A strong low pressure system moving across the Four Corners region produced strong southwest winds over portions of northern Arizona. The strong winds created areas of reduced visibility in blowing dust and sand and caused road closures.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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 low pressure system moving across the Four Corners region produced strong southwest winds over portions of northern Arizona. The strong winds created areas of reduced visibility in blowing dust and sand and caused road closures.
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 Mar 26, 9:55 AM MST, 3 hours 50 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ 955 AM MST THU MAR 26 2009 .SYNOPSIS...A STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL MOVE ACROSS THE FOUR CORNERS REGION BRINGING STRONG WINDS TO MUCH OF NORTHERN ARIZONA TODAY. THERE WILL ALSO BE A CHANCE FOR RAIN AND HIGH COUNTRY SNOW SHOWERS...MAINLY FROM THE MOGOLLON RIM NORTH AND EASTWARD. WARMER TEMPERATURES AND DRY CONDITIONS WILL RETURN ON SATURDAY. ANOTHER LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL MOVE ACROSS COLORADO SUNDAY AND WILL BRING VERY WINDY CONDITIONS ONCE AGAIN FOR NORTHERN ARIZONA DURING THE AFTERNOON. && .DISCUSSION...STRONG LOW IS MOVING INTO NORTHEAST UTAH AND NORTHWEST COLORADO THIS MORNING. SURFACE FRONT HAS ALREADY PASSED THROUGH LAS VEGAS...ST GEORGE...CORTEZ...AND PAGE. BREEZY TO WINDY CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST FOR MOST AREAS TODAY AND THIS EVENING. THE WESTERLY WINDS WILL SHIFT TO THE NORTH AND NORTHEAST BEHIND THE FRONT WITH BREEZY CONDITIONS CONTINUING. AREAS WEST OF A KAYENTA-WINSLOW LINE WILL ONLY SEE LIGHT PRECIPITATION. 12Z MESO ETA AND GFS ARE SHOWING 1/4 TO 1/3 INCH QPF OVER SOUTHERN APACHE COUNTY. WILL UPDATE FORECAST TO INCREASE RAIN/SNOW AMOUNTS IN ZONE 14 AND 17. && .PREV DISCUSSION /255 AM MST/...ANOTHER VIGOROUS STORM SYSTEM AND STRONG COLD FRONT WILL BRING VERY WINDY CONDITIONS TO NORTHERN ARIZONA TODAY...THEN INCREASING CHCS OF SHOWERS LATER TODAY AND EVENING...WITH THE BEST CHCS OVER THE NORTHEAST PLATEAUS. AREAS IN THE LITTLE COLORADO RIVER VALLEY AND THE CHINLE VALLEY WILL LIKELY EXPERIENCE SOME BLOWING DUST AND DRIFTING SAND TODAY. A STRONG NORTH TO NORTHEAST FLOW WILL SET UP ACROSS NORTHERN AZ ON THE BACK SIDE OF THIS SYSTEM LATER TODAY...SO WE ARE EXPECTING STRONG GUSTY NORTH TO NORTHEAST WINDS...ESPECIALLY ON THE SOUTHWEST SIDE OF MAJOR TERRAIN FEATURES LIKE THE SAN FRANCISCO PEAKS...JUST DOWNWIND OF THE MOGOLLON RIM AND YAVAPAI COUNTY MOUNTAINS...LASTING THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING...BEFORE WINDS BEGIN TO WEAKEN. A BRIEF HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE WILL BUILD INTO THE REGION FOR SATURDAY...WITH DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURES REBOUNDING FAIRLY RAPIDLY WITH TEMPERATURES WARMING INTO THE 50S IN THE MOUNTAINS AND 60S AND LOWER 70S IN THE LOWER VALLEYS. GFS AND ECMWF ARE SHOWING ANOTHER FAIRLY POTENT SYSTEM ALONG WITH A STRONG COLD FRONT TO AFFECT NORTHERN ARIZONA LATE SUNDAY INTO MONDAY WITH VERY WINDY CONDITIONS ONCE AGAIN AND COOLER TEMPERATURES ON MONDAY. BY THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK THERE IS QUITE A BIT OF