Strong southwest winds developed across northern Arizona ahead of a cold front moving in from the north. The strong winds caused areas of blowing dust the reduced the visibility from 5 miles down to 50 feet or less.
Every event with a place to put it; 5 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.
Strong southwest winds developed across northern Arizona ahead of a cold front moving in from the north. The strong winds caused areas of blowing dust the reduced the visibility from 5 miles down to 50 feet or less.
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 29, 9:50 AM MST, 2 hours 10 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ 950 AM MST SUN MAR 29 2009 .SYNOPSIS...A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM NORTH OF ARIZONA WILL BRING STRONG SOUTHWEST WINDS TO THE REGION TODAY AND TONIGHT. A COLD FRONT WILL DROP SOUTH INTO ARIZONA TONIGHT AND EARLY MONDAY...WITH SCATTERED RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS EAST OF FLAGSTAFF. TEMPERATURES WILL ALSO BE SHARPLY COLDER MONDAY...BUT THESE CONDITIONS WILL GIVE WAY TO DRIER AND SLIGHTLY WARMER WEATHER FOR THE REMAINDER OF NEXT WEEK. && .DISCUSSION...WE HAVE MADE SOME TWEAKS TO TODAYS GRIDS AS SKY COVER THIS MORNING IS MORE PREVALENT THAN THOUGHT. WIND GUSTS SPEEDS WERE INCREASED TO THE 50-55KT RANGE FOR AREAS NORTH OF A LINE FROM WINDOW ROCK THROUGH VALLE FOR THIS AFTERNOON. THE COLD FRONT IS EVIDENT ON SATELLITE THIS MORNING...AND ALONG A LINE FROM PROVO UTAH TO JUST SOUTH OF RENO. LOW LEVEL WIND SPEEDS ARE STILL FORECAST TO INCREASE THIS AFTERNOON IN THE FAR NORTH...AND MOVE SOUTHWARD THROUGH MIDNIGHT. ALREADY THIS MORNING MANY SITES ARE GUSTING FROM 25 TO 35 MPH. WE CURRENTLY HAVE EITHER WIND ADVISORIES OR HIGH WIND WARNINGS OUT FOR MOST OF THE CWA. WE WILL MONITOR FOR POSSIBLE UPGRADES. WILL ALSO TAKE A LOOK AT INCREASING POPS ACROSS THE NAVAJO NATION TONIGHT. PREV DISCUSSION...515 AM ANOTHER RELATIVELY DRY...BUT DEEP LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL MOVE RAPIDLY THROUGH UTAH TODAY AND INTO WESTERN COLORADO THIS EVENING. THE GRADIENT ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THIS LOW IS IMPRESSIVE AND WE WILL BE ISSUING A VARIETY OF HIGH WIND WARNINGS AND WIND ADVISORIES FOR TODAY INTO THE EARLY PART OF TONIGHT. IN ADDITION TO THE WINDS...A NARROW BAND OF FORCING AND INSTABILITY ALONG THE FRONT WILL GENERATE RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS THIS EVENING THROUGH EARLY MONDAY...MAINLY NORTHEAST AND EAST OF FLAGSTAFF. QPF WILL BE LIGHT BUT A FEW AREAS MAY SEE A BRIEF BURST OF SNOW THAT WILL LEAVE THE GROUND WHITE FOR A FEW HOURS. DRIER NORTHWEST FLOW WILL ARRIVE MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY OR THURSDAY OF NEXT WEEK. WEAK DISTURBANCES TO OUR NORTHEAST WILL CONTINUE COOL AND BREEZY CONDITIONS AT TIMES...BUT WE WILL REMAIN DRY. A STRONGER STORM MAY ARRIVE BY NEXT WEEKEND...TIMING AND LOCATION ARE STILL UNDECIDED...BUT WE HAVE UPPED POPS BASED ON ENSEMBLE SOLUTIONS. STAY TUNED. && .AVIATION...FOR THE 18Z PACKAGE...WINDS BCMG SW20-35G45-55KT WITH AREAS OF BLDU REDUCING VSBY TO 2SM AT TIMES...EXCEPT SW15-30G45KT SOUTH OF A KSOW-KPAN-KPRC LINE. AFT 30/06Z WINDS BCMG W-NW 