An approaching Pacific storm system bought strong and gusty southwest wind to northeastern Arizona. Sustained wind of 30 to 40 MPH were common with numerous gusts between 45 and 55 MPH.
Every event with a place to put it; 6 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS FGZ wrote it up.
An approaching Pacific storm system bought strong and gusty southwest wind to northeastern Arizona. Sustained wind of 30 to 40 MPH were common with numerous gusts between 45 and 55 MPH. Areas of blowing dust were reported with the visibility reduced to one mile near Petrified Forest National Monument. An observer at Eagar reported wind gusts of 50 to 58 mph with a few one foot in diameter trees blown down. Some reported peak wind gusts were: Meteor Crater 81MPH, Eagar 58 MPH, St Johns Airport 51 MPH, Show Low Airport 52 MPH, and Window Rock Airport 50 MPH.
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 Flagstaff, AZ wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 23, 2:45 AM MST, 6 hours 15 minutes earlier.
NORTHERN ARIZONA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ
245 AM MST SAT MAR 23 2002
.SYNOPSIS...EXPECT VERY WINDY CONDITIONS TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE
REGION TODAY AS A PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM MOVES TOWARDS ARIZONA. THIS
STORM WILL BRING MUCH COOLER TEMPERATURES TO THE AREA OVER THE
WEEKEND AND INTO MONDAY. ALONG WITH THE COLDER TEMPERATURES...THERE
WILL BE A CHANCE OF RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS OVER THE NORTHERN PORTIONS
OF THE STATE SUNDAY AND MONDAY. DRIER AND WARMER CONDITIONS WILL
DEVELOP TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY...BEFORE ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM BRINGS
A CHANCE FOR PRECIPITATION BACK TO THE AREA THURSDAY AND FRIDAY.
.DISCUSSION...TROUGH ALREADY ENTERING THE WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE
GREAT BASIN THIS MORNING...WITH COLDER AIR SET TO MOVE INTO ARIZONA
LATER TODAY. THIS INITIAL PORTION OF THE TROUGH WILL SHEAR OUT TO
THE NORTH A BIT AS IT PUSHES YESTERDAYS RIDGE OFF TO THE EAST. THIS
WILL ALLOW SIGNIFICANT WIND GRADIENTS TO DEVELOP TODAY. PREVIOUS
SHIFT ISSUED A WIND ADVISORY FOR MUCH OF THE AREA...AND THIS LOOKS
O.K. BASED ON ANTICIPATED GUSTS. AS COLDER AND MORE UNSTABLE AIR
SETTLES ACROSS THE AREA TONIGHT AND SUNDAY...A SECONDARY TROUGH WILL
PUSH INTO THE AREA FROM THE WEST SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EARLY MONDAY.
THIS TROUGH WILL PROVIDE ENOUGH INSTABILITY AND ADDITIONAL MOISTURE
TO MENTION POPS FROM FLAGSTAFF NORTHWARD SUNDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH
MONDAY. RIDGE WILL REBUILD TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY AS ANOTHER TROUGH
MOVES DOWN THE WEST COAST. MODELS BRINGING THIS SYSTEM IN THURSDAY
FROM THE SOUTHWEST. WILL CONTINUE TO MENTION CHC POPS THURSDAY AND
FRIDAY...ALONG WITH COOLER TEMPERATURES. PETERSON.
.FGZ...WIND ADVISORY FOR ZONES 9/10/11/12/13/14/15/16/17/39/40
TODAY FROM 1000 AM MST UNTIL 700 PM MST.
.CODED TEMPERATURES/POPS FOR SELECTED CITIES IN NORTHERN ARIZONA
CITY TEMPERATURES HI/LO PROBABILITY OF PRECIP
TDY TON SUN MON TDY TON SUN MON
FLAGSTAFF 049/030 044/026 043/021 000 000 030 040 030 000
WINSLOW 063/036 057/032 055/027 000 000 000 020 020 000
PRESCOTT 058/037 054/034 055/029 000 000 000 000 000 000
PAGE 062/046 056/041 056/036 000 000 020 030 030 000
WINDOW ROCK 058/029 047/024 046/019 000 000 000 020 020 000
CANYON DE CHELLY 066/037 055/032 054/027 000 000 000 020 020 000
COTTONWOOD 069/043 065/040 066/035 000 000 000 000 000 000
GRAND CANYON 051/032 046/028 045/023 000 000 030 050 030 000
GREER 050/029 045/025 044/020 000 000 000 020 020 000
HEBER 057/032 052/028 051/023 000 000 020 030 020 000
JACOB LAKE 045/029 040/025 039/020 000 000 030 050 030 000
NAVAJO N.M. 056/033 045/028 044/023 000 000 000 020 020 000
PAYSON 062/037 058/034 059/029 000 000 000 000 000 000
SEDONA 065/043 061/040 062/035 000 000 000 020 020 000
SELIGMAN 060/030 056/027 057/022 000 000 000 020 020 000
SHOW LOW 060/038 055/034 054/029 000 000 000 020 020 000
ST. JOHNS 061/034 055/030 053/025 000 000 000 020 020 000
WUPATKI N.M. 065/040 059/036 057/031 000 000 000 020 020 000The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
6 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arizona in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Arizona, March 2002
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: 5284064, 5284065, 5284068, 5284067, 5284066, 5284063.