A strong monsoon storm slammed into Tucson on the evening of Saturday, July 11, 2026, producing intense winds and heavy rain that left neighborhoods on the city’s Eastside dealing with widespread flooding and significant power interruptions. The storm’s force was enough to push water across streets and into washes, submerge at least one vehicle and prompt emergency warnings for residents as utility crews mobilized to respond to outages and hazard reports.
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Tucson Electric Power reported that the height of the storm produced nearly 30 separate outages, leaving more than 10,000 customers without electricity across the city. Crews from the utility remained on duty well into the night, working to assess damage, clear hazards and restore service to affected homes and businesses. By Sunday morning the number of customers still without power had been reduced significantly as emergency repairs and line checks continued.
The utility issued an explicit safety advisory to the public as crews carried out repairs. "There are several storm-related outages throughout the area. Our crews are working as quickly and safely as possible to make repairs. If you see a downed power line, do not go near it or drive over it. Move away from the line and call 911," Tucson Electric Power said, urging residents to steer clear of any suspected electrical hazards while restoration efforts proceed.
Heavy rainfall prompted flash flood warnings for much of the Eastside during and after the storm. In one neighborhood near the intersection of Golf Links and Kolb roads, runoff filled a nearby wash and left a vehicle nearly submerged in the fast-moving water. Neighbors worked together after water levels fell to push the stalled sedan from the wash back onto higher ground, an image that captured the sudden and localized destructiveness of the monsoon downpour.
Residents push a stalled sedan through thigh‑deep floodwater after a monsoon storm inundated Tucson streets on July 11, 2026.
Residents who watched the storm roll through their neighborhood described the conditions as frightening and chaotic while it was at its height. Arlene Boykin and her son Marc, who live in the area, said the wind and rain reduced visibility and made it difficult to see across the street. "We saw the storm, and it was pretty crazy. It was really windy, we couldn't see across the street. We saw the trees were going, we thought they were gonna snap in two," Boykin said, recounting the immediate impressions and concern as the storm built intensity.
When the storm subsided enough for residents to venture outside, Boykin and others discovered the vehicle nearly swallowed by the swollen wash. She described the scene and the neighborhood response: "We came out here to look...and there you have it. We usually see cars down at the other end of the wash; it's the first time we've seen a car down here." Neighbors later worked to free the vehicle once the water receded and conditions were safer.
The storm also produced scenes of streets slick with rain and pedestrians trying to move through sudden downpours. One photo from the event showed a person sprinting beneath the dark monsoon clouds as sheets of rain came down, an emblem of how quickly conditions turned dangerous and how widespread the flooding and power impacts were across parts of the city.
A pedestrian sprints through heavy rain beneath dark monsoon clouds in Tucson as the storm swept the city, contributing to widespread flooding and power outages.
In recounting the aftermath, Boykin said the flow of runoff felt like a torrent. "It was like a raging river...it was crazy...thank god it's over," she said, expressing relief that the most dangerous period of the storm had passed for her neighborhood. City and utility personnel continued to monitor conditions through the overnight hours to complete repairs, check for downed lines or damaged infrastructure, and ensure that travel routes and neighborhoods were safe as power was restored to customers.
Utility representatives emphasized that crews were focused on safety as well as speed while performing repairs, given the number of storm-related incidents reported during and immediately after the storm. They asked residents to report any downed lines or other hazards immediately to emergency services and to remain cautious near flooded roadways and washes. As cleanup and restoration continued into Sunday, thousands of customers had regained power and crews remained deployed to address remaining outages and storm damage across the Eastside.
Local real-time monitoring account @TUCscanner reported that power outages dropped from around 8,000 overnight to about 2,000 early Sunday morning and roughly 500 by 5:30 a.m., providing a more granular look at restoration progress as TEP crews cleared hazards from the July 11 storm.
The National Weather Service issued multiple flash flood warnings for eastern Pima and southeastern Pinal counties on July 11, 2026, saying thunderstorms produced roughly 0.75–1.5 inches of rain in short periods and naming local drainages at risk such as Agua Caliente Wash, Tanque Verde Creek and Sabino Canyon; an automated gauge at Oracle Ranger Station recorded about 1.54 inches during the event.
The City of Tucson's Operation Splash program is offering free self-serve sandbags at the east parking lot of Hi Corbett Field (700 S. Randolph Way); the sandbag station opened June 17 and is available 24/7 with a 10-sandbag-per-vehicle limit (residents must bring a shovel).
Pima County’s emergency information page directs residents to check active National Weather Service alerts (call 520-670-6526 for details) and to monitor Tucson Electric Power’s outage map or call TEP at 520-623-7711 for the latest restoration updates.
The National Weather Service also issued dust-storm and blowing-dust advisories associated with thunderstorm outflow during the evening, warning of gusts over 50 mph and periods of visibility below a quarter-mile that created dangerous travel conditions on some highways, including stretches of Interstate 10.