Moisture increased and the airmass warmed quickly by mid day. Thunderstorms formed first over the higher terrain and became severe as they moved toward the northeast.
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 PSR wrote it up.
Moisture increased and the airmass warmed quickly by mid day. Thunderstorms formed first over the higher terrain and became severe as they moved toward the northeast.
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 Phoenix, AZ wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 9, 3:55 PM MST, 45 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ 355 PM MST TUE SEP 9 2008 SOUTH-CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ARIZONA...AND SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION .SYNOPSIS... A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL DEVELOP SOUTH OVER NORTHERN CALIFORNIA TONIGHT...CENTRAL CALIFORNIA WEDNESDAY...AND SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA THURSDAY. INCREASING MOISTURE FROM THE SOUTH AHEAD OF THIS SYSTEM WILL BRING AN INCREASE IN SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ESPECIALLY ACROSS SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY. COOLER WEATHER IS ALSO EXPECTED MAINLY IN SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA WEDNESDAY. AT LEAST A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY EVENING...THEN CONFINED TO THE HIGHER TERRAIN EAST OF THE GREATER PHOENIX AREA DURING THE AFTERNOONS AND EVENINGS BEGINNING FRIDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL RECOVER SOMEWHAT FRIDAY. && .DISCUSSION... WINDS FROM THE SOUTH UP TO 4 THOUSAND FEET DEEP CONTINUED BRINGING AN INCREASE IN MOISTURE UP THE LOWER COLORADO RIVER VALLEY THIS AFTERNOON. DEW POINT TEMPERATURES WERE BETWEEN 10 AND 20 DEGREES HIGHER IN THE YUMA AREA AND GENERALLY 5 TO 12 DEGREES HIGHER ELSEWHERE EARLY THIS AFTERNOON...EXCEPT CLOSE TO THE SAME IN THE HIGHER TERRAIN EAST OF THE GREATER PHOENIX AREA AND 6 TO 12 DEGREES LOWER IN CENTRAL RIVERSIDE COUNTY INCLUDING JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK. THE MOISTURE INCREASE WAS RESULTING IN ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS FROM JUST EAST OF IMPERIAL TO BLYTHE EAST ACROSS SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA INCLUDING THE GREATER PHOENIX AREA THIS AFTERNOON. A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP SOUTH OVER NORTHERN CALIFORNIA TONIGHT...CENTRAL CALIFORNIA WEDNESDAY...AND SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY. IT IS THEN EXPECTED TO SWING EAST ACROSS ARIZONA BY LATE THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY. LOW LEVEL FLOW FROM THE SOUTH AHEAD OF THIS SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TO BRING AN INCREASE IN MOISTURE TO SOUTHWEST AND ESPECIALLY SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY. THUS... HAVE INCREASED THE CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS PARTICULARLY FOR SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA TONIGHT AND ESPECIALLY FOR WEDNESDAY INCLUDING THE GREATER PHOENIX AREA. ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE MAINLY DUE TO STRONG GUSTY WINDS...BUT AT LEAST SMALL HAIL IS ALSO POSSIBLE. HAVE ALSO CONTINUED THE FORECAST OF COOLER WEATHER FOR WEDNESDAY. THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE TO RESULT IN AT LEAST A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS FOR SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY EVENING. DRIER AIR COMING IN WITH AND BEHIND THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO CONFINE A SLIGHT CHANCE OF AFTERNOON AND EVENING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO THE HIGHER TERRAIN EAST OF THE GREATER PHOENIX AREA BEGINNING FRIDAY. FROM PREVIOUS DISCUSSION... BEHIND THE TROUGH A NEGATIVELY TILTED RIDGE MOVES INTO THE WESTERN STATES OVER THE WEEKEND. HINTED AT A WARMING TREND...WHICH MAY NEED TO BE INCREASED...THOUGH HEIGHTS/THICKNESSES DONT GET OUT OF HAND. OPERATIONAL GFS AND ENSEMBLE MEAN SHOW THE RIDGE OVER THE SOUTHEAST STATES EXPANDING WESTWARD EARLY NEXT WEEK WITH REMNANT CIRCULATION OF IKE STAYING WELL SOUTH OF ARIZONA AND CALIFORNIA. WAY TOO EARLY TO TELL IF REMNANT MOISTURE FROM IKE WILL ADVECT INTO OUR FORECAST AREA NEXT WEEK BUT 00Z GFS DEPICTS A RETURN OF MOISTURE. 