Numerous thunderstorms moved southwest across southwest Arizona. One thunderstorm outflow caused severe wind gusts near Douglas.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
Numerous thunderstorms moved southwest across southwest Arizona. One thunderstorm outflow caused severe wind gusts near Douglas. Strong outflows also reduced visibility in blowing dust along Interstate 10 near Picacho.
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 15, 9:39 AM MST, 4 hours 28 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Tucson AZ 939 AM MST Sat Jul 15 2017 .SYNOPSIS...A solid monsoon pattern remains in place with a chance of mainly afternoon and evening thunderstorms into the coming week. The stronger thunderstorms will produce locally heavy rainfall and strong winds. && .DISCUSSION...The 12Z KTWC sounding looks very favorable for thunderstorms with wet microburst potential. Precipitable water 1.72 inches, Surface based CAPE 1500 and plenty of conditional instability. Some areas of slow development with modest convective inhibition to overcome in lower levels during the late morning and early afternoon. After relatively easy initial development across the Mogollon Rim, prime-time for most of the rest of the area will be between 3PM and 11PM. Tucson Metro after 4 or 5PM. Strong outflows with organized thunderstorm complex potential in the early to mid evening over Eastern Pima, Pinal and Santa Cruz counties. We are putting out an update to increase storm chances in the 00-09Z period, otherwise please see the previous discussion below for details beyond tonight. && .AVIATION...Valid thru 16/18Z. Scattered -TSRA/-SHRA developing around 19Z today especially northeast of KSAD, then scattered -TSRA/-SHRA spreading southwestward across the area into this evening. Brief gusts near 45 kts will occur with the strongest TSRA. The bulk of -TSRA/-SHRA will end by daybreak Sunday. Otherwise, VFR conditions with surface wind variable in direction mainly less than 12 kts. Aviation discussion not updated for TAF amendments. && .FIRE WEATHER...Plenty of moisture for scattered mainly afternoon and evening thunderstorms into the upcoming week. The stronger thunderstorms will produce locally heavy rainfall and gusty winds. Otherwise, 20-foot winds will generally be terrain driven at less than 15 mph. Daytime temperatures will be at least a few degrees below seasonal normals during the upcoming week. && .PREV DISCUSSION...A broad ridge of high pressure remains anchored over the western and central CONUS, with a 597 dm high analyzed via the 15/00Z upper plots to be near Las Vegas Nevada. The upper air plots and the 15/00Z KTWC sounding depicted a generally northeasterly flow regime in the 700-300 mb layer. Expect very little change in this flow pattern thru Sunday. Thereafter, the deterministic GFS/ECMWF as well as the high-res models suggest that the mid-level steering flow will veer to more- easterly Monday, then become southeasterly Tuesday and continue into at least Wednesday. The 15/00Z GFS/ECMWF remained similar versus their respective previous solutions at hinting at the potential development of a rather large MCS to be over this forecast area Monday night into Tuesday morning. The 15/00Z NAM12 suggests this MCS scenario may actually occur Sunday night into Monday morning. Have noted that the Univ of AZ WRF-NAM and WRF-GFS are not as encouraging about this possibility. At any rate, the official forecast continues with scattered mainly afternoon and evening thunderstorms Monday into Wednesday. During the latter stages of this forecast period, or next Thursday into Friday, the mid-level flow regimes differ between the GFS/ ECMWF deterministic solutions. The GFS maintained a southeasterly flow regime, but the ECMWF depicted a nly/nwly 700-300 mb flow. The ECMWF depicted a weak upper low to become centered over south- central New Mexico by next Friday. At any rate, both solutions favor the best chances for rainfall to occur from Tucson eastward to the New Mexico border with lesser precip chances west of Tucson. Thus, expect a continuation of scattered mainly afternoon/evening showers/ tstms Thursday into next Friday from Tucson eastward, and isolated showers/tstms west of Tucson. High temperatures this afternoon will be quite close to seasonal normals, then below normal daytime temperatures will prevail especially Monday into Thursday. && .TWC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...None. && Meyer Visit us on Facebook...Twitter...YouTube...and at weather.gov/Tucson
The Tucson radar (KEMX), 109 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:05 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A thunderstorms wind gusts of 66 MPH was recorded at the KDUG ASOS.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arizona in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in Arizona, July 2017
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: 710998.