A strong and cold Pacific storm brought significant winds and snow to northern Arizona on February 3rd and 4th. The snow level was at or above 4500 feet during most of the storm system.
Every event with a place to put it; 17 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 and cold Pacific storm brought significant winds and snow to northern Arizona on February 3rd and 4th. The snow level was at or above 4500 feet during most of the storm system. Ten to thirty inches of snow fell above 6000 feet. Snow also fell down to elevations that usually do not see much snow. Most areas across northern Arizona had windy conditions. The Little Colorado River Valley experienced winds in excesses of 50 MPH.
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 2, 8:30 PM MST, 3 hours 30 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ 830 PM MST SAT FEB 2 2008 .SYNOPSIS...A STRONG PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM WILL MOVE ACROSS NORTHERN ARIZONA SUNDAY AND MONDAY. THIS STORM IS EXPECTED TO BRING HEAVY SNOW AND STRONG WINDS TO MUCH OF NORTHERN ARIZONA...ESPECIALLY FROM SUNDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH MONDAY MORNING. FAIR BUT COLD WEATHER WILL RETURN BY TUESDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE BEGINS TO BUILD OVER ARIZONA. DRY CONDITIONS AND NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES ARE THEN EXPECTED FOR THE REMAINDER OF NEXT WEEK. && .DISCUSSION...A FAST MOVING WEATHER DISTURBANCE WAS HEADING TO THE EAST THIS EVENING WITH A SLIGHT CHANCE OF RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS CONTINUING FROM WINSLOW EASTWARD UNTIL AROUND MIDNIGHT. A MUCH STRONGER STORM SYSTEM WILL IMPACT NORTHERN ARIZONA ON SUNDAY AND MONDAY. A BROAD COLD TROUGH IS LOCATED ACROSS THE WESTERN UNITED STATES. ON SUNDAY...A SHORT-WAVE MOVING THROUGH THE LARGE-SCALE TROUGH WILL BRING STRONG SYNOPTICALLY FORCED UPWARD MOTION...30 TO 40 MPH UPSLOPE FLOW AND A SATURATED MOIST LAYER EXTENDING UPWARD TO -25 DEGREES CELSIUS FOR EXCELLENT SNOW/PRECIPITATION MICROPHYSICS. CONSEQUENTLY...A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL AREAS OF NORTHERN ARIZONA FOR SUNDAY AND MONDAY. SNOW LEVELS WILL HOVER AROUND 5500 FEET THROUGH SUNDAY AFTERNOON BUT LOWER TO AROUND THE 3000 FOOT LEVEL BY MONDAY MORNING. SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN OVER NORTHWEST ARIZONA EARLY SUNDAY SPREADING EASTWARD DURING THE DAY. THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED TO OCCUR FROM THE LATE AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY MONDAY MORNING IN THE WEST...AND FROM SUNDAY EVENING UNTIL MIDDAY MONDAY IN THE EAST. EXPECT SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 4 INCHES BETWEEN 4000 AND 5000 FEET...6 TO 12 INCHES BETWEEN 5000 AND 7000 FEET...AND 12 TO 24 INCHES ABOVE THE 7000 FOOT LEVEL. FOR TUESDAY AND BEYOND...SNOW SHOWERS WILL LINGER INTO EARLY TUESDAY BEFORE HIGH PRESSURE BEGINS TO BUILD ACROSS ARIZONA. FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK NORTHERN ARIZONA WILL REMAIN DRY WITH TEMPERATURES WARMING TO NEAR NORMAL. MCCOLLUM && .AVIATION...FOR THE 06Z PACKAGE...THROUGH 12Z SUN...AREAL COVERAGE OF MVFR CIGS WILL INCREASE OVER NORTHERN ARIZONA WITH WIDELY SCT -SHRA/SHSN NORTH OF KIGM-KFLG-KGUP LINE DUE TO THE APPROACH OF A STRONG STORM SYSTEM. AFTER 12Z...THE STRONG AND MOIST STORM WILL BRING WIDESPREAD MVFR AND IFR CONDITIONS WITH RAIN AND SNOW STARTING IN WESTERN ARIZONA AND SPREADING EASTWARD DURING THE MORNING. SNOW LEVELS WILL HOVER AROUND 5500 FEET DURING THE DAY SUNDAY BUT RAPIDLY LOWER TO 3000 FEET ACROSS THE AREA SUNDAY NIGHT. ADDITIONALLY AFTER 14Z...WIDESPREAD SOUTHWEST SURFACE WINDS AT 20 TO 30 KT WITH HIGHER GUSTS WILL DEVELOP. AVIATION DISCUSSION NOT UPDATED FOR AMENDMENTS. MCCOLLUM && .FGZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...WINTER STORM WARNING FROM SUNDAY MORNING THROUGH MONDAY AFTERNOON FOR AZZ004>018-037>040. