Strong southwest winds developed ahead of a strong cold front moving across Arizona. The strongest winds were 10 to 50 miles east of Flagstaff.
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.
Strong southwest winds developed ahead of a strong cold front moving across Arizona. The strongest winds were 10 to 50 miles east of Flagstaff. The strongest reported gust was 58 MPH at Two Guns. The strong winds also caused areas of blowing dust and sand.
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 13, 3:30 AM MST, 4 hours 10 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ 330 AM MST SAT DEC 13 2008 .SYNOPSIS...VERY WINDY CONDITIONS WILL AFFECT NORTHERN ARIZONA TODAY...IN ADVANCE OF A STRONG COLD FRONT APPROACHING THE REGION. BY TONIGHT...WE CAN EXPECT THE STRONG WINDS TO BE JOINED BY WIDESPREAD RAIN AND SNOW. FROM SUNDAY THROUGH MUCH OF THE COMING WEEK...A PATTERN OF WINTRY WEATHER WILL COVER NORTHERN ARIZONA WITH BELOW NORMAL DAYTIME TEMPERATURES...AND PERIODS OF RAIN AND SNOW. && .DISCUSSION...WE ARE ENTERING INTO A SIGNIFICANT SHIFT IN THE WEATHER OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS THAT WILL PERSIST FOR MUCH OF THE COMING WEEK. FIRST...WINDY AND COOLER CONDITIONS WILL DEVELOP TODAY...AHEAD OF A VERY STRONG TROUGH MOVING INTO REGION. A WIND ADVISORY WILL CONTINUE FOR MOST OF NORTHERN ARIZONA TODAY FOR SUSTAINED WINDS IN EXCESS OF 30 MPH AND GUSTS REACHING 45 TO 55 MPH IN MANY LOCATIONS. ISOLATED GUSTS MAY EVEN EXCEED 55 MPH AT TIMES. AS THE TROUGH WORKS ITS WAY ACROSS THE STATE TONIGHT...WIDESPREAD RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS WILL OCCUR. SNOWFALL AMOUNTS FOR THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF THE MOGOLLON RIM...GRAND CANYON...AND KAIBAB PLATEAU APPEAR MOST LIKELY TO BE IN THE 2 TO 5 INCH RANGE FOR THE OVERNIGHT HOURS WITH FURTHER LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS ON SUNDAY. A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY MAY BECOME NECESSARY IF MORE SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATIONS LATER SEEM LIKELY. IF CURRENT EXTENDED MODELS PROVE TRUE...EVEN MORE SUBSTANTIAL SNOW TOTALS ARE LIKELY BETWEEN MONDAY AND WEDNESDAY AS A VERY COLD LOW PRESSURE CENTER FROM THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST DIGS SOUTHWARD TOWARD THE DESERT SOUTHWEST. THE POTENTIAL FOR ACCUMULATING SNOW WITH THIS FEATURE COULD VERY WELL TAKE PLACE FOR ELEVATIONS AS LOW AS 3500 FEET. CONTINUE TO MONITOR FUTURE FORECASTS AS SPECIFIC PRECIP AMOUNTS BECOME MORE CERTAIN AND FOR THE EVENT THAT ANY WINTER WEATHER PRODUCTS MAY BE ISSUED. && .AVIATION...FOR THE 12Z PACKAGE...EXPECT INCREASING WEST-SOUTHWEST WINDS TODAY. SFC WINDS WILL REACH 25-35KTS WITH GUSTS TO 50KTS BY 16Z-18Z...LASTING THROUGH 05Z-07Z SUNDAY. LOW CLOUDS WILL DEVELOP OVER HIGHER TERRAIN BY 20Z-22Z BY CIGS AOB 2-3KFT AGL. EXPECT SCT TO NMRS -SHRA/-SHSN NORTH OF KFLG BY 22Z-24Z...SPREADING SOUTHEAST AFTER 01Z-03Z SUNDAY. CONDITIONS BY TONIGHT WILL BE POOR AT BEST...EXPECT WDSPRD IFR/LIFR. AVIATION DISCUSSION NOT UPDATED FOR AMENDMENTS. && .FGZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...WIND ADVISORY FOR ARIZONA ZONES AZZ004>018-038>040 FROM 10 AM TODAY UNTIL 4 AM MST SUNDAY. && PUBLIC.........KD AVIATION.......PETERSON VISIT WEATHER.GOV/FLAGSTAFF FOR NORTHERN ARIZONA WEATHER INFORMATION.
