1 dust storm, as filed by the National Weather Service.
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 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 Phoenix, AZ wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 13, 2:40 PM MST, 23 hours 20 minutes earlier.
AZZ020>028-CAZ030>033-140600-
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
240 PM MST THU APR 13 2006
SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA...AND SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA
FORECAST DISCUSSION
.SYNOPSIS...
HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE REGION IS FORECAST TO WEAKEN TONIGHT...AS A
STRONG PACIFIC LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM AND COLD FRONT APPROACH. THE
COLD FRONT WILL MOVE WEST TO EAST ACROSS SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA AND
ARIZONA FRIDAY...LEADING TO VERY WINDY WEATHER...AREAS OF BLOWING
SAND AND DUST...AND A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS. DRY WESTERLY FLOW
WILL MOVE INTO THE REGION THIS WEEKEND AND EARLY NEXT WEEK...
RESULTING IN SUNNY SKIES AND COOLER TEMPERATURES.
&&
.SHORT TERM...
TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY...
ALL MODELS ARE STILL CONSISTENT IN MOVING THE OFFSHORE SOUTHERN CA
LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM INTO AZ FRIDAY AFTERNOON. AS MENTIONED IN
EARLIER DISCUSSIONS AND FORECASTS...THE MOST SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
WILL BE WIND. A STRONG COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO MOVE THROUGH
SOUTHEAST CA/COLORADO RIVER VALLEY DURING THE MID MORNING HOURS
FRIDAY...THEN EAST ACROSS THE GREATER PHOENIX AREA DURING THE LATE
AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING HOURS. WE HAVE DECIDED TO ISSUE A WIND
ADVISORY FOR THE ENTIRE FORECAST AREA FOR FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND
EVENING. GUSTS TO 50 MPH ARE POSSIBLE IN THE WIND FAVORED AREAS OF
SOUTHEAST CA AND THE COLORADO RIVER (ESPECIALLY NEAR BLYTHE AND
PARKER)...AND NEAR 45 MPH POSSIBLE IN PHOENIX.
A PLUME OF SUBTROPICAL MOISTURE WILL ALSO MOVE INTO THE FORECAST
AREA AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT. MODELED SOUNDINGS INDICATE THERE IS
STILL A THREAT FOR SPRINKLES OR LIGHT SHOWERS WITH THE SYSTEM.
THE UPPER TROF IS EXPECTED TO MOVE QUICKLY EASTWARD FRIDAY NIGHT
WITH LESS WIND AND COOLER TEMPERATURES THIS WEEKEND.
&&
.LONG TERM...
SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY...
GOOD MODEL AGREEMENT ON THE IDEA OF AN ACTIVE PATTERN FOR THE
WESTERN STATES DURING THE EXTENDED. HOWEVER...THE SYSTEMS ARE
PROGGED TO STAY FAR ENOUGH NORTH AND/OR BE WEAK ENOUGH FOR OUR AREA
THAT WE SHOULD HOLD OFF ON MENTIONING ANY PRECIP CHANCES. THE 00Z
AND 12Z GFS BRINGS A SYSTEM THROUGH CENTRAL AND NORTHERN
CALIFORNIA...THE GREAT BASIN AND NORTHERN ARIZONA DURING THE SUNDAY
NIGHT AND MONDAY TIMEFRAME. THE 12Z RUN WAS A BIT FASTER THAN THE
00Z RUN. THE 00Z BASED GFS ENSEMBLE MEAN SUPPORTS THIS AND IN FACT
IS SLIGHTLY DEEPER THAN THE 00Z OPERATIONAL RUN. THE ECMWF AND UKMET
AGREE WELL WITH THE GFS. THE GFS THEN DEVELOPS A TRAILING SYSTEM IN
THE SOUTHERN BRANCH FLOW ABOUT 48 HOURS BEHIND THE FIRST TROUGH.
