A cluster of strong to severe thunderstorms rolled through much of southeast Arizona resulting in flash flooding including swift water rescues and damaging winds.
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.
A cluster of strong to severe thunderstorms rolled through much of southeast Arizona resulting in flash flooding including swift water rescues and damaging winds.
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 25, 1:06 PM MST, 4 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Tucson AZ 106 PM MST Thu Jul 25 2024 .SYNOPSIS... Daily chances for showers and thunderstorms are expected through the weekend and into next week with the main threats being strong gusty winds and heavy rainfall. && .DISCUSSION...It's shaping up to be another active day with a very similar look and feel to what we saw yesterday. As of this writing, we already have thunderstorms over the White Mountains and isolated activity developing over the T.O. Nation. Elsewhere, skies are mostly clear to partly cloudy with considerable cumulus development over the Sky Islands and some adjacent valleys. Convective parameters and thermodynamics are in place for a busy afternoon and evening with the deepest moisture and highest CAPE values of 1000- 1500 J/KG from Tucson westward. PWAT values are around 1.4" near Tucson to around 1.75" over western Pima County, while it is a bit drier east of Tucson with PWAT's closer to 1 inch. These values out east are still high enough to result in convection pushing off the White Mountains under around 10 kts of NE mid level flow. Separately, additional scattered thunderstorms will developing through the afternoon across much of the forecast area. As the activity pushes off the mountains and we continue to see additional storms develop off of outflows, a more organized complex of thunderstorms is most likely over the T.O. Nation heading into the evening hours. Overall, the greatest threat area outlined by the HREF for both wind and flash flooding potential will be across SE Pinal and Pima County including the T.O. Nation. Thunderstorms should weaken later this evening with any remaining shower activity diminishing overnight. The mid/upper level high will nudge a bit more to the south Friday over western Arizona with the mid level steering flow weakening into the 5 to 10 kt range. Given the deep moisture in place (PWAT around 1 inch near the NM border to around 1.8" western deserts), expect a continued heavy rain/flash flooding and wind/wet microburst threat for the thunderstorms Friday into Friday evening. For this weekend, the high center will shift towards the east, centered just to our west during the day Saturday, nearly overhead Saturday night and over southern Arizona and then into southern New Mexico by Sunday. This pattern setup will result in the best chances for thunderstorms both Saturday and Sunday from Tucson south and eastward. The high isn't very strong so even though it'll be nearby, we won't really see a noticeable change in temperatures. For next week, the flow pattern will be more south to southeasterly as the high remains to our east. An inverted trough early next week may help amplify the convection a bit, though confidence on those details is low. Bottomline is expect a continuation of daily rounds of showers and thunderstorms next week with day-to-day variability in coverage. Temperatures generally 2 to 6 degrees above normal through the forecast period. && .AVIATION...Valid through 27/00Z. SCT-BKN clouds AOA 7-11k ft AGL with scattered to numerous SHRA/TSRA impacting much of the forecast area and moving from the NE to the SW ending thru 26/06Z. Another round of SHRA/TSRA expected aft 26/19Z Friday. Strong winds to 40-60 kts possible near the strongest TSRA with MVFR conditions. Outside of TSRA, surface winds will generally be easterly/southeasterly and remain under 10 kts. Aviation discussion not updated for TAF amendments. && .FIRE WEATHER... Scattered afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms with day to day variability on which areas will see the best chance of rainfall. This afternoon through Friday is looking particularly active at this time, with each day having the threat of heavy rain, localized flash flooding and strong gusty winds. Minimum relative humidities will be 20 to 30 percent in most lower elevation locations and 25 to 40 percent in mountain areas. Away from thunderstorms, 20-foot winds will generally be 15 mph or less, with afternoon/early evening gusts to 20-25 mph and light winds overnight. && .TWC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && Visit us on Facebook...Twitter...YouTube...and at weather.gov/Tucson
The Tucson radar (KEMX), 117 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:11 UTC.
7 thunderstorm wind, 3 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
A power pole was knocked down due to thunderstorm winds on Hwy 86 near the Assembly of God Church.
Several power lines and poles fallen across the roadway near Sunrise Dr. and Pontatoc Rd. due to thunderstorm winds.
A tree was knocked down on Grant Rd and 1st Ave. in Tucson.
A mesonet station in Ajo recorded a wind gust of 63 mph.
A private weather station recorded a wind gust of 60 mph.
Road flooding on Sahuarita Road east of Comsoft Drive.
Reports of flash flooding northeast side of Tucson included the following:|1) Tanque Verde Loop Road south of Linden Street at the Tanque Verde Creek.|2) Redington Road near Canyon del Salto Wash.
A personal weather station measured gust to 60 MPH.
Numerous reports of flash flooding across the Tucson Metro.
Reports included the following: |1) Water Rescue near Silverlake and Euclid Ave.|2) Swift water rescue on Bilby and Fontana with motorist stranded on roof of car.|3) Public reported flooding in the street near Grant and Dodge Road. Flooding above the sidewalk and public transit bus struggled to drive through the street.|4) Multiple swift water rescues in Central Tucson.
A personal weather station reported a wind gust of 58 MPH.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arizona in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyWarnings in Arizona, July 2024
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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1189409, 1189413, 1189418, 1189414, 1189420, 1189436, 1189443, 1189429, 1189461, 1189434.