Hail and Damaging Winds in Arizona, June 30, 2015

Name: Hail and Damaging Winds in Arizona, June 30, 2015
Start: 2015-06-30T03:05
End: 2015-06-30T21:40
Location: Arizona

June 30, 2015 · NWS TWC · 13 events in 3 counties and zones

High pressure resided over southern Utah/northern Arizona with weak low pressure over west Texas. This created strong easterly flow over southeast Arizona, which increased to 25-30 kts.

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: 1
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $2.1 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 13

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.

High pressure resided over southern Utah/northern Arizona with weak low pressure over west Texas. This created strong easterly flow over southeast Arizona, which increased to 25-30 kts. Thunderstorms produced large hail, and damaging winds across Santa Cruz and Pima Counties, including Tucson.

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 Jun 30, 2:50 AM MST, 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 30, 2:50 AM MST, 15 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
250 AM MST TUE JUN 30 2015

.SYNOPSIS...EXPECT ISOLATED MAINLY AFTERNOON AND EVENING
THUNDERSTORMS INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. DAYTIME TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN
CLOSE TO SEASONAL NORMALS INTO THIS HOLIDAY WEEKEND.

&&

.DISCUSSION...SHOWERS/ISOLD THUNDERSTORMS THAT WAS OVER SRN NM LATE
LAST NIGHT PUSHED INTO ERN COCHISE COUNTY AROUND MIDNIGHT AND HAS
CONTINUED TO MOVE WEST OVER THE PAST SEVERAL HOURS. ADDITIONAL
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER SOCORRO AND SIERRA COUNTIES IN
NM...MOVING TO THE SSW. OPERATIONAL AND HIGH RESOLUTION MODELS ARE
NOT HANDLING THIS SITUATION AT ALL. HOWEVER THE LAST SEVERAL RUNS OF
THE HRRR HAS BEEN CATCHING ON. THESE AREAS OF CONVECTION ARE
ASSOCIATED WITH A WEAK UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE. BACK TRACKING ON
WATER VAPOR IMAGERY OVER THE PAST 24 HOURS...IT LOOKS LIKE THIS
FEATURE WAS OVER ERN COLORADO LATE MONDAY MORNING AND HAS BEEN
MOVING S-SW AROUND THE ERN PERIPHERY...OR FRONT SIDE..OF THE UPPER
HIGH THAT IS CENTERED OVER UTAH. GOES DERIVED UPPER LEVEL WINDS
INDICATED 50 KT JET STREAK ASSOCIATED WITH THE DISTURBANCE. ALTHOUGH
THE 30/00Z OPERATIONAL AND HIGH RESOLUTION MODEL ARE OUT TO LUNCH ON
WHAT IS CURRENTLY OCCURRING...THE NCAR ENSEMBLE RUN FROM 24 HOURS
AGO OR THE 29/00Z RUN WAS HINTING AT THIS HAPPENING THIS MORNING.

SO WHAT ABOUT TODAY? AS I MENTIONED ABOVE THE HRRR IS CATCHING ON
AND WILL BASICALLY USE IT FOR GUIDANCE THRU EARLY THIS EVENING TIME
FRAME. THE 07Z HRRR RUN PUSHES THE CONVECTION IN COCHISE COUNTY
ACROSS ERN PIMA/SANTA CRUZ COUNTY BETWEEN 3 AND 5 AM BEFORE DYING
OUT IN WRN PIMA COUNTY BY 8 AM. IF THIS OCCURS...THE AREA WILL START
OFF GUNKED OVER WITH THE BOUNDARY LAYER COOLED FROM THE RAIN THAT
FELL. THE 12Z TUCSON SOUNDING WILL BE TELLING. AT THIS TIME...AFTER
THE MORNING SHOWERS...WILL GO WITH A LOW END TYPE OF MONSOON DAY
WITH BASICALLY ISOLATED TO WIDELY SCATTERED AFTERNOON AND EVENING
STORMS WITH BEST CHANCES THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING BEING W-SW OF
TUCSON. WILL LET DAYSHIFT MAKE NECESSARY CHANGES AS THINGS PROGRESS.

EASTERLY FLOW ALOFT WILL PREVAIL FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK INTO
THE FIRST HALF OF THE FOURTH OF JULY WEEKEND AS THE GREAT BASIN HIGH
DOMINATES. BY SUNDAY...THE CENTER OF THE UPPER HIGH WILL BE ALONG
THE CO/NM STATE LINE WHICH WILL BRING A DEEP/MOISTURE SLY FLOW INTO
THE AREA SUNDAY INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK.