00Z ECMWF HAS A DIFFERENT SOLUTION TAKING IKE NORTHWARD UP THROUGH TEXAS BUT IT HAS A LARGE HIGH CENTERED OVER THE ROCKIES WITH EASTERLY MID LEVEL FLOW WHICH COULD ADVECT MOISTURE FROM OTHER SOURCES INTO OUR AREA. && .AVIATION... MID DAY CONVECTION UNDERWAY JUST NW OF KCGZ...AND ADDITIONAL DEVELOPMENT IS LIKELY OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN EAST AND SE OF KIWA THROUGH AT LEAST 0200Z. OUTFLOW WINDS AND SOME BLOWING DUST MAY AFFECT AIRFIELDS IN THE EAST VALLEY...SUCH AS KIWA AND KCHD. MAX WIND GUSTS COULD REACH 35 KTS AFT 2300Z...AND UPDATED TAF WENT OUT AT ABOUT 2145Z. SKY HARBOR NOT LIKELY TO GET THE STRONGEST WINDS...BUT THEIR BEST THREAT TIME WOULD BE AFTER 0100Z. AFTER THIS EVENINGS SLIGHT CHANCE OF TSTMS...WE CAN LOOK FOR AN INCREASE IN THE PROBABILITY OF AFTERNOON AND EVENING TSTMS ON WEDNESDAY...BUT THE MID SHIFT FORECASTERS WILL HAVE THE BEST GUIDANCE AND LATEST SATL/88D TRENDS FOR WED EVENTS. AVIATION DISCUSSION NOT UPDATED FOR AMENDED TAFS. && .FIRE WEATHER... THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...AN UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE TROF ACROSS THE DESERT SOUTHWEST WILL LEAD TO A CHANCE FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THURSDAY ACROSS SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA...AND A SLIGHT CHANCE ELSEWHERE. TEMPERATURES WILL BE WELL BELOW NORMAL...ALONG WITH MINIMUM RELATIVE HUMIDITIES BETWEEN 20 AND 30 PERCENT. THE LOW PRESURE SYSTEM WILL WEAKEN OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS ALLOWING FOR GRADUAL DRYING FROM THE WEST...ALONG WITH A SLOW WARMING TREND. MINIMUM RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES WILL DROP INTO THE UPPER TEENS OVER MUCH OF THE LOWER CALIFORNIA AND ARIZONA DESERTS OVER THE WEEKEND. && .PSR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AZ...NONE. CA...NONE. && NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX IS ON THE INTERNET AT WEATHER.GOV/PHOENIX DISCUSSION...ELLIS/AJ AVIATION...SIPPLE FIRE WEATHER...CB
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ 554 AM MST TUE SEP 9 2008 AZZ020>028-CAZ030>033-100100- LOWER COLORADO RIVER VALLEY AZ-WEST CENTRAL DESERTS- NORTHWEST MARICOPA COUNTY-GREATER PHOENIX AREA- SOUTHERN GILA COUNTY/TONTO NATIONAL FOREST FOOTHILLS- YUMA/MARTINEZ LAKE AND VICINITY-SOUTHWEST DESERTS- SOUTHWEST MARICOPA COUNTY-NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL PINAL COUNTY- JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK-LOWER COLORADO RIVER VALLEY CA- RIVERSIDE COUNTY/EASTERN DESERTS-IMPERIAL COUNTY- 554 AM MST TUE SEP 9 2008 /554 AM PDT TUE SEP 9 2008/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST-CENTRAL ARIZONA...EXTREME SOUTHWEST ARIZONA...EXTREME WEST-CENTRAL ARIZONA... SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA...SOUTHWEST ARIZONA...WEST-CENTRAL ARIZONA... EXTREME SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA AND SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT AN INCREASE IN MOISTURE ALONG WITH THE PRESENCE OF AN UPPER TROUGH WILL LEAD TO A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA AND SLIGHT CHANCE OF STORMS OVER THE LOWER ELEVATIONS...MAINLY SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA. STORMS WILL BE ABLE TO FORM AT ANY TIME OF THE DAY. THE MAIN THREAT FROM THE STORMS WILL BE LOCALLY VERY STRONG WINDS WHICH COULD PRODUCE AREAS OF BLOWING DUST...MOST LIKELY TO OCCUR DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. THE STRONGER STORMS WILL ALSO BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING BRIEF HEAVY RAIN. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THE STORM THREAT WILL CONTINUE IN A SIMILAR FASHION THROUGH THURSDAY FOLLOWED BY DECREASED CHANCES FRIDAY BEFORE BEING CONFINED TO THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA OVER THE WEEKEND. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX IS ON THE INTERNET AT WEATHER.GOV/PHOENIX
The Phoenix radar (KIWA), 56 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:40 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Large hail was reported across parts of central and western Maricopa County. Most of the reports were for dime to penny size hail.
Quartzsite Fire Department reported an estimated gust of 75 mph that blew two tractor trailer trucks off the road.
A late evening thunderstorm swept through Quartzsite and Vicksburg and left 15 downed 69-kv poles in its wake, as well as isolated damage to the distribution system across the Quartzsite, Vicksburg and Bouse areas.
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: 126128, 126124, 134228.