High Wind, Chuska Mountains and Defiance Plateau
- When
- March 23, 9:00 AM MST to 2:00 PM MST
- Where
- Chuska Mountains and Defiance Plateau forecast zone
- Measured
- 78 kt (90 mph)
- Coordinates
- 35.396, -109.489 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind in Arizona, March 23, 1996
Widespread high wind event. One mobile home roof torn off by winds in St.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 2
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS FGZ wrote it up.
Widespread high wind event. One mobile home roof torn off by winds in St. Johns with roof damage to many houses and mobile homes. In Springerville a barn roof was torn off and one mobile home was pushed over on its' side. In both cities several metal sheds tipped over and mobile homes were moved off foundations. Two minor auto accidents caused by crosswinds. In St. Johns, one 78 kt/90 mph gust was reported at 10:25 AM, and another 78 kt/90 mph gust reported at 1:50 PM. In Winslow on gust to 53 kt/61 mph was reported at 900 AM. In Springerville a peak gust of 86 kt/99 mph was reported at 10:35 AM.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
High Wind, Little Colorado River Valley in Apache County
- When
- March 23, 10:35 AM MST to 2:00 PM MST
- Where
- Little Colorado River Valley in Apache County forecast zone
- Measured
- 86 kt (99 mph)
- Coordinates
- 35.396, -109.489 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- High Wind
- Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- High Wind in New Mexico, March 23, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Minnesota, March 23 to 25, 1996
- Winter Storm in North Dakota, March 23 to 25, 1996
- High Wind in Kansas, March 23, 1996
- Blizzard in South Dakota, March 23 to 24, 1996
- Blizzard in North Dakota, March 23 to 24, 1996
- Blizzard in North Dakota, March 23 to 24, 1996
- Blizzard in Minnesota, March 23 to 24, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Wyoming, March 23, 1996
- Blizzard in Wyoming, March 23 to 24, 1996
- Winter Storm in Wisconsin, March 23 to 25, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, March 23 to 25, 1996
More
Every storm in Arizona in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Arizona, March 1996
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5539381, 5539382.