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  1. Home
  2. Center for Natural Hazards

Severe Weather

Climate is what we expect, weather is what we get.  Mark Twain

John Hunnicutt
Haboob A.Stark CC BY
Lighting in the Sonoran Desert
Thunderstorm gathering strength in Yavapai County, Arizona
Hurricane Nora encroaching on Baja California, Mexico, and Southwestern U.S.  (Wikipedia CC BY)
Rains from Tropical Storm Nora flooding Maricopa County (Flood Control district of Maricopa County)
Dangerous summertime highs in Phoenix, Arizona
Blizzard and frigid conditions in Flagstaff, Arizona. D. Soltesz CC BY
Debris flow chute and deposit in the Santa Catalina Mtns., July 2006. A. Youberg
Flash flood in the Santa Cruz River of SE Arizona (Wikipedia CC BY)
Flash flood topples bus. Courtesy of Northern Arizona Consolidated Fire District No. 1
Monsoon rains drives earth fissure exposure (AZGS)
Paleoclimate drove larger, high volume debris flows in SE Arizona. Youberg & others.
Snow collects on the San Francisco Peaks, Flagstaff, Arizona (T. Grussing 2013)
Dust devil on valley floor. Credit azbrattpakk
Rare tornado in central Arizona. Credit Skylar Frazier
Record snowfall in Jan. 2017, Flagstaff, Arizona. (Courtesy of the Arizona Daily Sun)
Willow wildfire in the Mazatzal Mountains backcountry. Tom McGuire
Thunderstorm and downburst west of Tucson, Arizona. Photo by John Forrey

Meteorological events beyond-the-norm that threaten people, property, landscapes and livestock are collectively referred to as 'severe weather'.  Arizona’s summer monsoon brings torrential rains whose byproducts – debris flows, flash floods, and landslides (slump, rockfall and slide) threaten Arizonans, their infrastructure and property. in July 2017, a debris flow – flash flood near Payson, Arizona swept away and killed 10 members of a single family.

Since the late 1990s, Arizona has been experiencing below-normal precipitation. Drought! Drought coupled with higher-than-normal summertime temperature threatens Arizona’s water supply, forests, and environmental health. Paleoclimatic indicators provide evidence of drought in the Southwestern US of 50 years or more (Woodhouse and Overpeck, 1997).

Severe weather encountered in Arizona, includes:

  •  Severe cold weather
  •  Severe hot weather – Phoenix has recorded temperatures over 120 F on rare occasions.
  •  Torrential rains  
  •  Ice storms at higher elevations
  •  Haboobs – severe sand storms
  •  Hurricanes
  •  Tornadoes
  •  Dust devils
  •  Downbursts and microbursts

Severe weather has cascading effects, too; debris flows and flash floods, and record wildfires and an ever expanding wildfire season due to the past decade's drought.

It is beyond the scope of the Arizona Geological Survey to monitor or record individual weather events or to document meteorological trends.

For those interested in meteorology and weather-related phenomenon in Arizona, we strongly recommend you consult the National Weather Service sites for your area.

   National Weather Service (NWS) - Phoenix :  Central & SW Arizona
   NWS - Flagstaff : Northern and eastern Arizona
   NWS – Tucson : South-central and southeastern Arizona
   NSW – Las Vegas  for weather conditions in western Arizona.

Woodhouse and Overpeck, 1997,  2000 years of drought variability in the central United States, Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, v. 79, #12, p. 2693-2714.
 

 

Natural Hazards in Arizona

Interactive map highlights fissures, floods, fires, earthquakes, and fault lines in Arizona.

AZGS Hazard Viewer

Go to the Viewer

 

Meteorological Resources

CLIMAS - SW Monsoon Hub
CLIMAS - SW U.S. Drought
National Weather Service
Weather Channel - Regional Severe Weather Alerts
National Hurricane Center
ADHS - Extreme Weather & Public Health
Arizona Emergency Information Network

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