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ 610 AM MST SAT DEC 13 2008 AZZ004>018-037>040-141100- 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- 610 AM MST SAT DEC 13 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR APACHE...COCONINO...NORTHERN GILA...NAVAJO...AND YAVAPAI COUNTIES IN NORTHERN ARIZONA. .DAY ONE...TODAY A CHANGE IN THE WEATHER PATTERN WILL BRING WINTRY WEATHER TO NORTHERN ARIZONA FOR TODAY AND THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. AN APPROACHING STRONG COLD FRONT WILL LEAD TO SOUTHWEST WINDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS FROM 45 TO 55 MPH MUCH OF TODAY AND TONIGHT. IN RESPONSE TO THESE EXPECTED CONDITIONS...A WIND ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR MOST OF NORTHERN ARIZONA UNTIL 4 AM MST EARLY SUNDAY MORNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY AS A COLD FRONT MOVES ACROSS THE STATE TONIGHT...WIDESPREAD RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS ARE ANTICIPATED TO DEVELOP. AT THIS TIME...SNOW AMOUNTS IN THE 2 TO 5 INCH RANGE BY EARLY SUNDAY APPEAR MOST LIKELY FOR LOCATIONS ABOVE 6500 FEET...WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS. LIGHT ACCUMULATING SNOW IS POSSIBLE AS LOW AS 4500 FEET WITH THIS STORM. PERSISTENT GUSTY WINDS WILL ALSO ACCOMPANY THE SNOW...CAUSING AREAS OF POOR VISIBILITY. A CONTINUED CHANCE FOR PRECIPITATION WILL AFFECT THE NORTHLAND FOR MUCH OF THE COMING WEEK...ESPECIALLY FROM MONDAY INTO WEDNESDAY AS A LOW PRESSURE CENTER DIGS SOUTHWARD FROM THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. DURING THIS TIME FRAME...SNOW LEVELS SHOULD BE LOW ENOUGH FOR SNOWFALL FOR ALL AREAS ALONG AND NORTH OF THE MOGOLLON RIM...AND FOR AREAS IN THE 3500 TO 4500 FOOT RANGE IN YAVAPAI AND NORTHERN GILA COUNTY. WHILE SPECIFIC SNOW AMOUNTS ARE UNCERTAIN AT THIS TIME...TOTAL NEW SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS DURING THE MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY PERIOD COULD CERTAINLY EXCEED WELL OVER A FOOT FOR SEVERAL LOCATIONS ABOVE 6000 FEET. CONTINUE TO MONITOR FUTURE FORECASTS AS PRECIPITATION TOTALS AND THEIR LOCATIONS BECOME MORE RELIABLE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 high wind, 1 dust storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Blowing dust was reported between Antelope Hills/Grey Mountain and Cameron along Highway 89. The visibility was reduced to less than a 100 yards in blowing sand along Leupp Road between Flagstaff and Leupp.
High winds caused blowing dust and sand.
Strong winds were reported on the northern edge of the Mogollon Rim between Flagstaff and Winslow. Two Guns reported wind gusts to 68 MPH and Meteor Crater reported wind gusts to 65 MPH.
A peak wind gust of 60 MPH was reported at the Winslow Airprt.
Wupatki National Monument reported a peak wind gust of 61 MPH. A highway sign was blown over along I-40 at the Winona Exit.
Estimated wind gusts to 58 MPH occurred over the northeast plateaus south of Highway 264.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arizona in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Arizona, December 2008
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: 140654, 148531, 140647, 140667, 140665, 148535.