Isolated to scattered thunderstorms formed and moved west across southeast Arizona. Some storms produced gusty winds; resulting in a dust storm that stretched from Marana to Eloy and wind damage in Tucson.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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.
Isolated to scattered thunderstorms formed and moved west across southeast Arizona. Some storms produced gusty winds; resulting in a dust storm that stretched from Marana to Eloy and wind damage in 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 5, 2:53 PM MST, 27 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Tucson AZ 253 PM MST Wed Jul 5 2018 .SYNOPSIS...Isolated thunderstorms this evening. Strong and gusty east winds will continue into Friday. Isolated thunderstorms again Friday followed by a significant upswing in showers and thunderstorms this weekend and especially next week. && .DISCUSSION...Excessive heat today with Tucson reaching the 110 degree mark for the first time this year. Along with the heat, showers and thunderstorms were on the increase this afternoon as a significant upswing in activity can be anticipated through next week. A strong easterly flow has developed and will continue to strengthen tonight into Friday. As a result, a wind advisory will be in effect for late tonight into Friday for a few areas. The wind will also be downslope for many areas which will help keep low temperatures up several degrees above normal to start the day on tomorrow. That said, excessive heat will continue Friday especially for the lower western deserts. Models were in good agreement with advertising an active pattern for daily showers and thunderstorms through next week, with the most active day areawide possibly Sunday. && .AVIATION...Valid through 07/00Z. Isolated to scattered -TSRA/-SHRA will continue this afternoon into the evening over an area stretching from Nogales to northern Pinal County affecting KOLS and KTUS. Otherwise, clear skies west of KTUS and scattered to broken clouds mostly 10k-15k ft AGL this afternoon into early Friday morning. Thereafter expect FEW clouds at 12k-15k ft AGL. Surface winds this afternoon will be ely/sely 5-15 kts then increasing to 15-30 kts with gusts near 40 kts this evening and continuing into Friday early afternoon. Aviation discussion not updated for TAF amendments. && .FIRE WEATHER...Isolated thunderstorms will continue this evening. Gusty easterly/southeasterly 20-foot winds will pick up later this evening through Friday afternoon with speeds between 15-25 mph and gusts to 35 mph. Thereafter wind speeds will drop off and be less than 15 mph into next week. Southeast Arizona will also be mostly dry Friday with a slight chance of thunderstorms in the White Mountains. This weekend moisture increases as well as the chance for precipitation. Starting Saturday through the middle of next week expect isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms every afternoon into the evening. && .TWC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Excessive Heat Warning until 9 PM MST this evening for AZZ501-502- 504>506-509. Wind Advisory from 3 AM to 3 PM MST Friday for AZZ504-508-513. Excessive Heat Warning from 10 AM to 9 PM MST Friday for AZZ501- 502-505. && Visit us on Facebook...Twitter...YouTube...and at weather.gov/Tucson
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Tucson AZ
241 PM MST THU JUL 5 2018
AZZ505-506-509-511-052215-
Upper Gila River and Aravaipa Valleys including
Clifton/Safford-Southeast Pinal County including
Kearny/Mammoth/Oracle-Galiuro and Pinaleno Mountains including Mount
Graham-South Central Pinal County including Eloy/Picacho Peak State
Park-
241 PM MST THU JUL 5 2018
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR WEST CENTRAL GRAHAM AND
NORTHEASTERN PINAL COUNTIES UNTIL 315 PM MST...
At 241 PM MST, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm over
Winkelman, moving southwest at 10 mph.
Winds in excess of 40 mph will be possible with this storm.
Locations impacted include...
Kearny, Mammoth, San Carlos Reservoir, Aravaipa Creek Preserve,
Kelvin and Dudleyville.
LAT...LON 3323 11093 3298 11078 3303 11073 3307 11073
3308 11069 3314 11064 3313 11059 3318 11053
3318 11047 3320 11046 3319 11037 3266 11051
3280 11124 3324 11096
TIME...MOT...LOC 2141Z 038DEG 8KT 3298 11073
HARDINThe Tucson radar (KEMX), 46 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:21 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind, 1 dust storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm winds blew down a large aluminum light fixture over on Kino Parkway and 22nd St, temporarily closing the road to southbound traffic. About two miles away, winds also blew down a dead tree, which damaged the roof of a house.
Thunderstorms created a wall of dust that traveled over 30 miles in southeast Pinal County, from Marana to Eloy, and beyond. Visibility was reduced to less than a 1/4 mile with some reports of visibility down to zero at times, forcing the closure of Interstate 10 from Picacho Peak to Casa Grande.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arizona in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Arizona, July 2018
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: 773047, 773045.