Arizona, 2026

Tornado in Arizona, January 1, 2026

January 1, 2026 · NWS TWC · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A landspout tornado was spotted near Three Points, AZ. The tornado caused no damage or injury.

Where it happened

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  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS TWC wrote it up.

A landspout tornado was spotted near Three Points, AZ. The tornado caused no damage or injury. The time and location of the tornado was estimated by radar. The landspout tornado was left unrated due to the remote location and would be difficult to survey.

What forecasters said that day

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 Jan 1, 1:15 AM MST, 11 hours 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 1, 1:15 AM MST, 11 hours 50 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Tucson AZ
115 AM MST Thu Jan 1 2026

.SYNOPSIS...A storm system will bring chances for precipitation
this afternoon through Friday morning. Dry conditions return
Friday afternoon through the weekend. Above normal high
temperatures continue for most of the upcoming week.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
Happy New Year! Lingering light rain showers continue to move to
the east- northeast, now focused east of Tucson. As the light
showers continue to move out of the area, there will be a brief
lull in chances for precipitation. Probabilities return this
afternoon as the trough off the coast of central California pushes
inland. This afternoon, chances (30-60%) for isolated to
scattered showers will return across the area through tomorrow
morning (especially north of Tucson). Total rainfall in the
valleys generally range between a 0.01" to 0.05" and up to 0.25"
in the mountains. Again with this bout of precipitation, the snow
level will be above the mountain tops.

The trough will continue to push eastward into southern Utah as
riding returns to the area starting Friday afternoon. This ridging
will raise high temperatures to above normal and bring back dry
conditions. Early Sunday the ridge will shift eastward and
southwest flow will return Sunday into Monday as a deep trough
descends from the Pacific Northwest. The trough will continue to
deepen bringing cool, moist, Pacific air toward the Southwest U.S.
While there is uncertainty, this does look to be the next weather
system for southern Arizona and could bring cooler temperatures,
valley rain, and mountain snow by the middle of next week.

&&

.AVIATION...Valid through 02/12Z.

BKN-OVC CLOUDS AOA 5-8K ft AGL from KTUS toward KSAD and KDUG
lowering to AOA 1-3k ft AGL at KOLS and KFHU. MVFR conditions will
persist until around 01/15Z. Aft 01/15Z through the rest of the
forecast period clouds will raise to AOA 5-10k ft AGL. SFC winds
variable and less than 10 kts become WLY/NWLY after 01/18Z with
speeds of 6-10 kts. Aviation discussion not updated for TAF
Amendments.

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...A second round of precipitation chances will
bring periods of rain showers this afternoon afternoon into Friday
morning. Winds will be westerly to northwesterly this afternoon
mainly less than 15 mph. Any snow will be at or above mountain
tops. Minimum relative humidity values will remain elevated
through the upcoming week, ranging from 35-55 percent in the
valleys and 50-80 percent in the mountains. RH's peak today and
Friday. Temperatures will mostly be above normal levels this week.

&&

&&

.TWC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
None.
&&

Malarkey

Visit us on Facebook...Twitter...YouTube...and at weather.gov/Tucson

The radar

The Tucson radar (KEMX), 62 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:04 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Pima

When
January 1, 1:05 PM MST to 1:06 PM MST
Where
Pima County, 4.13 mi WSW of Tuscon Ryan Fld Arpt to 3.75 mi WSW of Tuscon Ryan Fld Arpt
Rating
EFU
Path length
0.38 mi
Path width
1 yd
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
32.109, -111.236

A landspout tornado was spotted near Three Points, AZ. The tornado caused no damage or injury. The time and location of the tornado was estimated by radar. The landspout tornado was left unrated due to the remote location and would be difficult to survey.

What these are

Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Arizona in 2026Every state in 2026This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Arizona, 2026Warnings in Arizona, January 2026

Sources

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: 1310424.