Name: Strong Wind in Arizona, May 18, 2015
Start: 2015-05-18T16:00
End: 2015-05-18T16:30
Location: Arizona

Where it happened

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $4,000
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.

Low pressure in northern California brought moderate gradient winds to southeastern Arizona. Wind speeds of 15 to 25 mph were common, along with a few gusts in excess of 35 mph. Minor structural damage occurred with stronger gusts.

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 May 18, 2:21 PM MST, 1 hour 39 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 18, 2:21 PM MST, 1 hour 39 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
221 PM MST MON MAY 18 2015

.SYNOPSIS...A WEATHER SYSTEM PASSING NORTH OF THE AREA WILL DROP
DAYTIME TEMPERATURES A FEW DEGREES FOR TUESDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL
REBOUND WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY BEFORE DROPPING BACK DOWN TO BELOW
NORMAL READINGS BY SATURDAY. OTHERWISE...PERIODS OF GUSTY WINDS CAN
BE ANTICIPATED THIS WEEK AS WEATHER SYSTEMS PASS THROUGH THE REGION.

&&

.DISCUSSION...STRONG AND GUSTY WINDS CONTINUED THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS
SOUTHEAST ARIZONA AS A WEATHER SYSTEM WAS MOVING INTO THE GREAT
BASIN REGION. MOISTURE THIS FAR SOUTH WILL BE LIMITED...SO THE BEST
CHANCE FOR SHOWERS WILL BE CONFINED TO NORTHERN ARIZONA INTO THE
WHITE MOUNTAINS THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT. THE AREA WILL BE IN
BETWEEN SYSTEMS WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY BEFORE YET ANOTHER ONE ENTERS
THE DESERT SOUTHWEST ON FRIDAY. MEDIUM RANGE MODELS SUGGESTED THAT
THIS SYSTEM WILL BE DRY FOR MOST OF SOUTHEAST ARIZONA. THUS...WILL
KEEP LOW POP VALUES GOING FOR AREAS WELL NORTH OF TUCSON. STRONG AND
GUSTY WINDS WILL BE A SURE THING ON THURSDAY AS THE SYSTEM
APPROACHES AND AGAIN ON FRIDAY.

&&

.AVIATION...VALID THRU 20/00Z.  SCT-BKN CLOUDS 12-15K FT DISSIPATING
AFTER 19/02Z BECOMING CLEAR BY 19/08Z.  A FEW CUMULUS CLOUDS OVER
THE MOUNTAINS AGAIN AFTER 19/20Z.  GUSTY SW SFC WINDS 15-25 KTS WITH
GUSTS TO 35 KTS THRU 19/02Z THEN QUICKLY EASING TO 10 KTS OR LESS.
SW WINDS REDEVELOPING TUESDAY AFTERNOON 10-15 KTS WITH GUSTS TO 25
KT.  AVIATION DISCUSSION NOT UPDATED FOR TAF AMENDMENTS.  CERNIGLIA

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE
COMING WEEKEND WITH SEVERAL WINDY PERIODS.  THIS AFTERNOON WINDS
HAVE PICKED UP AS A TROUGH APPROACHES AND OCCASIONALLY TOUCHING RED
FLAG CRITERIA HOWEVER THEY ARE VERY SPORADIC AS EXPECTED.  THIS WILL
CONTINUE TO BE THE CASE THIS AFTERNOON THEN THE WINDS WILL DIE OFF
QUICKLY THIS EVENING.  LIGHTER WINDS AND COOLER TEMPERATURES
EXPECTED TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY HOWEVER DEWPOINTS WILL BE LOWER WITH
SINGLE DIGIT MIN RHS BECOMING FAIRLY WIDESPREAD ACROSS LOWER
ELEVATIONS OF ZONES 151 AND 152 BY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON.

YET ANOTHER UPPER LOW WILL APPROACH CALIFORNIA LATER WEDNESDAY WITH
AN ASSOCIATED UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE PASSING ACROSS THE AREA LATE
THURSDAY RESULTING IN WINDS SIMILAR TO OR SLIGHTLY STRONGER THAN
TODAY WITH LOWER HUMIDITY LEVELS FOR SPOTTY RED FLAG CONDITIONS
SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF ZONES 151-152.  THEN MODELS CURRENTLY INDICATE
THE UPPER LOW WILL MOVE OVER NORTHERN ARIZONA FRIDAY FOR EVEN
STRONGER WINDS.  IF THIS COMES TO PASS WINDS WILL BE EVEN STRONGER
FOR MORE WIDESPREAD CRITICAL CONDITIONS ESPECIALLY ZONE 152.  BY THE
END OF A WEEK OF LOW RH LEVELS AND BREEZINESS...FUELS WILL BE MORE
RECEPTIVE AS 10 AND 100 HOUR FUELS SHOULD BECOME QUITE DRY WITH THE
CURED GRASS READY TO GO ANY AFTERNOON.  CERNIGLIA

&&

.TWC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE

&&

VISIT US ON FACEBOOK...TWITTER...YOUTUBE...AND AT 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 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Strong Wind, Tucson Metro Area

When: May 18, 4:00 PM MST to 4:30 PM MST
Where: Tucson Metro Area forecast zone
Measured: 39 kt (45 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $4,000
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 32.097, -111.790 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Sustained southwest winds of 15 to 25 mph affected much of Tucson metro area during the afternoon hours of May 18th. Higher gusts were associated with modest cloud buildups and virga. Two carports were damaged near Flowing Wells High School. One landed on top of a nearby mobile home.

What these are

Strong Wind: Non-thunderstorm winds below high wind criteria that nonetheless caused damage or casualties.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Arizona in 2015 Every state in 2015 This day in weather history Warnings in Arizona, May 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: 579152.