Adequate moisture and southerly flow allowed for another day of thunderstorm activity. Heavy rainfall, flash flooding, and large hail occurred under the strongest storms.
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.
Adequate moisture and southerly flow allowed for another day of thunderstorm activity. Heavy rainfall, flash flooding, and large hail occurred under the strongest storms.
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 6, 2:30 PM MST, 3 hours 6 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ 230 PM MST FRI AUG 6 2010 .SYNOPSIS...AN ACTIVE MONSOON PATTERN IS EXPECTED TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY AS SOUTHEAST ARIZONA REMAINS IN BETWEEN HIGH PRESSURE OVER NEW MEXICO...AND A TROUGH DEVELOPING WEST OF THE AREA. A FEW OF THE STORMS COULD BE STRONG THROUGH SUNDAY. A DRIER SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WILL REDEVELOP EARLY NEXT WEEK AS THE HIGH SHIFTS BACK INTO THE SOUTHEAST U.S. AND THE WEST COAST TROUGH MOVES INTO THE GREAT BASIN. && .DISCUSSION...ACTIVITY SLOW TO GET GOING THIS AFTERNOON...AS DEBRIS CLOUDINESS KEEPING TEMPS JUST BELOW CONVECTIVE. STRONG GULF SURGE IN PROGRESS NOTED BY DEWPOINT OF 75 DEGS AND 15KT SOUTH WIND AT ROCKY POINT. ATMOSPHERE CONTINUES TO MOISTEN THIS AFTERNOON WITH DEWPOINTS 55-60 DEGREES AND PWAT AROUND 1.50 INCHES...WHICH SHOWED UP NICELY ON 18Z SPECIAL SOUNDING ALSO COOLER 500 MB TEMP OF -7 DEG C. STRONG SHEAR PROGGED TO DEVELOP THIS EVENING BY NAM WITH SOUTHEAST 500 MB FLOW AT 30KTS. STRONG STORMS WITH WIND AND HEAVY RAIN THREAT LIKELY TO DEVELOP THIS EVENING. HAVE CONTEMPLATED FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR BOTH THIS AFTERNOON AND SATURDAY...BUT WILL WAIT TO SEE HOW STORMS IN MEXICO ORGANIZE. FEEL WITH RAPIDLY INCREASING MOISTURE LEVELS THAT A FEW LOCATIONS WILL GET VERY HEAVY AMOUNTS DESPITE INCREASED STORM MOTIONS. MID AND UPPER HIGH CENTER CURRENTLY IN PLACE OVER SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO. THIS HAS PLACED SOUTHEAST ARIZONA IN A GENERAL SOUTHERLY FLOW. MOISTURE IS GRADUALLY INCREASING WITHIN THIS FLOW WITH PWAT VALUES NOW BETWEEN 1.25-1.50 INCHES. LARGE MCS DEVELOPED LAST NIGHT OVER SOUTHERN SONORA REMNANT MCV FROM THIS COMPLEX IS PRESENTLY OVER THE CENTRAL GULF OF CALIFORNIA. DEBRIS CLOUDINESS IS OVER SANTA CRUZ AND EASTERN PIMA COUNTIES. TODAY AND TONIGHT...12Z TUS SOUNDING IS VERY SIMILAR TO YESTERDAYS ALTHOUGH MOISTURE LEVEL APPEARS TO BE IN ERROR WHEN COMPARED TO GOES PWAT SAT WHICH INDICATES VALUES APPROACHING 1.50 INCHES. FLOW AND SHEAR PROFILE IS MUCH IMPROVED WITH SSW 15-30 KTS BETWEEN 700-300 MB. NAM PROGS THIS FLOW TO TURN MORE SOUTHEASTERLY DURING THE AFTERNOON. MOISTURE CONVERGENCE BOUNDARY AND BEST INSTABILITY CURRENTLY LINING UP OVER EASTERN PIMA...PINAL AND SANTA CRUZ COUNTIES AND EXPECT WIDESPREAD CONVECTION SOME POSSIBLY SEVERE OVER THESE AREAS THIS AFTERNOON...PERMITTED DEBRIS CLOUDINESS BREAKS UP BY NOON. WILL SEND UP AN 18Z SOUNDING TO SEE HOW THE ATMOSPHERE IS EVOLVING AND HOPEFULLY GET A BETTER SAMPLE OF MOISTURE LEVEL. WEAK INVERTED TROUGH AS NOTED OVER SOUTHERN CHIHUAHUA AND WILL MOVE NORTHWEST TOWARDS COCHISE COUNTY OVERNIGHT...MCS LIKELY TO DEVELOP OVER NORTHERN SONORA WITH THIS FEATURE AND MAY EXTEND INTO SOUTHERN COCHISE COUNTY. SATURDAY...SHOULD BE ANOTHER ACTIVE DAY AS REMNANT MCV ROTATES NORTH FROM GULF OF CALIFORNIA INTO WESTERN PIMA COUNTY...SHOULD ALSO OF HAD A GULF SURGE BY THIS TIME TO FURTHER INCREASE MOISTURE LEVELS. FLOW AND SHEAR REMAIN HIGHLY FAVORABLE FOR STORM ORGANIZATION. DEBRIS CLOUDINESS FROM TONIGHTS CONVECTION MAY ACT AS A HINDRANCE...ESPECIALLY IF THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT OVERNIGHT COMPLEX IN SONORA AS SOME MODELS SHOWS. FLOW TURNS DECIDEDLY MORE SOUTHWESTERLY DURING THE UPCOMING WEEK WITH A DOWNTURN IN CONVECTION. STILL A ENOUGH MOISTURE ON SUNDAY FOR CLIMO OR SLIGHTLY BELOW COVERAGE. && .AVIATION...SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS WITH CIGS 4-7KFT AGL ARE EXPECTED THROUGH AT LEAST 04Z. ISOLD TO WDLY SCT SHRA/TSRA LINGERING AFTER 04Z WITH SCT-BKN CLOUD BASES OF 5-9KFT. LCL VSBY 2SM AND CIGS 2KFT NEAR TSRA ALONG WITH WIND GUSTS TO 50 KTS. OTHERWISE SFC WIND VARIABLE LESS THAN 10 KNOTS. ANOTHER ACTIVE DAY OF THUNDERSTORMS IS FORECAST SATURDAY. AVIATION DISCUSSION NOT UPDATED FOR TAF AMENDMENTS. && .FIRE WEATHER...NO FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS AT THIS TIME. && .TWC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. PUBLIC...SHOEMAKER AVIATION/FIRE WX...DROZD WEATHER.GOV/TUCSON
