An upper trough moved across Chihuahua and Sonora helping to strengthen thunderstorms near the international border. Abundant moisture of nearly 2 inches of precipitable water led to thunderstorms that produced very heavy rain and flash flooding over southern Cochise 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.
An upper trough moved across Chihuahua and Sonora helping to strengthen thunderstorms near the international border. Abundant moisture of nearly 2 inches of precipitable water led to thunderstorms that produced very heavy rain and flash flooding over southern Cochise County. A few storms also produced damaging winds and large hail as they moved northeast to southwest. The hardest hit area was from Sierra Vista to Palominas.
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 Jul 9, 2:12 PM MST, 1 hour 47 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ 212 PM MST TUE JUL 9 2013 .SYNOPSIS...HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT WILL SLIDE FROM NEW MEXICO EASTWARD THIS WEEK. THE RESULTANT MOIST SOUTHEAST FLOW OF AIR WILL BRING A GENERAL INCREASE IN THUNDERSTORM COVERAGE OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN AND FLASH FLOODING. && .DISCUSSION...CLOUDS BROKE UP LATE THIS MORNING AND TEMPERATURES HAVE RECOVERED ADEQUATELY AND MAY YET FLIRT WITH THE 100 DEGREE MARK IN TUCSON. AS OF 2 PM THE TEMPERATURE HAD CLIMBED AS HIGH AS 98 DEGREES. IN ANY EVENT TEMPERATURES ARE A BIT COOLER THAN MONDAY AND THUNDERSTORMS STRUGGLING TO INITIATE DESPITE PWAT VALUES NEAR 1.9 INCHES ON MORNING SOUNDING. A COUPLE OF STORMS HAVE DEVELOPED NEAR THE INTL BORDER BUT STILL BELIEVE TSTMS WILL INCREASE IN COVERAGE LATER THIS AFTERNOON OVER MOUNTAINS AND TRACK SLOWLY WWD. MOST PROMINENT UPPER FEATURE ON SATELLITE IS CIRCULATION OVER CHIHUAHUA THAT HAS A TROUGH STRETCHING TOWARD NM BOOTHEEL. ADDED IMPETUS FROM THIS DISTURBANCE MAY SUSTAIN/AID THUNDERSTORMS ALONG INTERNATIONAL BORDER TONIGHT...AND A LARGE COMPLEX IS EXPECTED TO BE CENTERED OVER SONORA BY MORNING. SLOW MOVING STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN IN SOME AREAS. ANOTHER MORE SUBTLE FEATURE WHICH IS HELPING KICK OFF TSTMS OVER THE RIM SHOULD GENERALLY TRACK WEST SKIRTING NORTHERN PORTIONS OF SE AZ..POSSIBLY IMPACTING THE SHIPMAN WILDFIRE AREA IN NE PINAL COUNTY. AS HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT GRADUALLY SHIFTS EAST THE REST OF THE WEEK...A BROAD EAST TO WEST UPPER FLOW WILL SET UP FROM TX ACROSS NRN MEX. THE FLOW IS DEPICTED AS TURNING NW INTO SE AZ...THUS SETTING UP A FAVORABLE PATTERN FOR ACTIVE MONSOON THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY. THERE WILL BE UNDOUBTEDLY BE SEVERAL SUBTLE UPPER FEATURES WHICH WILL FAVOR CERTAIN DAYS OVER ANOTHER BUT ARE HARD TO DISCERN AT THIS TIME. MODELS ARE CURRENTLY POINTING TO WED AND THU AS THE MOST ACTIVE DAYS THIS WEEK...THEN DEPICT A LARGER SCALE WESTWARD MOVING SYSTEM TO CREATE AN ACTIVE MONDAY/TUESDAY NEXT WEEK. DAYTIME TEMPS WILL AVERAGE A FEW DEGS BELOW NORMAL WED-FRI FOLLOWED BY SLIGHTLY WARMER DAYTIME TEMPS THIS WEEKEND. && .AVIATION...VALID THRU 11/00Z... ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING MAINLY ACROSS SOUTHERN COCHISE AND SANTA CRUZ COUNTIES. THE 5 TO 10 KT EASTERLY STORM MOTIONS DO PRESENT A POTENTIAL ISSUE FOR KDUG AND KOLS SO I MAY INCLUDE MENTION OF THUNDER IN THESE TAFS SOON. ADDITIONAL ACTIVITY MAY DEVELOP THROUGH THE EVENING. BEST CHANCES FOR -TSRA AT KTUS WOULD OCCUR LATER THIS EVENING SO HAVE NOT YET ADDED -TSRA TO KTUS. OTHERWISE...ANTICIPATE VFR CIGS AND NORMAL DIURNAL WINDS OUTSIDE OF THUNDERSTORMS. GENERALLY LIGHT WINDS OVERNIGHT...BECOMING WEST TO NORTHWESTERLY IN THE AFTERNOON. && .FIRE WEATHER...ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH THIS EVENING ESPECIALLY IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS. INCREASING MOISTURE WILL HELP THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY INCREASE FROM WEDNESDAY THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK. THE STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE GUSTY AND ERRATIC WINDS. OTHERWISE...NORMAL DIURNAL WIND TRENDS WILL OCCUR. DAYTIME RELATIVE HUMIDITIES WILL RANGE FROM THE UPPER TEENS TO 30S WITH GOOD NIGHTTIME RECOVERIES. && .CLIMATE...THE HIGH TEMPERATURE AT TUCSON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT REACHED 105 DEGREES MONDAY. THUS...MONDAY BECAME THE 38TH CONSECUTIVE DAY OF TRIPLE DIGIT TEMPS RECORDED AT TUCSON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. THIS IS THE THIRD LONGEST STREAK ON RECORD BEHIND 1987 AND 2005 (BOTH YEARS WITH 39 CONSECUTIVE DAYS). && .TWC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && PUBLIC/DROZD AVIATION FIRE WEATHER/BROST VISIT US ON FACEBOOK...TWITTER...YOUTUBE...AND AT WEATHER.GOV/TUCSON
