A severe thunderstorm moved through the northwest side of the Tucson Metro on the afternoon of September 27th. The thunderstorm winds cause 5 power poles to be downed causing a power outage for 5,890 customers.
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 severe thunderstorm moved through the northwest side of the Tucson Metro on the afternoon of September 27th. The thunderstorm winds cause 5 power poles to be downed causing a power outage for 5,890 customers. A wind gust of 65 mph was recorded nearby.
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 Sep 27, 1:10 PM MST, 1 hour 16 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Tucson AZ 110 PM MST Sat Sep 27 2025 .SYNOPSIS...Drier air has moved in across the area which will limit the chance of showers and thunderstorms this weekend. High temperatures will be below normal this weekend then warm next week under dry conditions. && .DISCUSSION...The upper pattern today is still dominated by a strong upper-low positioned across southern California/extreme southwest Arizona. A substantial dry slot had rotated along the southern periphery of this feature into Southeast Arizona. This has resulted in the latest GOES precipitable water imagery depicting low PWAT values between 0.65 and 0.75 inches southeast and east of Tucson, 1.00 to 1.10 inches near the Tucson Metro...and deeper moisture to around 1.25 inches across western and central Pima and southeast Pinal counties. Although the upper pattern will result in a decent diffluent pattern aloft over SE Pinal/Graham and Greenlee counties this afternoon/evening, the drier-air will limit the overall coverage of thunderstorm activity. We have seen isolated thunderstorms develop around the Tucson Metro Area early this afternoon. The warm subsident layer seen on the 27/18Z KTWC sounding between 600-500 mb looks like it is choking off deep updrafts with these storms, limiting their ability to produce heavy rainfall. In any event, expect isolated to scattered thunderstorms this afternoon/evening. The upper-low finally begins to eject northeast into northern Arizona Sunday, and into Colorado Monday as a more established trough develops along the West Coast. As this happens, we see a shortwave ridge build into the Desert Southwest the next several days, with additional ridge amplification anticipated by Wednesday as the overall pattern across the CONUS becomes amplified. The main impact with this pattern shift for Southeast Arizona will be the general drying trend associated with the westerly flow. In fact, look for the surface dewpoints in the valleys this afternoon (mid 50s) to dip into the upper 40s Sunday, then down into the lower 40s by the second half of the upcoming week. With the drier airmass, it will become difficult for storms to develop across our neck of the woods past Sunday. We will tho be able to warm up with the building ridge and the drier airmass. Expect above normal the second half of the upcoming work week. && .AVIATION...Valid through 28/00Z. SCT-BKN 6k-10k ft AGL with ISOLD-SCT -SHRA/-TSRA through 28/03Z...then SKC-SCT 8k-10k ft AGL overnight and Sunday. ISOLD -SHRA/-TSRA is possible east of Tucson Sunday. SFC winds SLY to SWLY at 10-15 kts with gusts up to 25 kts thru 28/03z, then SELY less than 10 kts overnight. Aviation discussion not updated for TAF amendments. && .FIRE WEATHER...Isolated showers and thunderstorms this weekend. Generally winds will be south to southwest through next week with speeds up to 15 mph and gusts up to 20-25 mph. Minimum RHs between 25-35 percent Sunday will lower through the week as a drier airmass becomes more established across Southeast Arizona, lowering to 15-25 percent the second half of the upcoming work week. Temperatures will be slightly below normal through the weekend, warming to above normal by midweek. && .TWC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...None. && Visit us on Facebook...Twitter...YouTube...and at weather.gov/Tucson
The Tucson radar (KEMX), 64 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:28 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm winds downed 5 poles down at West Overton Rd and La Cholla Blvd and left 5890 customers left without power.
A personal weather station gusted to 65 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arizona in 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyWarnings in Arizona, September 2025
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: 1295542, 1295543.