MODEL DISPARITY...AS THE ECMWF SHOW A WEAK RIDGE OVER THE SOUTHWEST...WHILE THE GFS IS FORECASTING ANOTHER VIGOROUS LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM TO MOVE ACROSS THE REGION. FOR NOW...WE INTRODUCED SOME COOLER TEMPERATURES DURING THIS TIME PERIOD ALONG WITH PARTLY CLOUDY TO CLOUDY SKIES. && .AVIATION...FOR THE 18Z PACKAGE...A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS NORTHERN ARIZONA TODAY...REACHING THE KFLG TO KINW AREAS BY AROUND 18Z...THEN SOUTH INTO CENTRAL AZ BY MID-LATE AFTN. GUSTY WEST TO SOUTHWEST WINDS AHEAD OF THE FRONT WILL SHIFT TO THE NORTHWEST BEHIND THE FRONT. WIND SPEEDS OF 20-30 KT WITH GUSTS UP TO 45 KT ARE EXPECTED...ESPECIALLY OVER THE LITTLE COLORADO RIVER VALLEY. THERE WILL ALSO A PERIOD OF RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS ACROSS THE EASTERN THIRD OF THE STATE THROUGH 02Z/FRI...WITH LCL MVFR CONDITIONS IN THAT AREA. AVIATION DISCUSSION NOT UPDATED FOR AMENDMENTS. && .FGZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 700 PM MST THURSDAY FOR AZ ZONES 010>017-039-040. RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 12 PM MST UNTIL 8 PM MST TODAY FOR AZ ZONE 037. && PUBLIC.....................TC/MAS AVIATION/FIRE WEATHER......JJ VISIT WEATHER.GOV/FLAGSTAFF FOR NORTHERN ARIZONA WEATHER INFORMATION.
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ 907 AM MST THU MAR 26 2009 AZZ004>018-037>040-270700- 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- 907 AM MST THU MAR 26 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST CENTRAL ARIZONA...NORTH CENTRAL ARIZONA...NORTHEAST ARIZONA AND WEST CENTRAL ARIZONA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT AND TONIGHT STRONG WINDS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS NORTHERN ARIZONA AHEAD OF ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM TODAY. SOUTHWESTERLY TO WESTERLY WINDS OF 30 TO 40 MPH WITH GUSTS FROM 45 TO 55 MPH ARE EXPECTED...MAINLY FROM FLAGSTAFF EASTWARD TO THE NEW MEXICO BORDER. BLOWING AND DRIFTING DUST AND SAND CAN BE A PROBLEM IN SOME AREAS LATE THIS MORNING AND AFTERNOON...ESPECIALLY IN THE LITTLE COLORADO RIVER VALLEY AND CHINLE VALLEY. A WIND ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHERN ARIZONA. FOR MORE DETAILS SEE PHXNPWFGZ. A RED FLAG WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR PORTIONS OF YAVAPAI COUNTY...MAINLY THE YAVAPAI COUNTY VALLEY LOCATIONS. FOR MORE DETAILS SEE PHXRFWFGZ. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY STRONG SOUTHWEST WINDS ARE ANTICIPATED ONCE AGAIN BY SUNDAY AFTERNOON AS ANOTHER VIGOROUS LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IS FORECAST TO DIVE SOUTHEASTWARD THROUGH COLORADO. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A spotter in Leupp reported measuring a peak wind gust of 58 MPH. The visibility in blowing dust was 100 yards.
The Winslow ASOS recorded a peak wind gust of 61 MPH. Spotters reported blowing dust with 200 yard visibility. Power poles were knocked down in Winslow. I-40 was closed because of the blowing dust and wind. At least 5 cars crashed on Freeway.
The St Johns ASOS recorded a peak wind gust of 58 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, March 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: 158043, 158041, 158042.