High Wind in Arizona, April 4, 2005

Name: High Wind in Arizona, April 4, 2005
Start: 2005-04-04T13:00
End: 2005-04-04T19:00
Location: Arizona

April 4, 2005 · NWS FGZ · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 high wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 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: 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 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 Apr 4, 9:10 AM MST, 3 hours 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 4, 9:10 AM MST, 3 hours 50 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF
910 AM MST MON APR 4 2005

.SYNOPSIS...A STRONG PACIFIC COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE REGION
TODAY. EXPECT WINDY CONDITIONS TO DEVELOP ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE
FRONT THIS MORNING AND CONTINUE INTO THE EARLY EVENING HOURS BEFORE
DIMINISHING. THERE WILL ALSO BE A CHANCE OF RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS
WITH THE FRONT DURING THE AFTERNOON...MAINLY FOR AREAS NORTH OF
FLAGSTAFF. COLDER AIR WILL FOLLOW THE FRONT AND WILL LINGER INTO
TUESDAY. WARMER AND LESS WINDY WEATHER WILL RETURN WEDNESDAY AND
THURSDAY.

&&

.DISCUSSION...AN UPPER TROF WILL MOVE ACROSS THE STATE TODAY AIDED
BY AN 80 KT JET ALOFT. CURRENTLY...A COLD FRONT IS MOVING INTO NW AZ
ATTM WITH KICX 88D INDICATING LIGHT SHOWERS OVER THE KAIBAB PLATEAU.
THE BEST LIFT AND MOISTURE TODAY IS PROGGED FOR AREAS NEAR THE UT
BORDER. THE MOST UNSTABLE AREA WILL BE AROUND THE 4-CORNERS REGION
THIS AFTERNOON AS LIS OF ZERO DEVELOP THERE. WILL UPDATE ZONES TO
INCLUDE SLIGHT CHANCE OF TSTMS. THE OTHER ELEMENT OF CONCERN IS
STRONG AND GUSTY SFC WINDS TODAY. 12Z FGZ SOUNDING SHOWED SW WINDS
ALOFT BTWN 700 AND 600 MB OF 35-40 KTS. MODELS MAINTAIN THESE WINDS
...PARTICULARLY OVER THE RIM AND LCR AREAS...INTO THE EVENING. SFC
WINDS WILL BE ENHANCED BY A STRONG SW TO NE SFC PRESSURE GRADIENT
AND GOOD CAA ALOFT. THE WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF THE
CWA TIL 7 PM MST THIS EVENING LOOKS ON TRACK. THE TROF WILL MOVE
INTO NM TONIGHT WITH WINDS DIMINISHING AS GRADIENTS AND FLOW ALOFT
WEAKEN. A RIDGE BEGINS TO BUILD OVER THE WEST COAST TOMORROW AND
SLIDES OVER AZ ON WEDNESDAY. THIS WILL BRING LIGHTER WINDS AND A
WARMING TREND TO THE CWA. WINDS ARE EXPECTED INTO INCREASE AGAIN
THURSDAY AND FRIDAY WITH THE APPROACH OF THE NEXT TROF.

&&

.FGZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...

WIND ADVISORY TODAY UNTIL 7 PM MST FOR AZZ 004>007-009>017-039-040.

&&

Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 4, 7:45 AM MST, 5 hours 15 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTED HEADER
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ
745 AM MST MON APR 4 2005

AZZ004>018-037>040-051400-
WESTERN MOGOLLON RIM-GRAND CANYON COUNTRY-YAVAPAI COUNTY MOUNTAINS-
YAVAPAI COUNTY VALLEYS AND BASINS-OAK CREEK AND SYCAMORE CANYONS-
MARBLE AND GLEN CANYONS-KAIBAB PLATEAU-COCONINO PLATEAU-
NORTHEAST PLATEAU AND MESAS HWY 264 NORTHWARD-
NORTHEAST PLATEAU AND MESAS SOUTH OF HWY 264-
CHINLE VALLEY-CHUSKA MOUNTAINS AND DEFIANCE PLATEAU-
BLACK MESA AREA-LITTLE COLORADO RIVER VALLEY IN COCONINO COUNTY-
LITTLE COLORADO RIVER VALLEY IN NAVAJO COUNTY-
LITTLE COLORADO RIVER VALLEY IN APACHE COUNTY-
EASTERN MOGOLLON RIM-WHITE MOUNTAINS-NORTHERN GILA COUNTY-
725 AM MST MON APR 4 2005

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR APACHE...COCONINO...NORTHERN
GILA...NAVAJO...AND YAVAPAI COUNTIES IN NORTHERN ARIZONA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY

A WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT TODAY UNTIL 7 PM MST FOR A LARGE
PORTION OF NORTHERN ARIZONA. (SEE PRODUCT PHXNPWFGZ FOR SPECIFIC
DETAILS.) EXPECT STRONG WINDS TO DEVELOP LATER THIS MORNING FROM
THE SOUTHWEST AT 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS BETWEEN 40 TO 50 MPH.
A SPRING STORM SYSTEM IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE WINDS TODAY AND
AFTERNOON SHOWERS ALONG THE UTAH BORDER EXTENDING SOUTHWARD TO
AN EAST WEST LINE RUNNING THROUGH FLAGSTAFF.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Little Colorado River Valley in Apache County

When: April 4, 1:00 PM MST to 7:00 PM MST
Where: Little Colorado River Valley in Apache County forecast zone
Measured: 59 kt (68 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 35.396, -109.489 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A strong Pacific cold front moved across northern Arizona on April 4 with very strong wind. The strongest wind was in the eastern Little Colorado River Valley. St Johns airport had a wind gust to 59 MPH. The Petrified Forest National Park reported sustained wind between 40 and 50 MPH with a peak wind gust of 68 MPH. Blowing dust reduced the visibility to near zero at the park.

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 2005 Every state in 2005 This day in weather history Warnings in Arizona, April 2005

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: 5443509.