Heavy Snow, Kaibab Plateau
- When
- February 27, 5:00 AM MST to February 28, 4:00 PM MST
- Where
- Kaibab Plateau forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 35.839, -111.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow in Arizona, February 27 to 28, 1997
Major winter storm brought heavy snow throughout northern Arizona. In Zone 4 the Kaibab Plateau reported up to 24 inches of new snow and even Fredonia received 10 inches.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 10 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
- 10
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.
Major winter storm brought heavy snow throughout northern Arizona. In Zone 4 the Kaibab Plateau reported up to 24 inches of new snow and even Fredonia received 10 inches. In Zone 6 the South Rim of the Grand Canyon received 12 inches. In Zone 7 Seligman received 8 inches of new snow along with a report of 10 inches was received 5 miles north of Ash Fork. In Zone 8 Jerome received 12 inches and even in Sedona 8 inches of new snow fell. In Zone 9 Pinon reported as much as 12 inches of new snow. In Zone 11 Window Rock reported 12 inches of new snow. In Zone 15 Bellemont reported 19.5 inches of and Williams received 12 inches. In Zone 16 Happy Jack reported 24 inches of new snow and Munds Park just south of Flagstaff received 19 inches of new snow. In Zone 17 the largest storm total was reported 5 miles southeast of Pinetop where 30 inches of new snow fell. Elsewhere in the zone, Pinetop received 16 inches of new snow, McNary 14 inches, Alpine 13 inches and Show Low had 12 inches. Finally in Zone 18 Strawberry and Payson both reported 12 inches of new snow.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
10 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, Grand Canyon Country
- When
- February 27, 7:00 AM MST to February 28, 4:00 PM MST
- Where
- Grand Canyon Country forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 35.839, -111.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Western Mogollon Rim
- When
- February 27, 7:00 AM MST to February 28, 2:00 PM MST
- Where
- Western Mogollon Rim forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 35.839, -111.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Coconino Plateau
- When
- February 27, 8:00 AM MST to February 28, 5:00 AM MST
- Where
- Coconino Plateau forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 35.839, -111.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Yavapai County Mountains
- When
- February 27, 8:00 AM MST to February 28, 6:00 AM MST
- Where
- Yavapai County Mountains forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 34.600, -112.554 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Eastern Mogollon Rim
- When
- February 27, 9:00 AM MST to February 28, 4:00 PM MST
- Where
- Eastern Mogollon Rim forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 35.620, -111.045 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Northeast Plateaus and Mesas From Highway 264 North
- When
- February 27, 10:00 AM MST to February 28, 2:00 PM MST
- Where
- Northeast Plateaus and Mesas From Highway 264 North forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 35.545, -110.527 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Northern Gila County
- When
- February 27, 10:00 AM MST to February 28, 4:00 PM MST
- Where
- Northern Gila County forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 33.800, -110.812 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, White Mountains
- When
- February 27, 11:00 AM MST to February 28, 8:00 PM MST
- Where
- White Mountains forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 35.398, -109.905 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Chuska Mountains and Defiance Plateau
- When
- February 27, 12:00 PM MST to February 28, 5:00 PM MST
- Where
- Chuska Mountains and Defiance Plateau forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 35.396, -109.489 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Heavy Snow
- Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Dense Fog in New York, February 27, 1997
- High Wind in New York, February 27, 1997
- High Wind in Ohio, February 27, 1997
- High Wind in Pennsylvania, February 27, 1997
- Flash Flood in Pennsylvania, February 27, 1997
- Flash Flood in Ohio, February 27, 1997
- Flood in Ohio, February 27, 1997
- Flash Flood in Ohio, February 27, 1997
- Flood in Ohio, February 27 to 28, 1997
- High Wind in Michigan, February 27, 1997
- Flooding in Indiana, February 27 to 28, 1997
- Flood in Ohio, February 27 to 28, 1997
More
Every storm in Arizona in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Arizona, February 1997
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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5591551, 5591552, 5591557, 5591553, 5591554, 5591558, 5591555, 5591560, 5591559, 5591556.