Scattered thunderstorms moved east to west across southeast Arizona. Some storms produced severe wind gusts in Tucson and Nogales.
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.
Scattered thunderstorms moved east to west across southeast Arizona. Some storms produced severe wind gusts in Tucson and Nogales.
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 20, 9:01 AM MST, 5 hours 2 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Tucson AZ
901 AM MST Tue Jun 20 2017
.SYNOPSIS...Very hot temperatures will continue across the area
through this weekend with near or record breaking temperatures
forecast. A modest increase in moisture will bring a chance of
thunderstorms later today, but they will be more likely to generate
gusty outflow winds and lightning than significant rain. A return to
dry weather is forecast tomorrow through the end of the week.
&&
.DISCUSSION...
Very warm start to the day across the Tucson metro as the morning
low only managed to bottom out at 87 degrees at the airport. Debris
clouds from decaying convection over New Mexico held temperatures
much higher than guidance suggested and given the warm start to the
morning, Tucson has already climbed above the 100 degree mark as of
802am. This isn't terribly surprising as the 12Z KTUS sounding
indicated a very impressive inversion just 600ft AGL. The sounding
also came in with 0.95 inches of precipitable water (above normal in
the 75th percentile or so), thus the atmosphere has certainly
modified since yesterday.
Regional visible satellite imagery reveals the persistent nature of
the clouds associated with the decaying MCV over southeast Arizona.
What looked like a back edge/clearing a few hours ago has since
slowed and filled in a bit. Nonetheless, steering winds will
eventually scour out the remaining clouds later this
morning/afternoon and given such a warm start, it's hard to envision
a scenario where we don't get above 110 degrees this afternoon. High
temperatures were trimmed a degree or two on the mid shift in line
with 00Z bias corrected/blended guidance and this still looks
reasonable based on obs/incoming 12Z data. Thus, no changes to any
of the heat products that we have in effect.
Like yesterday, there is enough moisture and instability in the
mountains for shower and thunderstorm development later today. Mean
BL mixing ratios around 7-9 g/kg suggest that areas of
Graham/Greenlee/Cochise Co's stand a chance at seeing measurable
rainfall, but moisture drops off considerably as one heads west into
the deserts. The most likely scenario per numerous convective
allowing models is that storms die out as they come off the higher
terrain and the majority of Tucson and points northwest only see
gusty winds/blowing dust. To account for this, I went ahead and
issued a Blowing Dust Advisory for areas northwest of Tucson from
mid afternoon into mid evening. Past several runs of the HRRR and
UA WRF models are indicative of strong outflows moving over the
normally dust prone areas of Pinal/Pima Co's. Previous forecast
already included a mention of dust in those areas and no changes
were made outside of the addition of the advisory.
&&
.AVIATION...Valid thru 21/18Z.
High pressure with record heat. SCT-BKN clouds at 8k-12k ft AGL
diminishing into the daylight hours. This afternoon, SCT-BKN clouds
redeveloping at 10k-15k ft AGL with ISOLD-SCT SHRA/TSRA mainly from
KTUS eastward. Prevailing SFC winds from KTUS westward will be
wly/nwly and ely/sely for locales east of KTUS with speeds of 8-12
kts and a few gusts to 20 kts. TSRA may produce very strong and
gusty outflow winds in excess of 40 kts. Less wind will occur this
evening and overnight into Wednesday morning. Aviation discussion
not updated for TAF amendments.
&&
.FIRE WEATHER...Today will be another critical day. It will
remain unstable and with the expected westward push of moisture,
mostly dry thunderstorms as far west as Tucson are expected during
the afternoon and evening. With the very dry air in the low levels,
the storms will also have the potential to produce very strong
outflow winds.
Enough moisture may linger into Wednesday for a few more
thunderstorms, mainly east of Tucson over the mountains. Beyond
that the upper high pressure center will settle down the convection
for the remainder of the week with some northwesterly breezes on
Thursday and Friday. Monsoon moisture may try to return late in the
weekend and early next week.
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION...Rather warm temperatures this morning as debris
cloud cover slowly thins as it pushes west. How warm you ask? Well
it was 97 degrees at 143 am at the Tucson International airport.
Since the morning will start off really warm, high resolution models
are indicating that the Tucson airport will hit 100 degrees between
8 and 9 am on its way to a record high of 113 or 114 degrees. Dating
back to 1948, the earliest hourly observation to record 100 degrees
was 9 am back on July 2, 1011.
Precipitable water values, using a variety of sources, of 1" has
pushed as far west as Tucson. Still looking at a very hot day area
wide even with the added moisture with record highs likely across
the area. Excessive Heat warnings and heat advisories will continue
today. Main threat from isolated to widely scattered thunderstorm
activity this afternoon and evening will be strong outflow winds
which may produce areas of blowing dust, especially in the favored
dust prone areas of Interstate 10 in Cochise county and also between
Tucson and Phoenix. Once again will see thunderstorm outflow winds
impact the Frye wildfire on Mt. Graham late this afternoon.
Isolated afternoon and evening thunderstorms will be around
Wednesday mainly east and south of Tucson. Atmosphere dries out once
again Thursday and Friday then moisture starts to return to the area
over the weekend into early next week. So basically little if any
convective activity Thu/Fri then slight chances return to the
eastern mountains on Saturday with better chances Sunday into early
next week.
Hot temperatures will continue for the remainder of the work week
into the weekend.
&&
.CLIMATE...
All time record highs across the region
RECORD_DATE AND YEAR
TUCSON INTL AIRPORT 117 6/26/1990
BISBEE-DOUGLAS ARPT 110 6/26/1994
AJO 117 7/5/2007, 7/6 2007 and 7/31/1995
FORT THOMAS 115 6/26/1990
KITT PEAK 98 7/30/1995
ORGAN PIPE CACTUS 118 7/15/1998, 7/26/1995 and 6/26/1990
PICACHO PEAK 119 7/28/1995
SAFFORD AG STATION 114 6/30/1994
SIERRA VISTA FD 108 7/4/1989
TOMBSTONE 112 7/4/1989
WILLCOX 110 6/28 AND 6/29/1994, 6/26/1990 and 7/6/2005
Daily record highs today through Thursday
DATE Jun 20 Jun 21 Jun 22
RCD/YR RCD/YR RCD/YR
TUCSON INTL AIRPORT 112/2016 112/1990 114/1988
BISBEE-DOUGLAS AIRPORT 106/1960 105/1990 106/1990
AJO 115/1968 115/1919 115/1960
FORT THOMAS 111/1960 109/2005 112/1961
KITT PEAK 93/1989 94/1979 92/1988
ORGAN PIPE CACTUS 115/1960 114/1968 113/1955
PICACHO PEAK 112/2008 116/2005 113/1988
SAFFORD AG STATION 111/1989 109/1960 108/1960
SIERRA VISTA FD 103/1989 103/1990 104/2012
TOMBSTONE 105/1990 106/1996 109/1929
WILLCOX 106/1989 106/1968 106/1990
&&
.TWC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
Heat Advisory until 7 PM MST Saturday for AZZ510>514.
Excessive Heat Warning until 7 PM MST Saturday for AZZ501>509-
515.
Blowing Dust Advisory from 3 PM this afternoon to 8 PM MST this
evening for AZZ502-504>506.
&&
Visit us on Facebook...Twitter...YouTube...and at weather.gov/TucsonThe Tucson radar (KEMX), 57 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:04 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A severe wind gust was measured at Nogales Airport.
A severe wind gust was measured at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. Two trees were snapped near the intersection of Lisa Frank and Universal Way.
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, June 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: 708296, 708299.