Greg,
You have a couple of beauties there.
Tucson to Nogales and on east has been doing quite well for storms so far this season. I keep thinking about driving down to your area as we still haven't had a good one here in Casa Grande yet except for the dust storms. Sure as I leave, the lightning will show up here.
TANK
Yea, lightning is like that. It
knows!
There is a pretty good viewpoint at the Madera Canyon visitor's center. It offers sweeping views of the setting sun filtering behind the Sierrarita Mountains.
http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/coronado/forest/recreation/scenic_drives/mader_cyn.shtml
More ambitious is driving Mt. Hopkins Road up the mountain. Stupendous views! The road is used by the telescope folks and is kept in excellent condition. Exit Canona Rd, head S along the eastern frontage road; turn E on Elephant Head Rd, then right at Mt. Hopkins Rd. Follow it as long as you like. There's a gate near the top, so you can't get to the observatories, however this spot is atop a ridge that offers great visibility to the E and SE. The mountain ranges cascade away for miles.
http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/coronado/forest/recreation/scenic_drives/mt_hopkins.shtml
Another pretty place is the La Cienegas reserve, about 20 miles S of I-10 on hwy 83. The area is rolling grassland. The Santa Rita Range does tend to block the setting sun, so westerly viewing is poor. But the same sunset can create fantastic colors in any clouds/storms to the NE, E and S.
http://www.blm.gov/az/st/en/prog/blm_special_areas/ncarea/lascienegas.html
Kitt Peak has a great road and stupendous views in most directions.
Other popular Tucson areas include:
Gates Pass. Exit Speedway, drive W. till you hit the mountains.
Bobad Doag overlook, a few miles up the Catalina Highway. Classic/cliche' view of storms over Tucson. There are more overlooks higher up, including one (forget the name) 3.5 miles past Windy Point that offers the only good view of the San Pedro Valley to the east. Hike a few 100 yards N from the parking lot to gain altitude and improve the view.
If you're up for a hike, Sabino Canyon holds great promise. With the right timing, fantastic storm/sunset/mountain shots should be possible. Bring an umbrella, or garbage bags at the least, to protect your gear int he event you get run over by the storms. Mountain Lion repellent is handy too!