A lightning strike caused a tree to catch fire in southwest Tucson.
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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.
A lightning strike caused a tree to catch fire in southwest Tucson.
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 17, 3:25 PM MST, 5 hours 25 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Tucson AZ 325 PM MST SUN JUL 17 2016 .SYNOPSIS...Adequate moisture will provide scattered mainly afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms through Wednesday. A slight decrease in daily coverage of showers and thunderstorms should then occur Thursday into next weekend. && .DISCUSSION...Scattered showers and thunderstorms were occurring across portions of the Tohono O'odham Nation at this time. These showers and thunderstorms were occurring in a northwest-to-southeast oriented axis of greatest instability as per SPC hourly mesoscale analysis. The showers and thunderstorms were also ahead of an approaching mid-level cyclonic circulation system over northern Sonora Mexico. The 17/12Z Univ. of AZ WRF-NAM/GFS handled the initiation of showers/tstms west of Tucson very well, basically occurring between 20Z-21Z this afternoon. Meanwhile, scattered showers and thunderstorms were also ongoing across the White Mountains. Visible satellite imagery and radar trends indicate that showers/tstms should continue to develop further south into far southwest New Mexico during the next few hours. These showers/tstms were developing ahead of an inverted trough in the vicinity of El Paso. Several HRRR solutions suggest that showers/tstms will encroach upon far eastern sections by early this evening, and continue to move west later tonight. Thus, have increased PoPs to depict scattered coverage of showers/ tstms this evening, then isolated showers/tstms late tonight. The various mesoscale models suggest at the very least that convective debris clouds should encompass much of the area late tonight, then clearing skies may occur earlier Monday versus today. Given this scenario, have opted for scattered showers/tstms Monday afternoon/ evening mainly from Tucson eastward/southward. Expect similar coverage of showers/tstms to occur Tuesday afternoon/ evening. The potential for somewhat stronger thunderstorms may exist Tuesday, as the progged flow may be more favorable for storm motions from the Mogollon Rim area. Fairly deep moisture will remain over the area Wednesday as strong high pressure aloft is progged to be over southern Missouri/northern Arkansas. Thereafter, a gradual drying trend continues to be depicted via the GFS/ECMWF during the Thursday- Sunday period. Moisture should remain sufficient for isolated to scattered mainly afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms Thursday through next Sunday. High temps Mon-Tue will be quite close to seasonal normals, then a return of above normal temps is forecast to occur starting Wednesday and especially Thur-Sun. && .AVIATION...VALID THRU 19/00Z. Isolated to scattered SHRA/TSRA will occur through the period, with the best chances during the afternoon and evening hours. Brief wind gusts of 35-40 kts and MVFR conditions may occur with the stronger TSRA. Outside of thunderstorm outflows, sfc wind will generally be wly/nwly at 8-12 kts into this evening, weakening to less than 10 kts and becoming variable in direction overnight into Monday morning. Sfc wind Monday will be wly/nwly at 8-12 kts. Aviation discussion not updated for TAF amendments. && .FIRE WEATHER...Plenty of moisture will remain in place this week for daily chances of mainly afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms. A slight decrease in rain chances may occur late in the week into next weekend. Outside of gusty thunderstorm/outflow winds, expect typical diurnal 20-ft wind patterns each day. Stronger gusts are possible through the Gila River Valley when winds are northwesterly in direction. && .TWC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...None. && DISCUSSION...Francis AVIATION/FIRE WEATHER...French Visit us on Facebook...Twitter...YouTube...and at weather.gov/Tucson
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ 505 PM MST SUN JUL 17 2016 AZZ503-507-513-180030- UPPER SANTA CRUZ RIVER AND ALTAR VALLEYS INCLUDING NOGALES-DRAGOON/MULE/HUACHUCA AND SANTA RITA MOUNTAINS INCLUDING BISBEE/CANELO HILLS/MADERA CANYON-UPPER SAN PEDRO RIVER VALLEY INCLUDING SIERRA VISTA/BENSON- 505 PM MST SUN JUL 17 2016 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTHEASTERN SANTA CRUZ COUNTY UNTIL 530 PM MST... AT 503 PM MST...DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WEST OF CANELO...OR 19 MILES WEST OF SIERRA VISTA...MOVING WEST AT 5 TO 10 MPH. WINDS IN EXCESS OF 40 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE... PATAGONIA. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... HEAVY RAINFALL IS ALSO OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM...AND MAY LEAD TO LOCALIZED FLOODING. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE THROUGH FLOODED ROADWAYS. && LAT...LON 3183 11033 3147 11050 3153 11090 3189 11066 TIME...MOT...LOC 0003Z 099DEG 5KT 3153 11062 KD
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ 630 PM MST SUN JUL 17 2016 AZZ503-513-180200- UPPER SANTA CRUZ RIVER AND ALTAR VALLEYS INCLUDING NOGALES-DRAGOON/MULE/HUACHUCA AND SANTA RITA MOUNTAINS INCLUDING BISBEE/CANELO HILLS/MADERA CANYON- 630 PM MST SUN JUL 17 2016 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SOUTHEASTERN SANTA CRUZ COUNTY UNTIL 700 PM MST... AT 629 PM MST...DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM JUST NORTH OF LOCHIEL...OR 15 MILES EAST OF NOGALES...MOVING WEST AT 10 MPH. HALF INCH HAIL AND WIND GUSTS OF 50 TO 55 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE... PATAGONIA...LOCHIEL AND KINO SPRINGS. LAT...LON 3156 11079 3147 11054 3134 11057 3134 11084 TIME...MOT...LOC 0129Z 110DEG 11KT 3140 11068 KD
The Tucson radar (KEMX), 46 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 03:51 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Tucson Fire Dept reported a tree struck by lightning caught fire on the corner of Drexel Rd and Mission Rd.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arizona in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Arizona, July 2016
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: 653163.