The Storm Hit The Lakes Clubhouse. Most of the Fall Calendar Was Never Inside It.

The night of August 19 tore open the roof of the Beach and Tennis Club on Lakeshore Drive. Water ruined the upstairs lounge and soaked parts of the ground floor. Even so, the fall season for The Lakes of Tempe is going ahead with nearly every date intact. Most of what makes the season happen at the pool, in the parks, along the streets and out on the lake, and none of those places took damage. The storm hit the building, and its larger effect is on what the community decides about that building this November.

What the Storm Actually Did

The National Weather Service office in Phoenix describes the evening of August 19, 2026 as a large cluster of thunderstorms that formed east and southeast of the metro area. The storms pushed an outflow boundary west-northwest across the Valley. That boundary brought straight-line wind gusts of mostly 55 to 65 mph and a dust storm that dropped visibility below a mile in many places. Rain totals ran from 0.50 inches to as much as 1.30 inches. Most of the damage was to trees, and the worst structural damage in the area was to several roof sections at Marcos de Niza High School in Tempe.

The community manager's September report calls what hit the clubhouse a microburst, and it describes the damage in detail. The wind peeled back part of the roof, and rain flooded the upstairs lounge. Water also got into the downstairs center hallway, the men's and women's bathrooms, and the game room. The roof debris has been removed and a temporary covering is protecting the building. The upstairs drywall and carpet are gone, and fans and dehumidifiers are still running. The downstairs walls that took water have to come out so mold can't develop.

The air-conditioning units serving the bathrooms were also destroyed, so the report describes those bathrooms as "warm but also operational for now." Both will be demolished and rebuilt, and the association plans to set up porta-potties outside in the meantime. The report promises "nice ones."

What's Closed, What's Open, and What's Still Unknown

The work will be done in phases so day-to-day use of the clubhouse is disrupted as little as possible. The report sets no timeline. The association is still early in planning and working through the claim with its insurance company. The board will review its options and hire a designer, and the resulting design plan will go to the community for review.

Board paperwork adds a little. The August 26, 2026 board agenda listed a general contractor for the storm repair project. The agenda dated September 23 had no repair item, and neither agenda shows that a contractor was chosen. That September meeting was later moved to Monday, September 28. As of early October, the September manager's report is the latest posted repair update on the association's site.

The Fall Season Is Mostly Outdoors

The September Lakes Log lists the season's dates. Here is where each event takes place, according to the association's own listings.

None of the events with a stated location is in the damaged rooms.

The Fall Happy Hour is Friday, October 9, from 6 to 8 PM by the pool. It's BYOB with a Dolly Parton theme. Glass bottles aren't allowed in the pool area, and plastic drinkware will be provided. The pool is one of the areas the storm missed.

The Boo Bash runs Saturday, October 24, from 4:30 to 8:30 PM. The Activities Committee lists spooky booths and games for kids, Halloween music from a local DJ, pumpkin painting, a photo booth, costume contests for different age groups, and food trucks, which are new this year. That's the kind of event that fits an outdoor setup, though the Log doesn't say where it will be held.

The Lakes Women's Club Garage Sale on Saturday, November 7, runs from 7:30 AM to about 1 PM and is spread across residents' homes. Permits cost $10 and have been available at the Beach and Tennis Club since October 1. Sellers with a permit get a spot on the official Lakes Garage Sale Map. All permit proceeds go to the Women's Club's charitable projects. Volunteers will walk the neighborhood asking to see permits, and permits can be bought on the day of the sale. The Women's Club handles the advertising and decorates the entrances with signs and balloons, and it asks sellers to put up their own signs at the ends of their streets.

The Fishing Frolic & Lunch on Saturday, November 21, is run by the Fishing and Boating Committee. It will have kid-friendly booths, and lunch will be in the park at the clubhouse. The committee says times and details will come in the next Lakes Log.

December's two events are Santa at Christmas Island on the 6th and the Lighted Boat Parade on the 19th, and both are set on the water.

The Weekly Groups Are Where the Damage Shows

The big events are mostly outdoors. The small recurring groups are the ones that depend on indoor rooms, and some of those rooms are the damaged ones.

Mah jongg is the clearest example. The September Lakes Log lists three sets of sessions upstairs at the clubhouse. Friday mornings from 9 to 11 started September 11, Monday afternoons from 1 to 3 started September 14, and the Tuesday and Thursday afternoon games from 1 to 3 continue as usual. The players use the National Mah Jongg League 2026 card, which is good through March 2027. The association's activities page still lists the sessions as upstairs, and October's calendar still shows mah jongg. No new location has been posted. The manager's report says the upstairs lounge is out of commission, so check with the clubhouse about where a given session is meeting before you go.

The Lakes Book Club met September 17 to discuss Theo of Golden by Allen Levi. On October 15 it moves to Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult, and the club has finalized its reading list through 2027. The two listings disagree about the room. The Log puts the September meeting in the downstairs lounge, and the clubs page lists the multipurpose room. The October calendar entry doesn't name a room.

Other groups were never inside, so the damage doesn't touch them. Bocce is played Tuesdays and Thursdays starting at 8 AM on the court in the big park next to the swimming pool, and players of every skill level are welcome. Yoga meets Sundays at 11 AM at the Beach and Tennis Club, and the cost is whatever you donate. The Out to Lunch Bunch meets off-site on the second Wednesday of each month from September through May. Its October 14 lunch is at noon at Perfect Pear Bistro, 9845 S. Priest Drive, on the northeast corner of Priest and Ray. In September the group carpooled from the clubhouse at 11:30 AM and took reservations at the clubhouse ahead of time. The Log mentions the bistro's daily happy hour starting at 11 AM, and its full menu is posted online.

The November Meeting Now Covers More Than It Did in July

The storm's longest-lasting effect is on the budget conversation.

In his July 2026 report, a month before the storm, the LCA president wrote that the community was getting ready for the annual budget meeting in November. He named two big next steps. One was adding boat slips so more homeowners can get on the lake. The other was "hopefully, a full Clubhouse renovation that begins next year." The same report listed recent improvements, including the Lakes Rapids, pool equipment, courts, trees and signs.

The storm turned that hoped-for renovation into repairs the clubhouse needs no matter what. It also folded a designer and a new design plan into the process, because the manager's report says the plan will go to the community for review. So the repair work and the renovation the board was already discussing are now about the same building, on overlapping schedules, with an insurance claim between them.

Neither posted source gives the November meeting date or a readable agenda. The July report says only "in November." The boat slips and the renovation appear in that report as goals, not as items confirmed for a vote. The president asked residents to come to meetings, ask questions and stay informed about where the community is headed. Watch the association's website and the next Lakes Log for the date. Questions about the repairs go to the clubhouse at 480-838-1023.

The Lakes Snakes swim team just finished its 51st season at the pool, and the coach's note in the September Log says the team will be back on the deck in Spring 2027. The Parade of Lights, Poker Regatta and Polar Plunge are among the traditions the July report says few neighborhoods could put together. All of them happen at the pool or on the water. Until the board's design plan comes out, the upstairs lounge stays closed, and the bathrooms and multipurpose room will close later as the phases continue.

If you're thinking about selling in The Lakes while the clubhouse is under repair, buyers will ask about it and about what's coming out of the November meeting. Daniel Birk follows those updates closely and can walk you through how the clubhouse's current condition fits into a home valuation, so you have the facts before a buyer asks. Get your free home valuation whenever you're ready.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.