A strong area of low pressure from the Pacific Northwest brought heavy rain, very windy conditions, and high elevation snow on Friday December 7th through Saturday December 8th. The next portion of the storm system began to move across the state on late Sunday December 9th and lasted through Tuesday December 11th.
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.
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.
A strong area of low pressure from the Pacific Northwest brought heavy rain, very windy conditions, and high elevation snow on Friday December 7th through Saturday December 8th. The next portion of the storm system began to move across the state on late Sunday December 9th and lasted through Tuesday December 11th. This brought heavy snow to many areas along and north of the Mogollon Rim and the White Mountains.
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 Dec 7, 3:30 AM MST, 3 hours 30 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ 330 AM MST FRI DEC 07 2007 .SYNOPSIS...A STRONG PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM WILL BEGIN TO MOVE ACROSS ARIZONA TODAY AND WILL BRING WIDESPREAD RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS... BREEZY TO WINDY CONDITIONS...AND MUCH COLDER TEMPERATURES THROUGH THE WEEKEND. THE MOGOLLON RIM AND ADJACENT LITTLE COLORADO RIVER VALLEY WILL SEE AREAS OF STRONG WINDS TODAY AND THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF THE KAIBAB PLATEAU SHOULD EXPERIENCE LOCALLY HEAVY SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW. THE WHITE MOUNTAINS WILL BE THE FOCUS FOR HEAVY SNOW TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING. && .DISCUSSION...CLOUDS CONTINUE TO INCREASE AND LOWER OVER NORTHERN ARIZONA THIS MORNING AS STORM SYSTEM CENTERED OVER CENTRAL CALIFORNIA MOVES TOWARD THE STATE. RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS HAVE ALREADY STARTED OVER THE KAIBAB PLATEAU THIS MORNING. THIS STORM SYSTEM WILL BRING UNSETTLED WEATHER TO ARIZONA INTO THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. SNOW LEVELS WILL REMAIN RELATIVELY HIGH THROUGH TODAY... WITH THE MAIN THREAT FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL ACCUMULATION LIMITED TO ELEVATIONS ABOVE 7000 FEET ACROSS THE KAIBAB PLATEAU AND ABOVE 8000 FEET ELSEWHERE. A SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE KAIBAB PLATEAU THROUGH 3AM MST SATURDAY. THIS STORM WILL ALSO BRING STRONG WINDS WITH A WIDE AREA OF NORTHERN ARIZONA. SOME AREAS ARE ALREADY EXPERIENCING SOUTHWEST WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 40 MPH THIS MORNING. LOCATIONS SUCH AS DONEY PARK AND HIGHWAY 89 NORTH OF DONEY PARK WILL CONTINUE TO SEE GUSTS OF AROUND 55 MPH AS WIND IS FUNNELED OVER AND AROUND THE SAN FRANCISCO PEAKS. AS A RESULT...A WIND ADVISORY IS CURRENTLY IN EFFECT ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTHERN ARIZONA. ELSEWHERE...SNOW IMPACTS WILL BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD TONIGHT AS COLDER AIR AND LOWER SNOW LEVELS MOVE INTO PLACE. RAIN WILL CHANGE OVER TO SNOW BY LATE THIS EVENING FOR FLAGSTAFF...AND THEN SATURDAY FOR MOST AREAS ABOVE 4500 FEET. THE FIRST SHORT WAVE WILL MOVE EAST OF THE STATE BY SATURDAY AFTERNOON WITH WEAK UPWARD MOTION IN ITS WAKE. ONLY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND FLURRIES ARE EXPECTED SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAY AFTERNOON. THE SECOND SHORTWAVE IS EXPECTED TO DROP DOWN TO THE NORTHERN SEA OF CORTEZ BY SUNDAY NIGHT. THIS WILL INCREASE PRECIPITATION AGAIN OVER ARIZONA SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY. SNOW LEVELS WITH THIS SECOND WAVE ARE EXPECTED TO BE BETWEEN 3500 AND 4000 FEET. THE LAST IN THIS SERIES OF SHORT WAVES LOOKS LIKE IT WILL MOVE ACROSS ARIZONA ON TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY TO GIVE US ANOTHER SHOT OF RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS. THE SNOW LEVEL LOOKS TO REMAIN LOW. WEAK RIDGING TAKES PLACE AT THE END OF THE FORECAST PERIOD (THURSDAY AND FRIDAY). && AVIATION...FOR THE 12Z PACKAGE...A VIGOROUS PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM WILL MOVE ACROSS ARIZONA TODAY AND TONIGHT. SOUTHWEST WINDS OF 15 TO 25 KT WITH GUSTS OF 35-45 KT WILL CONTINUE OVER NORTHERN ARIZONA THROUGH 02Z...THEN GRADUALLY DECREASE TONIGHT. A BAND OF RAIN AND HIGH ELEVATION SNOW ENTERING NW AZ AT 10Z WILL SPREAD SOUTHEASTWARD TODAY AS THE STORM SYSTEM MOVES INTO ARIZONA. EXPECT WIDESPREAD MVFR AND IFR CONDITIONS WITH TERRAIN OBSCURATIONS IN PRECIPITATION TODAY. THE HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION WILL BE SPREADING INTO EAST CENTRAL AZ LATE FRIDAY NIGHT. AVIATION DISCUSSION NOT UPDATED FOR AMENDMENTS. && .FGZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... 1)SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY UNTIL 3 AM SATURDAY FOR ZONE 004. 2)WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM FRIDAY FOR ZONES 012 THROUGH 017. 3)SNOW ADVISORY FROM MIDNIGHT TO NOON ON SATURDAY FOR ZONE 017. && MAS/JJ
