A second storm in two days brought record amounts of snow to portions of northern Arizona on February 9th. The Arizona Department of Public Safety reported hundreds of vehicle collisions across northern Arizona.
Every event with a place to put it; 11 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 second storm in two days brought record amounts of snow to portions of northern Arizona on February 9th. The Arizona Department of Public Safety reported hundreds of vehicle collisions across northern Arizona. One DPS commander said that it was the worst snowstorm that he had to deal with in northern Arizona.
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 8, 8:55 PM MST, 3 hours 5 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ 855 PM MST SUN FEB 8 2009 .SYNOPSIS...EXPECT SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS OVERNIGHT IN ADVANCE OF A STRONG WINTER STORM SET TO ARRIVE ON MONDAY AND TUESDAY. THIS NEW STORM WILL BRING WINDY CONDITIONS AND WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION WITH SNOW LEVELS LOWERING TO NEAR 3000 FEET BY TUESDAY. COLD BUT FAIR WEATHER WILL MOVE IN FOR WEDNESDAY BEFORE UNSETTLED CONDITIONS RETURN FOR THE END OF THE WEEK. && .DISCUSSION...THE STORM SYSTEM THAT BROUGHT MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOWFALL TO MUCH OF NORTHERN ARIZONA SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH TODAY IS HEADING EASTWARD...WITH TEMPERATURES ALOFT WARMING AND PRECIPITATION ENDING OVER THE LOWER ELEVATIONS. HOWEVER...AT THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE MOGOLLON RIM AND NORTHWEST GILA COUNTY...PERSISTENT SNOW SHOWERS HAVE BEEN DEVELOPING ALL EVENING DUE TO LINGERING INSTABILITY AND INCREASING UPSLOPE FLOW. THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR TODAY HAS BEEN EXTENDED UNTIL 11 PM MST FOR THE FLAGSTAFF AREA DOWN INTO NORTHERN GILA COUNTY. MODEL FORECASTS STILL SUGGEST MORE STABLE AIR WILL MOVE IN LATER TONIGHT...BUT ONLY FOR A SHORT TIME BEFORE THE NEXT STORM BEGINS TO AFFECT THE REGION. A QUICK LOOK AT THE NEW 00Z MODEL RUNS SHOW LITTLE CHANGE FROM PREVIOUS RUNS...STILL LOOKS LIKE SEVERE WINTER WEATHER WILL AFFECT MANY AREAS MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT...SEE BELOW. .PREV DISCUSSION...(230 PM MST SUN FEB 8)...MONDAY AND TUESDAY...A STRONG WINTER STORM IS EXPECTED TO MOVE ACROSS NORTHERN ARIZONA. ALL THE ELEMENTS WILL BE CONTAINED IN THIS STORM: LARGE-SCALE UPWARD MOTION...STRONG UPSLOPE FLOW...DEEP LAYER SATURATION AND A LONG PERIOD OF NEUTRAL TO SLIGHTLY UNSTABLE CONDITIONS. A TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT AND STRONG WINDS ALOFT WILL TRANSLATE INTO SURFACE WIND GUSTS FROM THE SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST AROUND 40 TO 50 MPH DURING THE DAY MONDAY...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE LITTLE COLORADO RIVER VALLEY AND EAST CENTRAL ARIZONA HEADING INTO NEW MEXICO. PRECIPITATION...MAINLY IN THE FORM OF SNOW...WILL SPREAD ACROSS THE NORTHLAND DURING THE DAY MONDAY AND THEN CONTINUE INTO TUESDAY. THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL DURING THE DAY MONDAY WILL BE WEST OF A LINE EXTENDING FROM PAYSON NORTHWARD THROUGH PAGE WITH A SNOW LEVEL NEAR 4000 FEET. LATER ON MONDAY INTO TUESDAY SNOW SHOWERS WILL SPREAD EASTWARD WITH MOST LOCATIONS EAST OF THE PAYSON/PAGE LINE RECEIVING SNOWFALL. SNOW LEVELS ARE EXPECTED TO LOWER TO NEAR 3000 FEET ON TUESDAY. WINTER STORM WATCHES AND WARNINGS HAVE BEEN ISSUED FOR THIS STORM. FOR WEDNESDAY AND THE END OF THE WEEK...GIVEN THE BIG STORM TO MOVE THROUGH ON MONDAY AND TUESDAY EXPECTING A BIT OF A BREAK IN THE THREAT FOR PRECIPITATION ON WEDNESDAY BUT COLD TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE. FOR THURSDAY AND BEYOND...COLD AND UNSETTLED WEATHER WILL CONTINUE AS THE STORM TRACK REMAINS POINTED AT ARIZONA. && .AVIATION...FOR THE 06Z PACKAGE...SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE TO SLOWLY DECREASE IN COVERAGE OVERNIGHT. PRECIPITATION WILL BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD FROM WEST TO EAST AGAIN AFTER 12Z MONDAY. IFR/LIFR CONDITIONS WILL BE LIKELY IN SOME AREAS OF MODERATE TO HEAVY PRECIPITATION...INCLUDING WHITEOUT VISIBILITIES IN GUSTY BLOWING SNOW. AVIATION DISCUSSION NOT UPDATED FOR AMENDMENTS. && .FGZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... 1) WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY ABOVE 5000 FEET UNTIL 11 PM MST SUNDAY FOR AZ ZONES: 004/006/007/015/016/018/038. 2) WINTER STORM WARNING FOR ELEVATIONS ABOVE 4000 FEET FROM 6 AM MST MONDAY UNTIL 6 AM MST TUESDAY FOR AZ ZONES: 004/006/007/008/015/016/018/037/038 3) WINTER STORM WATCH FROM NOON MST MONDAY UNTIL NOON MST TUESDAY FOR AZ ZONES: 005/009/010/011/012/013/014/017/039/040 && PUBLIC.....................JJ AVIATION/FIRE WEATHER......KD VISIT WEATHER.GOV/FLAGSTAFF FOR NORTHERN ARIZONA WEATHER INFORMATION.
