A cold front with strong to very strong winds moved across northern Arizona. The strongest winds were observed over the White Mountains, the Little Colorado River Valley, the Hopi Nation and the Navajo Nation.
Every event with a place to put it; 14 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 cold front with strong to very strong winds moved across northern Arizona. The strongest winds were observed over the White Mountains, the Little Colorado River Valley, the Hopi Nation and the Navajo Nation. The winds frequently gusted into the 50 MPH range and a few gusts into the 60 MPH range were observed. Several locations reported near zero visibility in 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 Apr 14, 8:15 PM MST, 7 hours 45 minutes earlier.
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</html>The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
9 high wind, 5 dust storm. Local standard time, as filed.
The wind gusts in the Chinle Valley were estimated at 59 MPH.
The wind gusts were estimated to near 60 MPH across the Little Colorado River Valley in Coconino County based on nearby ASOS and reports of significant blowing dust.
Wind gusts as high as 63 MPH were recorded at the Winslow Airport. Significant blowing dust was also reported.
The visibility down to one mile in blowing dust was common across the Chinle Valley. The visibility dropped down to as low as 4 feet in the community of Many Farms early in the day (840 AM). Drivers were waiting for the dust to clear along side roads.
The Show Low Airport reported peak wind gusts up to 72 MPH.
The Show Low Airport reported peak wind gusts just over 70 MPH.
Spotters in Cameron reported one mile visibility in blowing dust. Police in Tuba City reported less than one mile visibility in blown dust. Interstate 40 was closed from around 1000 AM to 400 PM MST from near Meteor Crater to just west of Winslow due to the strong winds and blowing dust.
The Flagstaff Airport recorded peak wind gusts to 58 MPH.
The peak wind gusts were estimated to be between 60 and 65 MPH based on nearby Mesonet sites.
A spotter near the Apache/Navajo County line about 10 miles south of the Petrified Forest National Park reported zero visibility in blowing dust.
A spotter near the Apache/Navajo County line about 10 miles south of the Petrified Forest National Park reported zero visibility in blowing dust.
The Window Rock ASOS reported a peak wind gusts to 59 MPH. Blowing dust reduced the visibility to less than one mile. A restaurant sign blew off its pedestal in Window Rock, crushed an SUV, and injured a couple who had stopped for lunch. One person, in critical condition, was taken to a local health service center then transported to Phoenix once the winds died down and it was safe to fly.
Police in Dilkon reported visibility between 50 yards and 1/2 mile in blowing dust.
The St Johns Airport reported a peak wind gust of 59 MPH.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arizona in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Arizona, April 2009
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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 158436, 158497, 158499, 158443, 158502, 158503, 158464, 158501, 158504, 158472, 158476, 158496, 158479, 158500.