Thunderstorms moved west across the Tohono O'odham Nation during the afternoon. One storm produced damaging winds in South Komelik.
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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.
Thunderstorms moved west across the Tohono O'odham Nation during the afternoon. One storm produced damaging winds in South Komelik.
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 Aug 26, 1:44 PM MST, 36 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Tucson AZ 144 PM MST Wed Aug 26 2020 .SYNOPSIS...Expect near record heat to continue through Thursday, gradually decreasing through the rest of the week. There will be enough moisture in place across southern Arizona for a chance of showers and thunderstorms, but most days will be below average for late August, with day to day variations in coverage and intensity. We may see an increase in thunderstorms toward the weekend into next week. && .DISCUSSION...Radar is currently scanning virga and light showers along a line from around the Tucson area extending toward the southwest. Thunderstorms are also moving into northern Greenlee County. Cloud cover thickened up during the late morning and this has suppressed temperatures several degrees. High temperature forecast might not pan out for Tucson, but other locations with clearer skies are getting plenty of daytime heating. The mid-level high center is currently located slightly southwest of the Four Corners, with northeast flow across most of our area. The west to east moisture gradient remains in tact, with dew points in the 50s to 60s over western Pima County. Cochise County is a different story as dry air advects in from New Mexico and readings are in the upper 30s around Douglas. Thunderstorm likely develop during the next couple hours west of Tucson, where MLCAPE values are 500-1000 J/kg. Expect gusty outflow winds and areas of blowing dust in the lower deserts. Near record heat looks to continue for one more day as the the mid- level high meanders around the Four Corners/northern Arizona region. Thunderstorm chances remain confined to the White Mountains and along the International Border, with Friday looking like the driest day of the week. This weekend a tropical cyclone will brush by the southern tip of Baja California, helping to push a nice surge of moisture up the gulf as evident in model IVT forecasts. The high slides to the southeast opening up a long fetch of southerly/southeasterly flow on Saturday. Therefore, this weekend is our best chance at a widespread thunderstorm outbreak, with Sunday looking most promising at this point. The pattern looks more transitional, like a mid to late September event as troughing will be over the California coastline introducing a more westerly regime. Due to decreasing thicknesses, temperatures also nudge closer to seasonal normals. After that the forecast becomes a bit uncertain as model solutions diverge. The migration of the high differs greatly between GEFS/EPS solutions. One thing is for certain, a significant trough will dig across a portion of the US, but the evolution of that feature leaves a wide variety of possibilities to be ironed out over the coming days. && .AVIATION...Valid through 28/00Z. SCT-BKN clouds 10-15k ft MSL into thru the forecast period with isolated to scattered thunderstorms continuing into this evening, then developing again Thursday afternoon. Favored areas are west of a KTUS to KOLS line and over the White Mountains. Significant smoke haze through the period. Aside from thunderstorm outflow gusts to 40 kts, surface winds generally remain less than 12 knots and variable in direction. Aviation discussion not updated for TAF amendments. && .FIRE WEATHER...Through Friday only isolated thunderstorms are expected for most of the area with a bit more activity in the usual areas such as the White Mountains and vicinity of the International Border mainly west of Sierra Vista. Temperatures will remain hotter than normal with minimum humidities 10-20 percent across the valleys and 20-30 percent in the mountains, with good overnight recoveries through Friday. Moisture returns to the area this weekend from the south, resulting in an increase in storm activity. 20-foot winds generally remain less than 15 mph outside of any thunderstorm gusts, which could reach 40+ mph. && .TWC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Excessive Heat Warning until 8 PM MST Thursday for AZZ501-502- 504>506-509. && Visit us on Facebook...Twitter...YouTube...and at weather.gov/Tucson
Special Weather Statement National Weather Service Tucson AZ 151 PM MST Wed Aug 26 2020 AZZ502-503-515-262115- Tohono O'odham Nation including Sells-Upper Santa Cruz River and Altar Valleys including Nogales-Baboquivari Mountains including Kitt Peak- 151 PM MST Wed Aug 26 2020 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR CENTRAL PIMA COUNTY UNTIL 215 PM MST... At 150 PM MST, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near San Isidro, or near Sells, moving west at 10 mph. Winds in excess of 40 mph and blowing dust will be possible with this storm. Locations impacted include... Sells, Topawa, San Miguel, San Isidro, Kitt Peak, Ali Chukson, Gu Oidak, Vamori, Cowlic, Fresnal, Choulic, Newfield, Coldfields, No:ligk, Cababi, Comobabi, South Comobabi, Santa Rosa Ranch, San Luis - Sells District and Fresnal Canyon. LAT...LON 3171 11224 3222 11200 3209 11151 3154 11170 TIME...MOT...LOC 2050Z 079DEG 8KT 3200 11182 RH
Special Weather Statement National Weather Service Tucson AZ 216 PM MST Wed Aug 26 2020 AZZ502-503-515-262200- Tohono O'odham Nation including Sells-Upper Santa Cruz River and Altar Valleys including Nogales-Baboquivari Mountains including Kitt Peak- 216 PM MST Wed Aug 26 2020 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR CENTRAL PIMA COUNTY UNTIL 300 PM MST... At 216 PM MST, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near Topawa, or 12 miles south of Sells, moving west at 10 mph. Winds in excess of 40 mph and blowing dust will be possible with this storm. Locations impacted include... Sells, Topawa, San Miguel, San Isidro, Kitt Peak, Ali Chukson, Gu Oidak, Vamori, Cowlic, Fresnal, Choulic, Newfield, Coldfields, No:ligk, Cababi, Comobabi, South Comobabi, Santa Rosa Ranch, San Luis - Sells District and Fresnal Canyon. LAT...LON 3173 11232 3224 11204 3213 11148 3154 11172 TIME...MOT...LOC 2116Z 079DEG 7KT 3174 11183 RH
The Tucson radar (KEMX), 110 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:21 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm wind blew the roof off a home in South Komelik.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arizona in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in Arizona, August 2020
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: 919564.