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ 355 PM MST THU DEC 6 2007 AZZ004>018-037>040-071400- KAIBAB PLATEAU-MARBLE AND GLEN CANYONS-GRAND CANYON COUNTRY- COCONINO PLATEAU-YAVAPAI COUNTY MOUNTAINS- NORTHEAST PLATEAUS AND MESAS HWY 264 NORTHWARD-CHINLE VALLEY- CHUSKA MOUNTAINS AND DEFIANCE PLATEAU- LITTLE COLORADO RIVER VALLEY IN COCONINO COUNTY- LITTLE COLORADO RIVER VALLEY IN NAVAJO COUNTY- LITTLE COLORADO RIVER VALLEY IN APACHE COUNTY- WESTERN MOGOLLON RIM-EASTERN MOGOLLON RIM-WHITE MOUNTAINS- NORTHERN GILA COUNTY-YAVAPAI COUNTY VALLEYS AND BASINS- OAK CREEK AND SYCAMORE CANYONS-BLACK MESA AREA- NORTHEAST PLATEAUS AND MESAS SOUTH OF HWY 264- 355 PM MST THU DEC 6 2007 ...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM THIS EVENING UNTIL 6 PM MST FRIDAY FOR THE MOGOLLON RIM...WHITE MOUNTAINS...AND LITTLE COLORADO RIVER VALLEY... ...SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH LATE FRIDAY NIGHT FOR THE KAIBAB PLATEAU... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST CENTRAL ARIZONA...NORTH CENTRAL ARIZONA...NORTHEAST ARIZONA AND WEST CENTRAL ARIZONA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A STRONG STORM SYSTEM IS POISED TO STRIKE NORTHERN ARIZONA BEGINNING LATER TONIGHT...AND CONTINUING THROUGH THE WEEKEND. THE FIRST IMPACT WILL BE WINDY CONDITIONS THIS EVENING AND INTO FRIDAY. THE WIND IS EXPECTED TO BE THE STRONGEST ALONG AND DOWNWIND OF THE MOGOLLON RIM...INCLUDING THE LITTLE COLORADO RIVER VALLEY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY THIS STORM WILL LIKELY BRING SIGNIFICANT RAIN AND SNOW TO MUCH OF THE FORECAST AREA. THIS SYSTEM CONTINUES TO EVOLVE...AND DETAILS CAN CERTAINLY CHANGE. AT THIS TIME...THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE FOR ANOTHER 1/2 INCH TO 1 1/2 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE NORTHLAND BY THE END OF THE WEEKEND. INITIALLY...THE KAIBAB PLATEAU WILL BE THE FOCUS FOR THE HEAVIEST SNOW ABOVE 7000 FEET LATE TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT...WITH SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATIONS POSSIBLE. FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS...SEE THE CURRENT SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY. ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAINFALL COULD LEAD TO THE POTENTIAL FOR LOCALIZED FLOODING FROM THE MOGOLLON RIM SOUTHWARD...INCLUDING YAVAPAI COUNTY...AS THE GROUND REMAINS SATURATED FROM THE LAST STORM. SNOWFALL ABOVE THE 7000 FOOT LEVEL LATE FRIDAY NIGHT COULD CAUSE POOR TRAVEL CONDITIONS ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL ARIZONA...WITH SNOW LEVELS FALLING TO 4000 TO 5000 FEET BY THE WEEKEND. STAYED TUNED FOR FURTHER UPDATES CONCERNING THIS APPROACHING STORM.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 heavy rain, 3 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy rain caused the East Verde River to rise. A Payson man was rescued after he tried to cross the River. His four wheel drive SUV was washed about 50 yards downstream where it was stopped by some boulders.
Heavy rain fell across southern Navajo County from December 7th though the 11th. The snow level gradually lowered with the first part of the storm. The second half of the storm brought rapidly lowering snow levels.
Heavy rain fell across southern Coconino County from December 7th though the 11th. The snow level gradually lowered with the first part of the storm. The second half of the storm brought rapidly lowering snow levels. Rain and melted snow amounts ranged from around 2 inches in Flagstaff and Sunset Crater to around 4 inches in Munds Park.
Twenty-two inches of snow fell at Forest Lakes. Pinetop received 14 inches of snow.
Seventeen inches of snow fell at the Flagstaff Airport. Twenty-six inches of snow fell near Blue Ridge. Over 200 traffic accidents and slide offs were reported by law enforcement departments. Nine of those involved minor injuries and there was one fatality.
Heavy rain fell across the lower elevations southern Apache County from December 7th through December 11th. About 3.50 inches of rain and melted snow fell just north of McNary.
Heavy snow fell over the White Mountains with 12 inches in McNary, 12 inches in Alpine, and 14 inches at Sunrise Ski Resort.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy Snow, Western Mogollon Rim | 2007-12-07 | 27 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Indirect |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arizona in 2007Every state in 2007This day in weather historyWarnings in Arizona, December 2007
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: 74690, 74459, 74460, 74462, 72596, 74457, 111336.