Severe Storms Pales Arizona with Golf-Ball Sized Hail and Rare Tornado Risks
Explore how severe storms and golf-ball sized hail pestered Arizona, bringing rare tornado threats and flash flood warnings to the American West.
POLICY WIRE — Phoenix, United States — A severe and uncommon storm system swept across northern and central Arizona, pummeling the region with golf-ball-sized hail, damaging wind gusts, and rare tornado risks.
The National Weather Service issued multiple warnings as severe thunderstorms rolled through overnight on Tuesday and into Wednesday. Residents were urged to seek shelter away from windows while 2- to 3-inch hail struck structures, shattering glass, denting vehicles, and battering roofs.
Forecasters implemented tornado watches across multiple sectors, marking the first time the state has faced such conditions since October 2010. Ryan Bernhart, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Flagstaff, explained that warm, moist air traveling northward has collided with systems moving off the California coast, while shifting winds create rotational dynamics capable of generating tornadoes.
Bernhart noted that the weather event is exceptionally rare for this time of year in the area. High winds managed to uproot substantial trees across Flagstaff and Mesa, crushing carports and boundary walls, including dozens of ponderosa pines exceeding 30 feet in height within the Coconino National Forest northwest of Flagstaff.
Looking ahead, Mark O’Malley, a meteorologist stationed at the National Weather Service office in Phoenix, warned that the Phoenix metropolitan area faces ongoing threats from heavy downpours and potential flash flooding.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
