Thunderstorm Wind — Maricopa, Arizona
July 14, 2002 · NOAA Storm Events record
Event narrative (NOAA)
The second of two microburst events struck on the airport at the Postal facility and the West economy parking lot. A large thunderstorm complex, with strong microburst winds estimated at 100 mph struck Sky Harbor International Airport. Southerly winds and dense blowing dust initially spread across the East valley and converged with a fast-moving thunderstorm in North Phoenix. These merging systems developed into a severe thunderstorm with winds that uprooted trees, took down power poles and damaged homes and businesses near the airport. Several hangars sustained major damage. Flying debris damaged five commercial aircraft, several private planes and hundreds of cars in the nearby parking lots. Numerous flights were diverted during the overnight hours due to the debris that was scatte
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Source: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database. Deaths and injuries are those NOAA classifies as direct. Damage is the reporting office's estimate at the time and is not inflation-adjusted. This is a catalogue record, not a forecast.