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ 400 PM MST SAT FEB 2 2008 AZZ004>018-037>040-030700- 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- 400 PM MST SAT FEB 2 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR APACHE...COCONINO...NORTHERN GILA...NAVAJO...AND YAVAPAI COUNTIES IN NORTHERN ARIZONA. .DAY ONE...TODAY NO WEATHER HAZARDS ARE EXPECTED TODAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY A WINTER STORM WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR NORTHERN ARIZONA FOR SUNDAY AND MONDAY. A STRONG PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM WILL MOVE ACROSS ARIZONA SUNDAY AND MONDAY BRINGING WIDESPREAD MODERATE RAIN AND SNOW TO THE REGION. SNOW WILL BEGIN SUNDAY MORNING IN THE WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE STATE SPREADING EASTWARD DURING THE AFTERNOON. THIS STORM HAS THE POTENTIAL OF PRODUCING SNOWFALL AMOUNTS OF A FEW INCHES ABOVE 4000 FEET...6 TO 12 INCHES ABOVE 5000 FEET...AND 12 TO 24 INCHES ABOVE 7000 FEET. STRONG WINDS OF 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS TO NEAR 40 MPH WILL ACCOMPANY THIS STORM...AND WILL RESULT IN BLOWING AND DRIFTING OF SNOW. PERSONS IN THE WARNING AREA SHOULD MONITOR THIS WINTER STORM EVENT BY VISITING OUR WEB SITE AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/FLAGSTAFF FOR UPDATES.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
13 heavy snow, 4 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
St Michaels received as much as 10 inches of snow.
The North Rim of the Grand Canyon received 12 inches of new snow.
Eight inches of new snow fell at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
As much as 6 inches of snow fell in Prescott.
Snowfall amounts across the Western Mogollon Rim include: Bellemont 10 inches, Flagstaff 10 TO 14 inches, Hart Prairie 19 inches, Mormon Lake 18 to 22 inches, Munds Park 11 to 14 inches, Sunset Crater 15 inches, and Parks 12 inches.
Snowfall amounts include: Clints Well 27 inches, Forest Lakes 24 inches, and Heber 15 to 18 inches.
Snowfall amounts include: two miles north of McNary 13 inches, Nutrioso 6 to 8 inches, Pinetop/Lakeside 16 to 18 inches, Show Low 18 inches, and White River 5 inches.
Snowfall amounts include: Payson 6 to 8 inches, Star Valley 10 inches, Strawberry 12 inches, and Cedar Creek 2 to 3 inches. Highway 87 was closed because of slippery conditions for close to nine hours from the night of the 4nd to the morning of the 5th.
Snowfall amounts include: Taylor 8 inches, Winslow 5 inches, and Holbrook 6 to 7 inches.
Petrified Forest National Park received 9 inches of new snow.
Navajo National Monument received 11 inches of snow and Rough Rock received 4 inches of snow.
Kayenta received 5 inches of snow and Chinle received 3 inches of snow.
Snowfall amounts include: Springerville 8 inches and Concho 4 inches.
The Winslow Airport reported wind gusts to 60 MPH.
The St. Johns Airport reported wind gusts to 60 MPH.
Strong winds, with estimated gusts to 60 MPH blew across the area during the late afternoon.
Strong winds blew across the Little Colorado River Valley with estimated gusts to 60 MPH.
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, February 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: 111392, 111386, 111387, 111390, 84646, 84649, 84651, 84653, 84655, 84656, 84659, 84660, 84654, 87676, 87677, 87678, 87675.