Arizona, 2011High Wind in Arizona, January 14, 2011
January 14, 2011 · NWS PSR · 1 event in 1 county or zone
A dry low pressure system generated strong gusty winds across portions of south central arizona during the evening hours on January 14 2011. Peak gusts in southern Gila county were in excess of 50 mph, sufficient to blow rocks onto area highways.
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $2,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
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.
A dry low pressure system generated strong gusty winds across portions of south central arizona during the evening hours on January 14 2011. Peak gusts in southern Gila county were in excess of 50 mph, sufficient to blow rocks onto area highways.
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 Phoenix, AZ wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 14, 8:50 PM MST, 1 hour 5 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jan 14, 8:50 PM MST, 1 hour 5 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
850 PM MST FRI JAN 14 2011
.SYNOPSIS...
BREEZY TO WINDY CONDITIONS CAN BE EXPECTED SATURDAY...ESPECIALLY
OVER THE LOWER COLORADO RIVER VALLEY. AFTER SOME SLIGHT COOLING
SATURDAY...HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT IS EXPECTED TO BRING SOME WARMING
SUNDAY AND MONDAY...WITH WELL ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES FOR MID
JANUARY. A COOLING TREND IS ANTICIPATED FOR THE LATTER HALF OF NEXT
WEEK. OTHERWISE...MOSTLY CLEAR NIGHTS AND SUNNY DAYS ARE EXPECTED
WELL INTO NEXT WEEK.
&&
.DISCUSSION...
DRY NORTHWESTERLY FLOW WILL CONTINUE OVER THE REGION THIS WEEKEND.
CURRENT DRY FORECASTS LOOK OK. NO UPDATES NECESSARY. PREVIOUS
DISCUSSION BELOW STILL APPLIES.
PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...
WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS THE SHORT WAVE CENTERED OVER FAR SOUTHEAST
ARIZONA EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. AS PREVIOUSLY DISCUSSED...WINDY
CONDITIONS DEVELOPED OVER THE LOWER COLORADO RIVER VALLEY AND HIGHER
TERRAIN LOCATIONS. BREEZINESS HAS BEEN SLOW TO DEVELOP ON THE
SOUTH-CENTRAL DESERTS. WITH REDUCED MIXING TEMPS ARE NOT RUNNING
MUCH DIFFERENT FROM YESTERDAY AT THE SAME TIME. NORTH AND
NORTHEASTERLY FLOW WILL WITH A FAIRLY TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL
CONTINUE TONIGHT AND SATURDAY FOR MORE NOTICEABLE BREEZINESS AT
LOCATIONS THAT HAVE HAD LIGHT WIND TODAY. TEMPS SATURDAY WILL BE
COOLER AT LOWER ELEVATION LOCATIONS THAT HAVE HAD MORE WIND TODAY.
CONVERSELY...HIGHER TERRAIN LOCATIONS WILL BE A BIT WARMER.
ANTICIPATE LITTLE CHANGE FOR THE SOUTH-CENTRAL DESERTS INCLUDING
PHOENIX...THOUGH SOME OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURES MAY BE A BIT WARMER
DUE TO SOME LOCALIZED MIXING. MAX TEMPS WILL STILL BE ABOVE NORMAL
AT MOST LOCATIONS.FOR SUNDAY AND MONDAY...ANTICIPATE LESS WIND AND
GRADUAL WARMING...MORE NOTICEABLY OVER SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA.
TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...
TUESDAY STILL LOOKS TO BE A FAIRLY WARM DAY WITH NORTHWESTERLY FLOW
ALOFT. HOWEVER...THE 12Z ECWMF HAS A DEEPER TROUGH DEVELOPING OVER
THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST THAN DOES THE 12Z GFS. THE ECMWF GOES ON TO
DEVELOP A DEEP CLOSED LOW OVER THE SOUTHWEST U.S. ON WEDNESDAY AND
THURSDAY BEFORE BEGINNING TO SHIFT IT EASTWARD FRIDAY. PREVIOUS RUNS
HAD TRACKED THE LOW OFFSHORE. SO THIS IS QUITE A CHANGE. THE GFS ON
THE OTHER HAND INDICATES WEAK SHORT WAVES WITHIN WEST-NORTHWESTERLY
FLOW ALOFT...A MUCH WARMER SCENARIO. THE GEFS MEAN SUPPORTS THE GFS.