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ 1020 AM MST FRI AUG 6 2010 AZZ019-029>035-071730- NORTHERN GREENLEE COUNTY-SOUTHEAST PINAL COUNTY- UPPER GILA RIVER VALLEY-WESTERN PIMA COUNTY-TOHONO OODHAM NATION- TUCSON METRO/MARANA/GREEN VALLEY-SANTA CRUZ COUNTY-COCHISE COUNTY- 1020 AM MST FRI AUG 6 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL ARIZONA AND SOUTHEAST ARIZONA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON AND MOVE NORTHWARD THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS AND CONTINUE OVERNIGHT. THE MAIN THREAT WILL BE STRONG AND DAMAGING WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH. VERY HEAVY RAIN IN EXCESS OF AN INCH PER HOUR COULD LEAD TO FLASH FLOODING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THE THREAT OF STRONG WIND GUSTS AND HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CONTINUE ON SATURDAY...ALTHOUGH STORM COVERAGE MAY DECREASE ON SUNDAY. A GENERAL DOWNTURN IN THE MONSOON WILL CONTINUE MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY...WITH ONLY ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. WEATHER.GOV/TUCSON
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ 321 PM MST FRI AUG 6 2010 AZZ032-062300- TOHONO OODHAM NATION AZ- 321 PM MST FRI AUG 6 2010 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR CENTRAL PIMA COUNTY UNTIL 400 PM MST... AT 311 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 5 MILES NORTHWEST OF SELLS OVER STATE HIGHWAY 86. THIS STORM WAS TRACKING TOWARD THE NORTH AT LESS THAN 10 MPH. WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM...ALONG WITH HEAVY RAIN. AREAS AFFECTED BY THIS STORM INCLUDE...SANTA ROSA...NOLIC...SAN LUIS...SIL NAGGIA...MOUNTAIN VILLAGE...COVERED WELLS...AK CHIN AND ANEGAM. LAT...LON 3243 11219 3234 11164 3188 11195 3189 11224 TIME...MOT...LOC 2219Z 180DEG 0KT 3199 11189
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
408 PM MST FRI AUG 06 2010
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0408 PM HAIL 1 N HEREFORD 31.45N 110.19W
08/06/2010 M0.25 INCH COCHISE AZ TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
PYTLAKSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
516 PM MST FRI AUG 6 2010
AZZ030-035-070115-
COCHISE COUNTY AZ-UPPER GILA RIVER VALLEY AZ-
516 PM MST FRI AUG 6 2010
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTHWESTERN COCHISE AND
SOUTHWESTERN GRAHAM COUNTIES UNTIL 615 PM MST...
AT 512 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM BETWEEN FORT GRANT AND MOUNT GRAHAM...OR 18
MILES SOUTHWEST OF SAFFORD...MOVING NORTH AT 10 MPH. OTHER STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS OVER SOUTHWEST GRAHAM COUNTY WERE NEARLY STATIONARY.
HAIL UP TO ONE-HALF INCH IN DIAMETER AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ARE
EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM.
AREAS AFFECTED BY THIS STORM INCLUDE...MOUNT GRAHAM AND FRYE MESA
DAM.
IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA...TAKE SHELTER IN A
STURDY BUILDING.
LAT...LON 3282 11044 3280 10976 3253 10974 3220 11017
3228 11037
TIME...MOT...LOC 0014Z 162DEG 10KT 3265 10991
MINNICKPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
521 PM MST FRI AUG 06 2010
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0520 PM HAIL 2 E CORONADO NATIONAL M 31.35N 110.21W
08/06/2010 M0.88 INCH COCHISE AZ TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
PYTLAKThe Tucson radar (KEMX), 72 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:35 UTC.
1 hail, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Nickel size hail began at 520 pm, eventually growing as large as 1.25 inches in diameter.
Several sections of Moson Road were covered in flood waters and debris. Spotter reported a rainfall total of 2.30 inches.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arizona in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Arizona, August 2010
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: 239808, 239807.