EVEN THOUGH THIS ONE TRACKS FURTHER SOUTH...IT IS SMALLER AND HAS
WEAKER GRADIENTS. THE 12Z GFS IS WEAKER WITH IT THAN THE 00Z RUN.
THE ECWMF IS EVEN WEAKER WITH IT AND HEIGHTS ARE ACTUALLY HIGHER ON
THURSDAY AS A RESULT. TAKING A BLEND OF THE SOLUTIONS AND MOS
OUTPUT...MONDAY TEMPS DROP A BIT FROM SUNDAY THEN POP BACK UP
TUESDAY WITH ONLY VERY SLIGHT WARMING WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. WITH
THE PASSAGE OF THE SYSTEM ON MONDAY...THERE WILL BE SOME ENHANCED
BREEZINESS.
&&
.FIRE WEATHER...
A RED FLAG WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH-CENTRAL
ARIZONA FROM 12 NOON UNTIL 8 PM MST FRIDAY. THE FIRE WEATHER WATCH
FOR SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND EARLY
FRIDAY EVENING HAS BEEN UPGRADED TO A RED FLAG WARNING. WIND SHOULD
EASILY EXCEED RED FLAG WARNING THRESHOLDS FRIDAY AFTERNOON...WITH
HUMIDITY FALLING TO LESS THAN 15 PERCENT. LATEST OBSERVED FIRE
DANGER CHARTS INDICATE ALL OF OUR AREA IS IN EITHER HIGH OR VERY
HIGH FIRE DANGER. SO...ALL THREE CRITERIA ARE EXPECTED TO BE MET FOR
SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA...AND PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST ARIZONA. FARTHER
WEST...STILL LOOKS AS IF A MODEST AMOUNT OF SURFACE MOISTURE WILL
KEEP HUMIDITY ABOVE 15 PERCENT OR SO BY FRIDAY AFTERNOON. THUS...THE
RED FLAG WARNING IS EAST OF THE COLORADO RIVER.
&&
.AVIATION...
00Z TAFS...TAFS ADEQUATELY DEPICT EXPECTED WEATHER. SEE TAFS
PHXTAFPHX...PHXTAFIWA...PHXTAFYUM...LAXTAFBLH AND LAXTAFIPL FOR MORE
DETAILED INFORMATION.
AVIATION DISCUSSION NOT UPDATED FOR AMENDED TAFS.
&&
.PSR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AZ...RED FLAG WARNING FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES 132 AND 133...YUMA AND
LA PAZ COUNTIES EAST OF THE LOWER COLORADO RIVER VALLEY...AS
WELL AS MARICOPA...NORTHWEST AND NORTH-CENTRAL PINAL...AND
SOUTHERN GILA COUNTIES FROM 12 NOON TO 8 PM MST FRIDAY.
WIND ADVISORY FOR LA PAZ AND YUMA COUNTIES INCLUDING THE
YUMA AREA FROM 10 AM UNTIL 9 PM MST FRIDAY...ZONES 20...21...
25 AND 26.
WIND ADVISORY FOR MARICOPA...NORTHWEST AND NORTH-CENTRAL
PINAL AND SOUTHERN GILA COUNTIES...INCLUDING THE GREATER
PHOENIX AREA FROM 2 PM UNTIL 9 PM MST FRIDAY...ZONES 22...
23...24...27...AND 28.
CA...WIND ADVISORY FOR IMPERIAL AND EASTERN RIVERSIDE COUNTIES...
AND JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK...INCLUDING THE EL CENTRO/
IMPERIAL AREA FROM 10 AM UNTIL 9 PM MST FRIDAY...ZONES 30...
31...32...AND 33.
&&
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX IS ON THE INTERNET AT
WEATHER.GOV/PHOENIX
VASQUEZ/17/ELLIS1 dust storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Strong winds, estimated at over 45 mph, resulted in very low visibility with dense blowing dust and blowing sand. One spotter reported only 1/4 mile visibility along I-8 near Gila Bend.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arizona in 2006Every state in 2006This day in weather historyWarnings in Arizona, April 2006
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: 5503711.