GIVEN THE LACK OF MODEL TO MODEL AGREEMENT AND RUN TO RUN
CONSISTENCY WITH THE ECMWF...DID NOT WANT TO LATCH ON TO THE ECMWF
SOLUTION. INSTEAD...TEMPERATURES WERE NUDGED DOWN FOR THE LATTER
HALF OF NEXT WEEK BUT OTHERWISE...KEPT THINGS DRY.
&&
.AVIATION...
SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA AND SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA...INCLUDING
KPHX...KIWA...AIRFIELDS...
THIN HIGH CLOUDS AND MOSTLY LIGHT WIND UNDER 10 KNOTS THROUGH AT
LEAST 20Z SAT.
SOUTHEAST CA AND THE COLORADO RIVER VALLEY...INCLUDING KIPL AND KBLH
AIRFIELDS...
GUSTY NORTHERLY WINDS TO 20 KNOTS...UNDER THIN HIGH CLOUDS...WILL
CONTINUE THROUGH 07Z SAT. AFTER 07Z LIGHT WINDS UNDER 10 KNOTS
ACROSS MOST OF SOUTHEAST CA AND SOUTHWEST AZ...INCLUDING KBLH AND
KIPL AIRPORTS AT LEAST THROUGH 20Z SAT.
AVIATION DISCUSSION NOT UPDATED FOR AMENDED TAFS.
&&
.FIRE WEATHER...
SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY...
HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT WILL BE SITTING OFF THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
COAST FOR MUCH OF NEXT WEEK. THIS WILL KEEP THE SONORAN DESERT AND
NEARBY FOOTHILLS IN A DRY AND WARM WEATHER PATTERN. NO SIGNIFICANT
WINDS EXPECTED GIVEN THE PATTERN...THOUGH A FEW BREEZY AFTERNOONS
WILL BE POSSIBLE ALONG THE LOWER CO. RIVER VALLEY. TEMPERATURES BY
MID-WEEK SHOULD BE WELL ABOVE NORMAL. HUMIDITY VALUES WILL GENERALLY
BE IN THE 20-30 PERCENT RANGE DURING THE AFTERNOON WITH GOOD
OVERNIGHT RECOVERY.
&&
.PSR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AZ...NONE.
CA...NONE.
&&
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX IS ON THE INTERNET AT
WEATHER.GOV/PHOENIX
DISCUSSION...VASQUEZ/AJ
AVIATION...VASQUEZ
FIRE WEATHER...INIGUEZ
High Wind, Southern Gila/Tonto Nf Foothills
- When
- January 14, 9:55 PM MST to 10:30 PM MST
- Where
- Southern Gila/Tonto Nf Foothills forecast zone
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
- Property damage
- $2,000
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
A trained weather spotter near Globe reported strong and gusty non-thunderstorm winds late Friday evening. Sustained winds approaching 40 mph were reported along with a measured gust to 60 mph. The winds caused two half-inch thick plywood sheds to be blown down. In addition, the Gila County sheriff's dispatch indicated that a motorist on highway 77 15 miles south of Globe called in a report of very strong winds. The gusty winds caused rocks to be blown onto the highway.
- High Wind
- Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
- High Wind in California, January 14, 20113 deaths · $15,000 · 50 kt wind · 1 event
- Cold in Mississippi, January 14, 20111 death · 1 event
- Extreme Cold in Tennessee, January 14 to 15, 20111 death · 1 event
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Michigan, January 14 to 15, 20117 events
- Winter Storm and Avalanche in Colorado, January 14 to 18, 20114 events
- High Wind in Wyoming, January 14 to 15, 201153 kt wind · 2 events
- High Wind in Oregon, January 14, 20111 event
- High Wind in Washington, January 14, 20111 event
- Strong Wind in Alaska, January 14, 2011$1,000 · 1 event
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: 277799.