Winter Weather in Arizona, February 20 to 21, 2008

Name: Winter Weather in Arizona, February 20 to 21, 2008
Start: 2008-02-20T16:00
End: 2008-02-21T01:00
Location: Arizona

February 20 to 21, 2008 · NWS FGZ · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A quick moving storm caused traffic problems across the Western Mogollon Rim.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

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 happened

The episode as NWS FGZ wrote it up.

A quick moving storm caused traffic problems across the Western Mogollon Rim.

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 Feb 20, 3:45 PM MST, 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 20, 3:45 PM MST, 15 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 20, 2:28 PM MST, 1 hour 32 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ
228 PM MST WED FEB 20 2008

AZZ004>018-037>040-210700-
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-
228 PM MST WED FEB 20 2008

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST CENTRAL
ARIZONA...NORTH CENTRAL ARIZONA...NORTHEAST ARIZONA AND WEST
CENTRAL ARIZONA.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT

A SNOW ADVISORY REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR THE KAIBAB PLATEAU FROM
THIS AFTERNOON UNTIL THURSDAY MORNING FOR ELEVATIONS ABOVE
7000 FEET.

A SERIES OF PACIFIC STORM SYSTEMS WILL AFFECT NORTHERN ARIZONA FOR
THE NEXT 3 DAYS. THE FIRST STORM HAS THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE 2 TO 4
INCHES OF SNOWFALL OVERNIGHT ABOVE 6500 FEET WITH LOCALLY HIGHER
AMOUNTS IN THE STRONGEST SNOW BANDS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO ARRIVE ON FRIDAY. THE LOW
CENTER AND BEST DYNAMICS WITH THIS STORM ARE FORECAST TO BE NORTH
OF THE STATE. THE CURRENT FORECAST CALLS FOR AROUND 1 TO 3 INCHES
OF SNOWFALL ABOVE 6500 FEET WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS IN SOME
FAVORED HIGH TERRAIN AREAS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

RB

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Western Mogollon Rim

When: February 20, 4:00 PM MST to February 21, 1:00 AM MST
Where: Western Mogollon Rim forecast zone
Reported by: Newspaper
Coordinates: 35.839, -111.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A quick moving winter storm dropped just over seven (7.2) inches in the Flagstaff area Wednesday afternoon into early Thursday morning. Arizona DPS responded to 11 minor traffic accidents and 42 vehicle slid-offs. The City of Flagstaff Police Department responded to 19 non-injury accidents.

What these are

Winter Weather: Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Arizona in 2008 Every state in 2008 This day in weather history Warnings in Arizona, February 2008

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 111405.