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ 805 PM MST SUN FEB 8 2009 AZZ004>018-037>040-091015- 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- 805 PM MST SUN FEB 8 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST CENTRAL ARIZONA...NORTH CENTRAL ARIZONA...NORTHEAST ARIZONA AND WEST CENTRAL ARIZONA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT EXPECT ISOLATED TO SCATTERED RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS OVERNIGHT WITH THE SNOW LEVEL LOWERING TO NEAR 4500 FEET. A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM MST FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHERN ARIZONA...INCLUDING FLAGSTAFF. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY MONDAY AND TUESDAY...A STRONG WINTER STORM WILL AFFECT PORTIONS OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL ARIZONA STARTING MONDAY MORNING. STRONG SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL DEVELOP...WITH GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH... ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE LITTLE COLORADO RIVER VALLEY AND EAST CENTRAL PORTIONS OF ARIZONA NEAR THE NEW MEXICO BORDER. PERIODS OF HEAVY SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW WILL DEVELOP AS WELL...WITH SNOW LEVELS LOWERING TO AROUND 3000 FEET BY TUESDAY MORNING. WINTER STORM WATCHES AND WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT CONCERNING THIS STORM. STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED TO RANGE FROM 2 TO 6 INCHES FOR ELEVATIONS BETWEEN 4000 AND 6000 FEET AND 8 TO 16 INCHES FOR ELEVATIONS ABOVE 6000 FEET...ESPECIALLY ALONG AND SOUTH OF THE MOGOLLON RIM. ADDITIONAL STORM SYSTEMS ARE EXPECTED TOWARD THE END OF THE WEEK.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
9 heavy snow, 2 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
A foot of snow fell in Chinle and 10 inches fell in Canyon de Chelly.
Heavy snow temporarily stranded some people before the roads were cleared. Twenty inches of snow fell in Forest Lakes.
Six to 10 inches of snow fell in Window Rock.
Heavy snow fell across the Western Mogollon Rim. Doney Park received 16 inches, Munds Park 15 inches, Flagstaff 14 inches, Bellemont 13 inches, and Williams 12 inches. Over 50 accidents were reported in the Flagstaff and Coconino County areas with at least nine injuries. There was a 5 mile traffic back upon I-17 south of Flagstaff.
Heavy snow fell across the Western Mogollon Rim. Doney Park received 16 inches, Munds Park 15 inches, Flagstaff 14 inches, Bellemont 13 inches, and Williams 12 inches. Over 50 accidents were reported in the Flagstaff and Coconino County areas with at least nine injuries. There was a 5 mile traffic back upon I-17 south of Flagstaff.
A winter storm caused a 12 mile traffic back up on westbound I-40 near Seligman.
Six inches of snow fell in Payson and Star Valley. Fifteen inches of snow fell in Tonto Village. Highways 87, 260, and 60 were closed because road crews could not keep up with the heavy snow. Schools were closed and trash pick up was canceled. A dozen garbage trucks were used to plow roads instead. School buses couldn't even get out of the parking area on the morning of February 10th.
Six inches of snow fell in Payson and Star Valley.
Five and a half inches of snow fell in Prescott by early evening. Ten inches of snow fell in Hidden Valley south of Prescott. Power and cable lines were broken in the Prescott area leaving as many as 2,500 customers in the dark for hours.
Eight inches of snow fell by 800 PM in Forest Lakes.
A winter storm dropped 4 inches of snow in Sedona causing school closures and traffic accidents. One roll over accident injured a man and he went to the hospital. A tree along Highway 89A fell and blocked the highway for a short time.
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, February 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 150233, 150235, 150236, 150241, 152295, 152296, 150238, 152299, 150243, 150240, 152298.