Heavy Snow in Arizona, March 7, 2001

Name: Heavy Snow in Arizona, March 7, 2001
Start: 2001-03-07T03:30
End: 2001-03-07T20:00
Location: Arizona

March 7, 2001 · NWS TWC · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Mt. Graham received 12 inches of snow.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

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 TWC wrote it up.

Mt. Graham received 12 inches of snow.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Tucson, AZ wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 7, 2:30 AM MST, 1 hour earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 7, 2:30 AM MST, 1 hour before

SOUTHEAST ARIZONA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
230 AM MST WED MAR 7 2001

SYNOPSIS...A STRONG WINTER STORM SYSTEM WILL MOVE ACROSS THE STATE
TODAY SPREADING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ALONG WITH IT. THE STORM
WILL MOVE OUT OF THE STATE TONIGHT...WITH CLEARING SKIES AND A
WARMING TREND ON TAP FOR THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. ANOTHER STORM
SYSTEM WILL AFFECT THE AREA SUNDAY BRINGING MORE RAIN AND MOUNTAIN
SNOW.

DISCUSSION...THIS SYSTEM HAS TAPPED DECENT PWATER VALUES TO THE
SOUTH AND WITH CURRENT TRAJECTORY OF SYSTEM HAVE DEBATED PUTTING UP
FLASH FLOOD WATCH SIMILAR TO PHX. CURRENT TRACK ALSO A LITTLE
FARTHER SOUTH THAN ANY MODEL. TIMING LOOKS OK. FWC GUIDANCE SHOWS
POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY RAIN...BUT THE QUESTION IS IF IT WILL FALL FAST
ENOUGH TO CAUSE FLASH FLOODING OR JUST BE AN URBAN TYPE OF PROBLEM.
SO FAR IR ENHANCEMENT STILL NOT VERY FAR SOUTH BUT WITH FARTHER
SOUTH TRACK WOULD EXPECT TO SEE CLOUD TOPS TO START COOLING DOWN IN
OUR AREA.

AT ANY RATE...HEAVY PRECIP FORECASTS DOES FORCE ME TO GO TO HEAVY
SNOW WARNING FOR MOUNTAINS. HAVE LEFT COCHISE COUNTY OUT BECAUSE
MODELS SHOW LESS PWATER AVAILABLE THERE DURING SNOW PRODUCTION TIME.

COLD AIR ALOFT SHOULD ALSO ALLOW FOR HAIL DURING MAX HEATING TIME
THIS AFTERNOON BUT FORECAST IS ALREADY CLUTTERED ENOUGH SO HAVE
INTENTIONALLY LEFT THIS OUT. SYSTEM HAS BEEN ABOUT 6 HOURS SLOWER
THAN WHAT I PLANNED LAST NIGHT WITH SOME PRECIP HANGING ON INTO
EVENING HOURS TUS AREA AND UP TILL ABOUT MIDNIGHT EASTERN ZONES.

NEXT STORM BOTHERS ME BECAUSE IT DOES NOT HAVE A KICKER AND BELIEVE
PRESENT EXTENDED IS TOO FAST...AVN MOISTURE TAP IS SUSPICIOUS. THIS
REQUIRES ANOTHER MODEL RUN BEFORE MAKING CHANGES.

.TWC...HEAVY SNOW WARNING TODAY ABOVE 7000FT ZONES 33/34
       HEAVY SNOW WARNING TODAY AND TONIGHT ABOVE 7000FT ZONES 19/30
       SNOW ADVISORY TODAY AND TONIGHT ABOVE 7000 FT ZONE 35.

Event by event

1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Graham/S Greenlee

When: March 7, 3:30 AM MST to 8:00 PM MST
Where: Graham/S Greenlee forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

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

Every storm in Arizona in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Arizona, March 2001

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: 5235276.