TEMPE, AZ — One year after a devastating microburst, city leaders and residents are reflecting on recovery from the storm that damaged more than 1,000 homes and businesses, left about 30,000 people without power and toppled hundreds of trees.
The microburst struck Tempe on Oct. 13, 2025, bringing winds of up to 90 mph. Tempe Interim Fire Chief Kyle Carman recalled seeing a roof torn from a building.
“It was awful,” Carman said. “I can’t imagine what those people were feeling.”
Tempe Mayor Corey Woods called it “the worst storm in the history of the city.”
The storm toppled about 700 trees within minutes. City crews spent roughly four months clearing the resulting debris.
A year later, Tempe is working to restore its tree canopy. The city has turned some of the fallen trees into lumber, which it sells to the public at a discount.
Revenue from the lumber sales supports the city’s tree-planting efforts. More than 350 trees have been planted so far, and another 100 are expected to be planted over the next month.
Residents have also joined the effort.
Sarah Gomez, a graduate of the Tempe Leadership program, said the program quickly committed to replacing the trees and greenery lost in the storm.
“Immediately, we came together and said, ‘Yes, we want to make sure that we’re able to help replace the trees and the greenery and urban canopy that we had just lost a few weeks before,’” Gomez said.
Woods said the community’s response became one of the most memorable parts of the recovery.
“The real heartwarming thing about all of this that I saw, first of all, was that there were no injuries. There was no loss of life,” Woods said. “But secondly, it was how everyone came together to make sure that we could recover and to really take care of their fellow neighbors.”
For Gomez, planting new trees is also about creating a legacy that will remain long after the storm.
“Seeing trees like this that have been here for how many years and knowing that ours are going to be part of that legacy is a pretty incredible thing,” Gomez said, pointing to a mature tree beside her at Jaycee Park. “And knowing that we were able to bring that back after such devastation.”
