Thunderstorm Wind — Maricopa, Arizona

2019-09-04 · near Tonopah, Maricopa, Arizona

Event narrative

Isolated monsoon thunderstorms developed across the central deserts to the west of Phoenix during the early evening hours on September 4th. One of the more powerful storms produced a strong micro burst with wind speeds estimated to be as high as 70 mph. Local law enforcement reported that downburst winds blew over 6 semi-trailer trucks on Interstate 10 west of the town of Tohopah and 11 miles east of Centennial. As a result, there was one person injured as well as one fatality. The trucks were blown over at about 1936MST.

Wider weather episode

Strong monsoon thunderstorms with damaging micro burst winds developed across the central deserts west of Phoenix during the early evening hours on September 4th. One especially strong storm produced micro burst with winds estimated as high as 70 mph; the gusty winds blew over not one, but six semi tractor-trailer trucks on Interstate 10 to the west of the town of Tonopah. the trucks that were blown over were not far from the Maricopa-La Paz County line. Local law enforcement reported that there was one injury as well as one fatality. The strong winds took the form of north to south crosswinds, making them especially dangerous to high profile vehicles such as the semis that were damaged.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (33.5400, -113.1600)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 849021. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.