Heavy Snow and High Wind in Arizona, December 22 to 23, 2009

Name: Heavy Snow and High Wind in Arizona, December 22 to 23, 2009
Start: 2009-12-22T13:00
End: 2009-12-23T02:00
Location: Arizona

December 22 to 23, 2009 · NWS TWC · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

A fast moving trough resulted in strong winds across Southeast Arizona with blowing dust on December 22nd along with heavy snow in the higher elevations of Northern Greenlee County.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $3,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

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 TWC wrote it up.

A fast moving trough resulted in strong winds across Southeast Arizona with blowing dust on December 22nd along with heavy snow in the higher elevations of Northern Greenlee County.

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 Tucson, AZ wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 22, 9:36 AM MST, 3 hours 24 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 22, 9:36 AM MST, 3 hours 24 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 22, 12:19 PM MST, 41 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
1219 PM MST TUE DEC 22 2009

AZZ019-030-231000-
NORTHERN GREENLEE COUNTY-UPPER GILA RIVER VALLEY-
1219 PM MST TUE DEC 22 2009

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST
ARIZONA.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FROM 5 PM TO 6 AM MST ABOVE
7000 FEET WHERE SIGNIFICANT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED AND SUSTAINED
WINDS UPWARDS OF 30 MPH MAY CAUSE BLOWING SNOW AND REDUCED VISIBILITIES.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

RAIN AND MOUNTAIN SNOW SHOWERS WILL DECREASE ON WEDNESDAY. MUCH
COLDER WEDNESDAY THEN DRY BUT REMAINING COOL CHRISTMAS EVE INTO THE
WEEKEND.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.

AZZ029-031>034-231000-
SOUTHEAST PINAL COUNTY-WESTERN PIMA COUNTY-TOHONO OODHAM NATION-
TUCSON METRO/MARANA/GREEN VALLEY-SANTA CRUZ COUNTY-
1219 PM MST TUE DEC 22 2009

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL
ARIZONA AND SOUTHEAST ARIZONA.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT

A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM MST FOR SUSTAINED WINDS
OVER 30 MPH. GUSTS AS HIGH AS 50 MPH MAY ALSO OCCUR. AREAS OF
BLOWING DUST MAY RESULT WHICH COULD SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE
VISIBILITIES FOR MOTORISTS.

AN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM OR TWO MAY DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON INTO
EARLY EVENING...MAINLY TO THE NORTH OF TUCSON.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

DECREASING CLOUDS WITH SKIES BECOMING MOSTLY SUNNY WEDNESDAY
AFTERNOON. HOWEVER...MUCH COLDER WEDNESDAY FOLLOWED BY WIDESPREAD
FREEZING TEMPERATURES WEDNESDAY NIGHT. DRY BUT REMAINING COOL
CHRISTMAS EVE INTO THE WEEKEND.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.

AZZ035-231000-
COCHISE COUNTY-
1219 PM MST TUE DEC 22 2009

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST
ARIZONA.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT

A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 3 AM MST FOR SUSTAINED WINDS
OVER 30 MPH. GUSTS AS HIGH AS 55 MPH MAY ALSO OCCUR. AREAS OF
BLOWING DUST MAY RESULT WHICH COULD SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE
VISIBILITIES FOR MOTORISTS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

DECREASING CLOUDS WITH SKIES BECOMING MOSTLY SUNNY WEDNESDAY
AFTERNOON. HOWEVER...MUCH COLDER WEDNESDAY FOLLOWED BY WIDESPREAD
FREEZING TEMPERATURES WEDNESDAY NIGHT. DRY BUT REMAINING COOL
CHRISTMAS EVE INTO THE WEEKEND.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.

KD

WEATHER.GOV/TUCSON

Event by event

1 heavy snow, 1 high wind, 1 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Northern Greenlee

When: December 22, 1:00 PM MST to December 23, 2:00 AM MST
Where: Northern Greenlee forecast zone
Reported by: SNOTEL

The SNOTEL at Hannagan Meadow recorded 11 inches of snow in less than 12 hours from a fast moving storm.

High Wind, Cochise County

When: December 22, 3:40 PM MST
Where: Cochise County forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph) measured gust
Reported by: ASOS

The ASOS at the Bisbee-Douglas Airport measured a wind gust of 59 mph at 340 pm MST.

Strong Wind, Tucson Metro/Marana/Green Valley

When: December 22, 4:00 PM MST
Where: Tucson Metro/Marana/Green Valley forecast zone
Measured: 43 kt (49 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $3,000
Reported by: Broadcast Media

Strong winds caused damage to power lines at the intersection of Irvington Road and 12th Avenue in south Tucson. The winds resulted in low hanging power lines which created a traffic hazard.

What these are

Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
Strong Wind: Non-thunderstorm winds below high wind criteria that nonetheless caused damage or casualties.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Arizona in 2009 Every state in 2009 This day in weather history Warnings in Arizona, December 2009

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 200294, 200400, 200401.