High Wind in Arizona, March 8, 2002

Name: High Wind in Arizona, March 8, 2002
Start: 2002-03-08T03:30
End: 2002-03-08T06:45
Location: Arizona

March 8, 2002 · NWS FGZ · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

A strong cold front moved across northern Arizona and produced isolated wind gusts over 60 MPH. A spotter in Doney Park recorded a peak wind gust of 65 MPH with shingles blowing off the roof.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

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.

A strong cold front moved across northern Arizona and produced isolated wind gusts over 60 MPH. A spotter in Doney Park recorded a peak wind gust of 65 MPH with shingles blowing off the roof. Another spotter in Leupp reported a wind gust of 62 MPH. The Show Low Airport had a peak wind gust of 58 MPH.

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 Flagstaff, AZ wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 8, 3:15 AM MST, 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 8, 3:15 AM MST, 15 minutes before

NORTHERN ARIZONA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ
315 AM MST FRI MAR 08 2002

.SYNOPSIS...A PACIFIC COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA TODAY.
THIS WILL BRING BREEZY AND COOLER WEATHER TO NORTHERN ARIZONA ALONG
WITH MOUNTAIN SNOW AND VALLEY RAIN SHOWERS...AND EVEN A FEW
THUNDERSTORMS. THE SHOWERS WILL END IN THE WEST THIS MORNING AND
LATER THIS AFTERNOON IN THE EAST AS THE FRONT MOVES ACROSS THE
STATE. WEATHER CONDITIONS WILL START TO IMPROVE LATE THIS AFTERNOON
AND CONTINUE INTO THE WEEKEND WITH DRY AND WARMER CONDITIONS.

.DISCUSSION...FAIRLY DISORGANIZED SYSTEM IS MOVING ACROSS THE STATE
THIS MORNING. THE FIRST S/WV TROUGH MOVED ACROSS THE REGION EARLIER
WITH ABUNDANT HIGH CLOUDS AND SOME LIGHTNING ACTIVITY. ONLY MARGINAL
PRECIP AMOUNTS NOTED IN MOST OF NORTHERN ARIZONA...WITH SOME HEAVIER
AMOUNTS IN THE EAST. SECOND S/WV TROF IS NOW MOVING INTO NW ARIZONA
AND LIGHTNING ACTIVITY IS INCREASING. LOW CLOUDS NOTED IN IR IMAGERY
OVER MUCH OF WRN AZ INDICATES THAT LOW LEVEL MOISTURE REMAIN IN
PLACE. COLD FRONT IS STILL TRAVERSING SRN NV AT THIS TIME. AS THIS
FEATURE MARCHES ACROSS THE STATE DURING THE DAY TODAY EXPECT PRECIP
TO REDEVELOP...MAINLY OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN. SNOW LEVELS SHOULD BE
AROUND 5500 FEET IN THE NORTH...RISING TO AROUND 6500 FEET IN THE
CENTRAL PORTION OF THE STATE. STRONG LOW LEVEL WINDS CONTINUE WITH
THIS SYSTEM AND EXPECT WINDS TO APPROACH OR EXCEED WIND ADVISORY
CRITERIA IN THE LITTLE COLORADO RIVER VALLEY AND ADJACENT ZONES.
SNOWFALL AMOUNTS OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN SHOULD REMAIN ON THE LIGHT
SIDE.

SYSTEMS SWEEPS ACROSS THE STATE DURING THE DAY TODAY WITH RAPID
CLEARING FROM WEST TO EAST. WILL CLEAR OUT THE WESTERN ZONES BY LATE
MORNING BUT ALLOW CLOUDS TO PERSIST THROUGH AFTERNOON AND EARLY
EVENING IN THE EASTERN ZONES. BY LATER TONIGHT...ALL ZONES SHOULD BE
MOSTLY CLEAR WITH ONLY LIGHT WINDS. FOR THE WEEKEND...TEMPS WARM UP
QUICKLY.

.EXTENDED...MRF AND ECMWF AGREE WITH LARGE SCALE FEATURES BUT DIFFER
IN THE DETAILS. LOOK FOR CONTINUED PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES AND ABOVE
NORMAL TEMPS FOR MOST OF THE EXTENDED PERIOD.  DB

.FGZ...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 4PM FOR ZONES 12..13..14..16..17..40.

.CODED TEMPERATURES/POPS FOR SELECTED CITIES IN NORTHERN ARIZONA

CITY             TEMPERATURES HI/LO           PROBABILITY OF PRECIP
                 TDY TON   SAT     SUN        TDY TON   SAT   SUN
FLAGSTAFF        040/017 052/021 056/022      030 000 000 000 000 000
WINSLOW          054/020 057/026 066/027      010 000 000 000 000 000
PRESCOTT         053/025 062/031 063/032      010 000 000 000 000 000
PAGE             054/034 058/038 060/039      030 000 000 000 000 000
WINDOW ROCK      041/010 053/014 057/015      050 000 000 000 000 000
CANYON DE CHELLY 049/018 061/022 065/023      040 000 000 000 000 000
COTTONWOOD       064/031 073/037 074/038      010 000 000 000 000 000
GRAND CANYON     042/019 054/023 058/024      030 000 000 000 000 000
GREER            041/016 053/020 057/021      040 000 000 000 000 000
HEBER            048/019 060/023 064/024      020 000 000 000 000 000
JACOB LAKE       036/016 048/020 052/021      030 000 000 000 000 000
NAVAJO N.M.      039/014 051/018 055/019      040 000 000 000 000 000
PAYSON           057/025 066/031 067/032      010 000 000 000 000 000
SEDONA           060/031 069/037 070/038      010 000 000 000 000 000
SELIGMAN         055/018 064/024 065/025      010 000 000 000 000 000
SHOW LOW         051/025 063/029 067/030      030 000 000 000 000 000
ST. JOHNS        052/018 055/024 064/025      010 000 000 000 000 000
WUPATKI N.M.     056/024 059/030 068/031      010 000 000 000 000 000

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Western Mogollon Rim

When: March 8, 3:30 AM MST
Where: Western Mogollon Rim forecast zone
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 35.839, -111.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Little Colorado River Valley in Coconino County

When: March 8, 3:30 AM MST
Where: Little Colorado River Valley in Coconino County forecast zone
Measured: 54 kt (62 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 35.620, -111.045 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, White Mountains

When: March 8, 6:45 AM MST
Where: White Mountains forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 35.398, -109.905 (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

Every storm in Arizona in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Arizona, March 2002

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: 5284070, 5284899, 5284900.