10-20G30KT WITH COLD FROPA AND WIND SHIFT FROM NORTH TO SOUTH. AFT 30/03Z WDLY SCT -SHRA/-SHSN WITH ISOLD MVFR/IFR CONDITIONS MAINLY NORTH OF MOGOLLON RIM TO UTAH BORDER. AVIATION DISCUSSION NOT UPDATED FOR AMENDMENTS. && .FGZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ...RED FLAG WARNING AZ FWX ZONES 105-107>110-112>114-118-137-138-140 FROM 12 PM MST UNTIL 8 PM MST FOR ELEVATIONS BELOW 6000 FEET... ...HIGH WIND WARNING AZ ZONES 004>006-009-010-039 FROM 9 AM MST UNTIL 9 PM MST. ...WIND ADVISORY AZ ZONES 007-011>015-016-017-040 FROM 9 AM MST UNTIL MIDNIGHT MST TONIGHT... ...WIND ADVISORY AZ ZONES 008-018-037-038 FROM 11 AM MST UNTIL MIDNIGHT MST TONIGHT... && PUBLIC.....................DL AVIATION/FIRE WEATHER......DB VISIT WEATHER.GOV/FLAGSTAFF FOR NORTHERN ARIZONA WEATHER INFORMATION.
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ 510 AM MST SUN MAR 29 2009 AZZ004>018-037>040-300700- 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- 510 AM MST SUN MAR 29 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR APACHE...COCONINO...NORTHERN GILA...NAVAJO...AND YAVAPAI COUNTIES IN NORTHERN ARIZONA. .DAY ONE...TODAY A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OVER UTAH WILL PUSH A STRONG COLD FRONT SOUTHWARD TOWARD ARIZONA LATER TODAY. SOUTHWEST WINDS AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT WILL BECOME QUITE STRONG TODAY...AND WILL NOT DECREASE UNTIL LATE THIS EVENING. EXPECT WIDESPREAD SOUTHWEST WINDS OF 20 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS FROM 45 TO 55 MPH BY LATE THIS MORNING...LASTING THROUGH THE EVENING. THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL BE ALONG THE UTAH BORDER. AREAS OF BLOWING DUST AND SAND WILL ALSO DEVELOP ACROSS THE LOWER ELEVATIONS EAST OF FLAGSTAFF. A VARIETY OF HIGH WIND WARNINGS AND WIND ADVISORIES HAVE BEEN ISSUED FOR THIS EVENT. PLEASE SEE PHXNPWFGZ FOR DETAILS. RED FLAG WARNINGS FOR DANGEROUS FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS HAVE ALSO BEEN ISSUED DUE TO THE DRY AIRMASS AND HIGH WINDS...PLEASE SEE PHXRFWFGZ FOR DETAILS. IN ADDITION TO THE WINDS...SCATTERED RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS WILL AFFECT PORTIONS OF THE REGION FROM FLAGSTAFF EASTWARD LATER TONIGHT AND INTO EARLY MONDAY. SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATIONS OF SNOW ARE NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 high wind, 2 dust storm. Local standard time, as filed.
The Dilkon Police Department reported one mile in continuous blowing dust.
The House Rock RAWS recorded peak wind gusts to 62 MPH.
A spotter near Leupp reported blowing dust with 50 feet visibility and estimated that the wind was gusting to 60 MPH. Police in Tuba City reported blowing dust with 3/4 mile visibility down to less than 1/4 mile. An anemometer in Two Guns recorded a peak wind gust of 63 MPH.
The Police Department in Chinle reported the visibility in blowing dust was 100 yards down to almost zero at times. Spotters in Many Farms also reported visibility down to 100 yards in continuous blowing dust.
The Winslow ASOS recorded a peak wind gust of 60 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: 158071, 158068, 158069, 158070, 158072.