&&

.AVIATION...VALID THRU 01/12Z.
ISOLATED TO SCT -SHRA/-TSRA WILL OCCUR THIS MORNING MAINLY FROM KTUS
SOUTH AND EASTWARD IN THE VICINITY OF KOLS/KALK/KFHU. SKIES WILL
CLEAR UP JUST SLIGHTLY FOR A TIME LATER ON THIS MORNING BEFORE
ISOLATED TO SCT -TSRA/-SHRA REDEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON. BRIEF WIND
GUSTS OF 4O-45 KTS WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THE STRONGEST STORMS. CLOUD
DECKS WILL GENERALLY BE AT OR ABOVE 10K FT AGL AND SURFACE WIND WILL
BE LESS THAN 12 KTS OUTSIDE OF ANY -TSRA. AVIATION DISCUSSION NOT
UPDATED FOR TAF AMENDMENTS.

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL OCCUR
ACROSS SOUTHEAST ARIZONA ONCE AGAIN TODAY. DUE TO ONGOING OVERNIGHT
SHOWERS...SOUTHERN AREAS INCLUDING COCHISE COUNTY WILL LIKELY HAVE A
BRIEF REPREIVE FROM THE THE BULK OF THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY THIS
AFTERNOON AND EVENING. ADEQUATE MOISTURE AND A FAVORABLE FLOW
PATTERN WILL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE A CHANCE OF MAINLY AFTERNOON AND
EVENING THUNDERSTORMS INTO THE UPCOMING HOLIDAY WEEKEND WITH
TEMPERATURES WITHIN A FEW DEGREES OF NORMAL.

&&

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

&&

VISIT US ON FACEBOOK...TWITTER...YOUTUBE...AND AT WEATHER.GOV/TUCSON

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jun 29, 9:17 PM MST, 5 hours 48 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
917 PM MST MON JUN 29 2015

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0350 PM     HAIL             3 W SAHUARITA           31.96N 111.00W
06/29/2015  E1.00 INCH       PIMA               AZ   PUBLIC

            QUARTER SIZED HAIL REPORTED. REPORT RELAYED VIA SHAVE.
            TIME OF REPORT CORRECTED BASED ON RADAR DATA.

&&

EVENT NUMBER TWC1500018

CARLAW

Local storm report, Jun 29, 9:22 PM MST, 5 hours 43 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
922 PM MST MON JUN 29 2015

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0335 PM     HAIL             3 SE SAN XAVIER MISSION 31.95N 111.06W
06/29/2015  E1.50 INCH       PIMA               AZ   PUBLIC

            HAIL TO PING PONG BALL SIZE. REPORT RELAYED VIA SHAVE.

0340 PM     HAIL             2 WSW SAHUARITA         31.94N 110.99W
06/29/2015  E1.25 INCH       PIMA               AZ   PUBLIC

            HAIL TO HALF DOLLAR SIZE. REPORT RELAYED VIA SHAVE.

0350 PM     HAIL             4 ESE SAN XAVIER MISSIO 31.96N 111.03W
06/29/2015  E1.50 INCH       PIMA               AZ   PUBLIC

            REPORTED BROKEN WINDOWS ON VEHICLES AND DAMAGE TO MOTOR
            HOMES. DIME SIZED HAIL BUT MAINLY HAIL OF PING PONG BALL
            SIZE. REPORT RELAYED VIA SHAVE.

0350 PM     HAIL             3 W SAHUARITA           31.96N 111.00W
06/29/2015  E1.00 INCH       PIMA               AZ   PUBLIC

            QUARTER SIZED HAIL REPORTED. REPORT RELAYED VIA SHAVE.
            TIME OF REPORT CORRECTED BASED ON RADAR DATA.

0401 PM     HAIL             5 W SAHUARITA           31.96N 111.04W
06/29/2015  M1.75 INCH       PIMA               AZ   PUBLIC

            MARBLE TO GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL IN TWO WAVES. STRONG
            NORTH WIND. HAIL DAMAGE TO RV

0435 PM     HAIL             9 WSW PICTURE ROCKS     32.30N 111.39W
06/29/2015  E1.75 INCH       PIMA               AZ   PUBLIC

            LARGE MARBLE TO GOLF BALL SIZED HAIL. HAIL DAMAGE
            SUSTAINED TO MULTIPLE SMALL AIRCRAFT.

