Heavy Rain in Arizona, September 2, 2011

Name: Heavy Rain in Arizona, September 2, 2011
Start: 2011-09-02T18:00
End: 2011-09-02T19:25
Location: Arizona

September 2, 2011 · NWS TWC · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Enough left over moisture interacted with a shortwave trough to produce isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms across southern Arizona. Some of the storms produced heavy rainfall.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 7
Property damage: $50,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS TWC wrote it up.

Enough left over moisture interacted with a shortwave trough to produce isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms across southern Arizona. Some of the storms produced heavy rainfall.

What forecasters said that day

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 2, 2:30 PM MST, 3 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 2, 2:30 PM MST, 3 hours 30 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
230 PM MST FRI SEP 2 2011

.SYNOPSIS...HOT TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE INTO NEXT WEEK. ENOUGH
MOISTURE WILL REMAIN IN PLACE FOR ISOLATED TO SCATTERED DAILY
THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY.

&&

.DISCUSSION...PLENTY OF SUNSHINE...BUT SOME CONVECTIVE INHIBITION
OUT THERE AS WELL AS A TOUCH OF DRYING IN THE MODEST MID LEVEL
EASTERLY FLOW. BEHIND THAT. MOUNTAINS FAVORED TODAY AND MAY NOT END
UP WITH MUCH SUPPORT FOR MANY VALLEY LOCATIONS WHEN THEY DECIDE TO
DROP OUTFLOWS.

OTHERWISE...WITH THE FEATURES ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST AND GULF OF
MEXICO THE HIGH WILL PINCH OFF WITH RIDGE ORIENTATION ACROSS THE
DESERT SOUTHWEST OVER THE WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. CONTINUED
HOT WITH WEAK FLOW...SO TEMPERATURES RUNNING 7 TO 9 DEGREES ABOVE
CLIMO AND STILL USING THE MOISTURE GENERALLY IN PLACE...SO LOW TO
MID GRADE THUNDERSTORM FORECAST TO CONTINUE.

&&

.AVIATION....ISOLD-SCT TSRA/SHRA CONTINUING THRU 06Z SATURDAY.
FEW-BKN CLOUDS AT 10-15K FT AGL BECOMING SCT-BKN CLOUDS...WITH MFR
CONDITIONS AND STRONG THUNDERSTORM OUTFLOWS NEAR STRONGEST STORMS.
CLEARING AFTER 06Z TO 08Z SATURDAY. SURFACE WIND GENERALLY LESS THAN
10 KTS THRU FRIDAY EVENING. AVIATION DISCUSSION NOT UPDATED FOR TAF
AMENDMENTS.

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...EXPECT ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY
FROM TUCSON EASTWARD AND SOUTHWARD INTO NEXT WEEK. NORMAL DIURNAL
WIND TRENDS WILL OCCUR...EXCEPT FOR STRONG AND GUSTY WINDS NEAR
THUNDERSTORMS. CONTINUED HOT.

&&

.TWC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE.

WEATHER.GOV/TUCSON

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Rain, Pima

When: September 2, 6:00 PM MST to 7:25 PM MST
Where: Pima County, 2.92 mi SE of Vail Jct to 7.22 mi ESE of Pantano
Injuries: 0 direct, 7 indirect
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 32.002, -110.683

An intense thunderstorm produced torrential rainfall along Interstate 10 between mile markers 285 and 292 near the Pima County and Cochise County line. The Arizona Department of Transportation worked six accidents involving a total of nine vehicles resulting in seven non-life-threatening injuries. Arizona DOT reported that heavy rainfall, zero visibility, and hydroplaning were to blame. Interstate 10 was partially closed for about 30 minutes.

What these are

Heavy Rain: Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Arizona in 2011 Every state in 2011 This day in weather history Warnings in Arizona, September 2011

Sources

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: 347552.