Overnight storm dumps hail, rain on Safford
Oct 9, 2016, 3:44 PM | Updated: 4:22 pm
(Twitter photo)
An usual overnight storm brought wind and hail while catching many fairgoers off guard at the Graham County Fair Saturday night.
The National Weather Service in Tucson reports that at least 2.3 inches of rain and hail measuring between 1 and 2.5 inches in diameter hit Safford late Saturday.
Residents shared photos on social media of holding hail in their palms or alongside a ruler.
Many woke up to find the golf ball-sized hail blanketing the ground.
Meteorologist Gary Zell says there were other storms that also brought pea-sized hail to Tucson on Saturday.
But Safford bore the most severe impact in terms of precipitation.
Fairgoers Tweeted videos of the carnival midway being battered by winds that toppled over buildings and tents.
Jillian Hinton said this was the scene at the Graham County Fair last night as a severe storm ripped through Safford, AZ. #azwx pic.twitter.com/7xdvm8iwGu
— Ian Schwartz (@SchwartzTV) October 9, 2016
What a storm that hit Safford sat. night! Here's more video. From Potrejal Gonzalez. #azwx @NWSTucson pic.twitter.com/75G5LnEp9D
— Ian Schwartz (@SchwartzTV) October 9, 2016
Zell says the storm was caused by a low-pressure air system pulling moisture back into the region.
The storm system has since moved eastward to New Mexico.
The Associated Press contributed to this report