Arizona, 2014Flash Flood and Flood in Arizona, September 20 to 21, 2014
September 20 to 21, 2014 · NWS TWC · 2 events in 2 counties and zones
The center of high pressure was located over western Texas with a weak upper low over central California. 50 on the 12z KTWC sounding.
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
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $32,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 2
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 center of high pressure was located over western Texas with a weak upper low over central California. Surface dewpoints were in the low to middle 60's with a precipitable water of 1.50 on the 12z KTWC sounding. Light south to southwesterly flow prevailed over southeastern Arizona. Monsoon thunderstorms occurred, raining heavily over areas mainly south and east of Tucson, where several inches of rain had just fallen recently in association with the remnants of Odile. Additionally, the heavy rains of 4 to 6 which occurred near headwaters of the San Pedro River in Mexico on Sept. 17, also from Odile, caused elevated flows along the San Pedro River.
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 20, 8:25 PM MST, 1 hour 35 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Sep 20, 8:25 PM MST, 1 hour 35 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
825 PM MST SAT SEP 20 2014
.SYNOPSIS...DRIER AIR WILL BEGIN TO MOVE INTO THE REGION TOMORROW
WHICH WILL REDUCE RAIN CHANCES THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF THE WORK WEEK.
AN INCREASE IN SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IS EXPECTED BY THURSDAY AND
FRIDAY. NEAR-NORMAL HIGH TEMPERATURES ARE ANTICIPATED THE REST OF
THIS WEEKEND AND NEXT WEEK.
&&
.DISCUSSION...EARLIER SHOWERS AND STORMS HAVE DISSIPATED ACROSS ALL
BUT OUR NORTHEASTERN MOST ZONES WHERE A FEW LINGERING SHOWERS ARE
CURRENTLY IMPACTING PORTIONS OF GRAHAM AND GREENLEE COUNTIES. HAVE
UPDATED GRIDS TO REDUCE POPS AND CLOUD COVER ACROSS THE REST OF THE
REGION. OTHERWISE...NO ADDITIONAL UPDATES ARE ANTICIPATED.
DECREASING MOISTURE...ESPECIALLY ACROSS OUR WESTERN ZONES SHOULD
LIMIT SHOWER AND STORM ACTIVITY PRIMARILY TO EASTERN ARIZONA
TOMORROW AFTERNOON/EVENING.
&&
.AVIATION...VALID THRU 22/06Z.
ISOLATED TO SCATTERED -SHRA NORTH-TO-EAST OF KTUS LATE TONIGHT AND
SUNDAY MORNING. SCATTERED -SHRA/-TSRA WILL THEN OCCUR FROM KTUS
VICINITY EASTWARD AND SOUTHWARD SUNDAY AFTERNOON. MVFR CONDITIONS
AND BRIEF WIND GUSTS TO AROUND 30 KTS WILL OCCUR WITH SHRA/TSRA.
OTHERWISE... SURFACE WIND WILL BE MAINLY LESS THAN 10 KTS THRU
SUNDAY AFTERNOON. AVIATION DISCUSSION NOT UPDATED FOR TAF AMENDMENTS.
&&
.FIRE WEATHER...SCATTERED MAINLY AFTERNOON AND EVENING SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS WILL OCCUR ESPECIALLY FROM TUCSON EASTWARD AND
SOUTHWARD SUNDAY AND MONDAY. SOMEWHAT DRIER CONDITIONS WILL PRODUCE
LESS COVERAGE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY.
INCREASING CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL THEN PREVAIL
THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. BRIEF GUSTY OUTFLOWS WILL OCCUR WITH THE
STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS. OTHERWISE...20-FOOT WINDS WILL GENERALLY BE
LESS THAN 15 MPH INTO THE UPCOMING WEEK.
