Hurricane Joanne was one of four tropical cyclones to bring gale-force winds to the Southwestern United States in the 20th century.

In Arizona, many roads were closed and some water rescues had to be performed due to a prolonged period of heavy rains.

On September 26, ship reports and satellite imagery indicated an area of squally weather about 300 mi (485 km) south of Guatemala.

Later that day, the Eastern Pacific Hurricane Center (EPHC) downgraded Joanne into a tropical storm as the system weakened.

[1] Accelerating north and later northeast, Joanne made landfall near Laguna Chapala on Baja California while a tropical storm late on October 5 and moved inland over Sonora on the next day.

[1] Further north, Joanne caused heavy surf in California, and brought tropical storm-force winds to the state.

Many neighborhoods in northern Phoenix were evacuated early on October 7 when a canal overflowed its banks due to prolonged rainfall.

[10] Following the storm, heavy rain from Joanne set the stage for additional flooding in mid-to late October from a Gulf of Alaska extratropical cyclone that brought more moisture to the area,[3] causing $10 million (1972 USD) in property damage and eight deaths.

[13] According to the National Weather Service, it was the first time in recorded history that a tropical cyclone had brought gale-force winds to Arizona.