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ 205 PM MST TUE JUL 9 2013 AZZ508-092130- EASTERN COCHISE COUNTY BELOW 5000 FEET INCLUDING DOUGLAS/WILLCOX AZ- 205 PM MST TUE JUL 9 2013 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SOUTHEASTERN COCHISE COUNTY UNTIL 230 PM MST... AT 200 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 19 MILES EAST OF DOUGLAS...MOVING SOUTHWEST AT 5 MPH. HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF PENNIES AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. AREAS AFFECTED BY THIS STORM INCLUDE...MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF SOUTHEASTERN COCHISE COUNTY. IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA...TAKE SHELTER IN A STURDY BUILDING. LAT...LON 3134 10951 3151 10948 3153 10919 3133 10916 TIME...MOT...LOC 2105Z 063DEG 4KT 3141 10924 KD
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ 248 PM MST TUE JUL 9 2013 AZZ510-092215- WHITE MOUNTAINS OF GRAHAM AND GREENLEE COUNTIES INCLUDING HANNAGAN MEADOW AZ- 248 PM MST TUE JUL 9 2013 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTHERN GREENLEE COUNTY UNTIL 315 PM MST... AT 245 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 9 MILES SOUTHEAST OF HANNAGAN MEADOW...OR 55 MILES NORTHEAST OF SAFFORD...MOVING SOUTHWEST AT 10 MPH. HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF NICKELS AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. AREAS AFFECTED BY THIS STORM INCLUDE...HIGHWAY 191 BETWEEN ROSE PEAK AND HANNAGAN MEADOW. THIS STORM MAY INTENSIFY...SO BE CERTAIN TO MONITOR LOCAL RADIO AND TV STATIONS...AS WELL AS LOCAL CABLE TV OUTLETS...FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. LAT...LON 3336 10941 3359 10944 3365 10919 3351 10918 TIME...MOT...LOC 2148Z 067DEG 9KT 3353 10925 KD
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
342 PM MST TUE JUL 9 2013
AZZ503-513-092330-
DRAGOON/MULE/HUACHUCA AND SANTA RITA MOUNTAINS INCLUDING
BISBEE/CANELO HILLS/MADERA CANYON AZ-UPPER SANTA CRUZ RIVER AND ALTAR
VALLEYS INCLUDING NOGALES AZ-
342 PM MST TUE JUL 9 2013
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SOUTHERN SANTA CRUZ COUNTY UNTIL
430 PM MST...
AT 336 PM MST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM 10 MILES EAST OF NOGALES...MOVING WEST AT 10 MPH.
WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM...ALONG WITH
FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND AREAS OF BLOWING DUST.
AREAS AFFECTED BY THIS STORM INCLUDE...NOGALES...KINO SPRINGS...
PATAGONIA LAKE...RIO RICO AND TUMACACORI.
THIS STORM MAY INTENSIFY...SO BE CERTAIN TO MONITOR LOCAL RADIO AND
TV STATIONS...AS WELL AS LOCAL CABLE TV OUTLETS...FOR ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.
LAT...LON 3160 11109 3155 11075 3142 11062 3132 11065
3133 11105
TIME...MOT...LOC 2241Z 091DEG 7KT 3134 11078
MEADOWSThe Tucson radar (KEMX), 62 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:57 UTC.
3 hail, 3 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
A severe thunderstorm produced large hail as it tracked westward across rural portions of southern Santa Cruz County. The largest hail reported by spotters was the size of golf balls at Kino Springs. No damage was reported.
A wind gust to 58 mph was measured at the Nogales International Airport.
Spotters reported hail up to the size of quarters in Palominas.
A vehicle windshield was broken by large hail near Kings Ranch Road.
Two to five inches of rain fell along Highway 92 between Sierra Vista and Bisbee. Some areas received up to 7 inches of rain over a 3 hour period. Vehicles became stranded on roadways in water up to 3 feet deep, necessitating several swift water rescues. Several roads were closed, including Highway 92, which was shut down for about 90 minutes. Also, a large concrete culvert under a private road collapsed near Palominas. Several residents were isolated due to the collapse.
Thunderstorm winds knocked over irrigation sprinklers, destroyed a barn, tore roofs off several other buildings, including a business in the Pearce-Sunsites area. The damaging winds also downed trees and power poles and blew a semi-tractor trailer onto its side.
Thunderstorm winds downed several trees and power poles at Fort Huachuca and in Sierra Vista. In addition, several homes sustained roof damage and one had the roof completely blown off. A wind gust to 82 mph was measured by the Libby Field ASOS.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arizona in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Arizona, July 2013
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: 459047, 459049, 459055, 459057, 452895, 459056, 459058.