Tornado In Red Rock, AZ

My wife didn't even have time to focus the camera before she realized a tornado was coming straight for the neighborhood. Fortunately, it only shattered our car window, ripped off 90mph plus rated roof tiles (and flung them off our property) and ripped our fences apart. We grew up next door to tornado alley. We would never have considered this a tornado back home (because all the houses are still standing!), but by definition that is what this was. I was 40 miles away in Tucson when it hit.

Then today, (August 18th) exactly one month later another epic furious storm came through, this time lasting for 15 minutes. It did not rip as many tiles off of roofs but it damaged just as many fences and downed just as many trees or more. This one was not preceded by a wall of dirt like the last one. I had just finished draining my camera battery! The best way I could describe what it was like is to compare it to that movie "The Perfect Storm". I've never seen rain combined with such fierce wind in my life. It was literally a lethal force, tearing out fence panels, roof tiles, and pieces of sheet metal and hurling them into oblivion. Several of my neighbors have holes in their houses from this. One has a roof tile sized hole that has been punched into the side of his house! It didn't make it through the wall or anything, but it popped a nice big hole! It is crazy living out here! Very exciting to say the least. My office window began flooding and my laundry room flooded from water pouring in through the ceiling! I don't know if the leak had to do with water being blown into places it would normally never be able to or if I have a leak from the repaired tile area. My friend down the street has an 8 inch high, 6 inch wide doggie door, which is protected from weather by a covered porch. Despite that, the rain blew in through the opening and flooded his kitchen and dining room, where he had stacked books and moving boxes full of things. They all wicked the water up and are ruined. Many neighbors had serious leaks, missing tiles, broken trees, and only pieces of a fence remaining.

The company that sells the vinyl fences wants to charge like $3,000 to fix a few sections of fence and as soon as they do it, another storm just like it blows through town. This is not the place for plastic fences! We need something that the wind can't laugh at! Like brick or block walls. Right now, the alternative is to have no fence (because the wind takes it away). The HOA won't allow any other fence (a joke) and expects us to just continue replacing these ridiculous plastic fences with more plastic fences! Sure, they're pretty to look at, when they're still there. But good luck with that. I think if the whole neighborhood decided we were just going to all go in on a block wall together and split the cost evenly, we'd get a killer price for something that would outlast the storm, and the HOA would just be forced to evolve with our decision. If even one of these storms comes through each year (up to 2 this year so far) then it would be worth just not having an HOA, so we could get the fences we need!

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[WickedTornado]

OK, where do I start. I'm 57, live at the ft. of the Tortolitas north of Tangerine Rd. and went to elem. school and jr. hi in Marana...when ALL the area around there was nothing but cotton fields. It looked a LOT different where you live now, way back then. Orig, I'm from Nebr, a major tornado alley state. For 25yrs. I go back to the midwest, and chase with a team. I know tornadoes. Let me assure you, we DO get them here. People have been killed by them on 2 occasions (see my Post 2 of 2).

[niwdah]

@WickedTornado

Thanks a million for commenting. I did not know about Arizona tornados man. "Straight-line Winds" my butt! I definitely didn't know people had died from them around the mission. WOW. I now have a new respect for the area. Thanks for all the great info :)

~John

[WickedTornado]

Often too, tornadoes here may not even show a nipple at cloud base, just dust rising up to cloud base...or close to cloud base. It takes a pretty good trained eye to discern if it's just a dust-devil..and btw, those can get wickedly strong out where you are...or if it's a tornado. Make no mistake --the weather svc. will normally call tornadic events "Straight line winds" or..."Microbursts". This cover's their ass...for not issueing a torn. warning. But, usually it IS a microburst. Keep Filming!!

[WickedTornado]

Post 2 of 2). and both times it was very close to San Xavier Mission (s.w. of Tucson). I'm an official spotter for the local Nat'l Weather Svc...spotter # 113. Our tornadoes here are normally towards the END of the monsoon, like late Aug, into Sept and even Oct. Also, I have seen them in your area in March-April. Ariz. is so dry, often times tornadoes will not show their entire funnel. You'll have rotation and sometimes a little nipple at cloud base, and whirling dust at the ground. (See Post 3)

[passionistic1]

@undefeatedg f0 r3@l

[undefeatedg]

dude your video description was epic. lol. I feel very informed.