Thunderstorm Wind — La Paz, Arizona

2022-08-12 · near Quartzsite Arpt, La Paz, Arizona

Event narrative

Several reports of thunderstorm damage across Quartzsite. The damages reported included several trailers/RVs flipped, signs blown around, trees blown over, heavy grills thrown 50 feet, storage sheds destroyed, leaning power poles. Timing estimated from radar. A wind gust of 65 mph was measured from a amateur radio user. No injuries were reported.

Wider weather episode

In a classical monsoonal regime, with deep-layered east to southeast flow, high instability (MLCAPE in excess of 1000-1500 J/KG) along with abundant moisture (PWAT 1.8+ inches) resulted in an environment favorable for thunderstorms. An upper-level disturbance moving across Arizona, aided in increasing the areal coverage as well as enhancing the thunderstorm activity.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (33.6802, -114.2094)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1053521. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.