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION...SUNDAY AND MONDAY...AS THE AFOREMENTIONED UPPER
LOW ROTATES INTO THE NORTHERN GREAT BASIN...SOME DRIER AIR WILL BE
DRIVEN INTO THE REGION ON WESTERLY/SOUTHWESTERLY MIDLEVEL FLOW. WE
SHOULD STILL HOLD ON TO SOME MOISTURE IN OUR EASTERN ZONES...ENOUGH
FOR ISOLATED STORMS DURING THE AFTERNOON/EVENING.
TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY...12Z GFS/ECMWF BOTH IN GOOD AGREEMENT THAT
THE MIDLEVEL HIGH CENTER WILL SHIFT WEST INTO CALIFORNIA ON TUESDAY.
WITH DRY AIR IN PLACE...TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY BOTH LOOK TO BE
RELATIVELY QUIET WEATHER DAYS ACROSS THE REGION. AT THIS POINT IT
APPEARS THAT JUST ENOUGH MOISTURE WILL LINGER FOR SOME VERY ISOLATED
CONVECTION ACROSS THE HIGHER TERRAIN EAST OF TUCSON.
THURSDAY AND BEYOND...RAIN CHANCES INCREASE THURSDAY AND FRIDAY AS A
POWERFUL PACIFIC TROUGH APPROACHES THE WEST COAST. SOME TIMING
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE GFS/ECMWF/CMC RUNS AT THIS POINT...BUT
REGARDLESS...LOOKS LIKE SHOWERS AND STORMS WILL RETURN TO THE AREA
TO CLOSE OUT THE WORK WEEK.
&&
.TWC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE.
&&
VISIT US ON FACEBOOK...TWITTER...YOUTUBE...AND AT WEATHER.GOV/TUCSON
Flood, Pinal
- When
- September 20, 10:00 PM MST to September 21, 5:00 AM MST
- Where
- Pinal County, 0.27 mi W of North Mammoth to 1.26 mi NNW of North Mammoth
- Cause
- Heavy Rain / Tropical System
- Property damage
- $30,000
- Reported by
- Law Enforcement
- Coordinates
- 32.729, -110.655
Heavy rain which occurred near the headwaters of the San Pedro River in Mexico and also over Cochise County due to Tropical Depression Odile caused significant rises on the San Pedro River. Water eventually made its way north through Mammoth, where the river overflowed it banks. Three homes and rural roads were flooded. Other residences were evacuated as a precaution. Residents were allowed back in their homes in the morning as the water receded. No injuries occurred.
Flash Flood, Cochise
- When
- September 21, 8:30 PM MST to 9:30 PM MST
- Where
- Cochise County, 5.73 mi NNE of Bakerville to 5.89 mi ENE of Bisbee Jct
- Cause
- Heavy Rain
- Property damage
- $2,000
- Reported by
- Broadcast Media
- Coordinates
- 31.495, -109.840
Heavy rain from the remnants of Odile previously saturated soils in Cochise County. Monsoon thunderstorms then brought another round of heavy rain to the Bisbee area, where a concrete retaining wall along a wash collapsed.
- Flood
- Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.
- Flash Flood
- Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
- Damaging Winds in Illinois, September 20, 2014$70,000 · 60 kt wind · 3 events
- Flash Flooding and Flood in Texas, September 20, 2014$28,000 · 10 events
- Lightning Strikes in Nevada, September 20, 2014$27,000 · 2 events
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Minnesota, September 20, 20141 in hail · 19 events
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Indiana, September 20, 201470 kt wind · 19 events
- Flash Flood and Damaging Wind in California, September 20, 2014$21,000 · 3 events
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Michigan, September 20, 2014$12,000 · 1 in hail · 11 events
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Indiana, September 20 to 21, 2014$11,000 · 69 kt wind · 10 events
- Damaging Winds in Minnesota, September 20, 201465 kt wind · 7 events
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Minnesota, September 20, 2014$3,000 · 1 in hail · 7 events
- Hail and Damaging Winds in North Dakota, September 20, 20141 in hail · 5 events
- Damaging Winds in Kansas, September 20, 201461 kt wind · 5 events
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: 543174, 543902.