAY SEE RAINFALL AMOUNTS UP TO ONE INCH WHICH MAY CAUSE SOME SHORT TERM FLOODING CONCERNS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. AZZ035-120400- COCHISE COUNTY- 614 AM MST THU SEP 11 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST ARIZONA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT AN UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OFF THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COAST THIS MORNING WILL MOVE ACROSS NORTHERN BAJA TODAY AND TONIGHT. SUFFICIENT MOISTURE IS IN PLACE AND COMBINED WITH DAYTIME HEATING AND UPPER LEVEL DYNAMICS ASSOCIATED WITH THE APPROACHING LOW...SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. MAIN THREAT FROM THESE STORMS WILL BE GUSTY WINDS...SMALL HAIL AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN. A FEW AREAS MAY SEE RAINFALL AMOUNTS UP TO ONE INCH WHICH MAY CAUSE SOME SHORT TERM FLOODING CONCERNS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. AZZ031-120400- WESTERN PIMA COUNTY- 614 AM MST THU SEP 11 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL ARIZONA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT AN UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OFF THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COAST THIS MORNING WILL MOVE ACROSS NORTHERN BAJA TODAY AND TONIGHT. SUFFICIENT MOISTURE IS IN PLACE AND COMBINED WITH DAYTIME HEATING AND UPPER LEVEL DYNAMICS ASSOCIATED WITH THE APPROACHING LOW...ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. MAIN THREAT FROM THESE STORMS WILL BE GUSTY WINDS...SMALL HAIL AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. AZZ019-120400- NORTHERN GREENLEE COUNTY- 614 AM MST THU SEP 11 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST ARIZONA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT AN UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OFF THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COAST THIS MORNING WILL MOVE ACROSS NORTHERN BAJA TODAY AND TONIGHT. SUFFICIENT MOISTURE IS IN PLACE AND COMBINED WITH DAYTIME HEATING AND UPPER LEVEL DYNAMICS ASSOCIATED WITH THE APPROACHING LOW...SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. MAIN THREAT FROM THESE STORMS WILL BE GUSTY WINDS...SMALL HAIL AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. WEATHER.GOV/TUCSON
The Tucson radar (KEMX), 13 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 03:33 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Power lines knocked down at Wentworth and Wetstones Road near New Tucson.
A swift water rescue occurred on Sahuarita Road between Wilmot Road and Kolb Road.
Power pole knocked down at Camino Seco and Golf Links road.
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, September 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: 124933, 124931, 124934.