&&

EVENT NUMBER TWC1500015 TWC1500016 TWC1500017 TWC1500018 TWC1500013
TWC1500014

CARLAW

The radar

The Tucson radar (KEMX), 32 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 10:06 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 hail, 4 thunderstorm wind, 2 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Lightning, Cochise

When: June 30, 3:05 AM MST
Where: Cochise County, 0.43 mi NNW of Benson
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 31.975, -110.304

Lightning struck and killed a man who was walking along a dirt road.

Lightning, Pima

When: June 30, 4:30 AM MST
Where: Pima County, 2.25 mi NW of Sahuarita
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 31.976, -110.973

Lightning struck a house and ignited a small fire on the second story of a Sahuarita home. The lightning also caused a water pipe to burst which subsequently led to ceiling damage.

Hail, Pima

When: June 30, 4:55 PM MST
Where: Pima County, Summerhaven
Measured: 1.25 in hail
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 32.450, -110.770

Hail, Cochise

When: June 30, 5:18 PM MST to 5:35 PM MST
Where: Cochise County, 1.77 mi E of Sierra Vista to 0.78 mi S of Sierra Vista
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 31.550, -110.270

Hail, Pima

When: June 30, 5:20 PM MST to 5:48 PM MST
Where: Pima County, 4.29 mi W of Sabino to 2.96 mi S of Old Tuscon
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Property damage: $2.0 million
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 32.309, -110.893

Large hail up to golf ball size occurred in a swath across Tucson from the Catalina Foothills through midtown's Amphi area southwestward to the Tucson Estates area. Hundreds of vehicles sustained hail damage ranging from dented hoods to broken windshields and many homes suffered damage to skylights and roofs.

Thunderstorm Wind, Pima

When: June 30, 5:30 PM MST to 5:40 PM MST
Where: Pima County, 1.32 mi NE of Tucson to 3.53 mi NNE of Drexel Hgts
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 32.244, -110.915

Thunderstorm winds downed several trees in Tucson, including one at Catalina High School and another at Lantana Apartments. One tree near Oracle and Grant fell on top of a car while another tree elsewhere in the city fell onto and damaged a porch and awning.

Thunderstorm Wind, Cochise

When: June 30, 5:45 PM MST
Where: Cochise County, 1.66 mi E of Sierra Vista
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $500
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 31.555, -110.272

Thunderstorm winds downed a tree near Fry Blvd. and El Camino Real.

Thunderstorm Wind, Pima

When: June 30, 5:55 PM MST
Where: Pima County, 4.84 mi E of Tuscon Ryan Fld Arpt
Measured: 58 kt (67 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Social Media
Coordinates: 32.131, -111.087

Wind gust to 67 mph was measured at Casino Del Sol.

Hail, Pima

When: June 30, 6:37 PM MST to 6:42 PM MST
Where: Pima County, 4.37 mi SSE of Vail Jct to 5.46 mi SSW of Vail Jct
Measured: 1.25 in hail
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 31.971, -110.693

Thunderstorm Wind, Pima

When: June 30, 7:15 PM MST to 7:30 PM MST
Where: Pima County, 1.41 mi E of Sahuarita to 0.86 mi E of Sahuarita
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $30,000
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 31.952, -110.926

Thunderstorm winds knocked one unoccupied mobile home off its foundation, tore the roof off another and blew windows out of several others in the Sullivan Park neighborhood of East Sahuarita. Several trees were also uprooted.

Hail, Cochise

When: June 30, 7:20 PM MST to 7:25 PM MST
Where: Cochise County, 0.13 mi S of Huachca Vlg to 0.38 mi WSW of Huachca Vlg
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 31.628, -110.330

Hail, Cochise

When: June 30, 8:22 PM MST
Where: Cochise County, 3.28 mi SSE of Sierra Vista
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 31.510, -110.270

Hail, Santa Cruz

When: June 30, 9:40 PM MST
Where: Santa Cruz County, 0.91 mi SE of Rio Rico
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 31.490, -110.970

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Lightning, Cochise	2015-06-30	32	Male	Outside/Open Areas	Direct

What these are

Lightning: A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.
Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Arizona in 2015 Every state in 2015 This day in weather history Warnings in Arizona, June 2015

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: 591015, 591003, 590947, 590985, 590976, 590990, 590986, 590991, 590992, 590999, 591007, 591011, 591013.