A strong cold front moving across northern Arizona brought strong winds and blowing dust.
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 cold front moving across northern Arizona brought strong winds and blowing dust.
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 Apr 11, 9:50 AM MST, 3 hours 55 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ 950 AM MST WED APR 11 2012 .SYNOPSIS... AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT WILL BRING STRONG SOUTHWEST WINDS AND COOLER TEMPERATURES TODAY...WITH A CHANCE OF SHOWERS LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. COLD...WINDY...AND UNSETTLED WEATHER WILL THEN AFFECT THE AREA INTO THE WEEKEND UNDER BROAD LOW PRESSURE ACROSS THE WESTERN STATES. THE STORMIEST PERIOD IS CURRENTLY ANTICIPATED TO BE FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY...WITH SOME SNOW ACCUMULATION POSSIBLE OVER HIGHER TERRAIN. && .DISCUSSION...STRONG GUSTY WINDS DEVELOPED THIS MORNING BY AROUND 900 AM MST. NPW PRODUCTS WERE UPDATED TO BRING THE START TIME UP TO THE CURRENT TIME. WIND GRIDS WILL BE UPDATED SHORTLY TO INCREASE WIND GUSTS THIS AFTERNOON FROM THE MOGOLLON RIM NORTH. AN APPROACHING LOW PRESSURE TROUGH WILL BRING STRONG GUSTY SOUTHWEST WINDS TO THE NORTHLAND TODAY. MAIN WEATHER IMPACT FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING: WILL BE STRONG AND GUSTY SOUTHWEST WINDS OVER THE NORTHLAND MAKING TRAVEL DIFFICULT FOR HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES ALONG WITH AREAS OF BLOWING DUST MAINLY EAST AND NORTHEAST OF FLAGSTAFF. ASSOCIATED WIND ADVISORIES AND RED FLAG WARNINGS HAVE BEEN PREVIOUSLY ISSUED TO ACCOUNT FOR THESE CONDITIONS AND REMAIN IN EFFECT. && .AVIATION... FOR THE 18Z PACKAGE...AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT WILL BRING STRONG AND GUSTY SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS FROM 20 TO 30 KT SUSTAINED WITH GUSTS FROM 30 TO 48 KT AND SHOWERS OVER NORTHWESTERN ARIZONA. RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS WILL CREATE AREAS OF MVFR CONDITIONS AND LOCAL IFR CONDITIONS ALONG AND NORTHWEST OF A LINE FROM PRESCOTT TO FLAGSTAFF TO PAGE. WINDS WILL DECREASE AROUND 02Z WITH ONLY ISOLATED MVFR CONDITIONS. AVIATION DISCUSSION NOT UPDATED FOR AMENDMENTS. && .FGZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... RED FLAG WARNING FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 7 PM MST THIS EVENING FOR AZZ109-110-112>114-140 BELOW 6000 FEET. WIND ADVISORY IN AFFECT THROUGH 7 PM MST THIS EVENING FOR AZZ004>007-009>017-039-040-104>107-109>117-139-140. && PUBLIC.........TC AVIATION.......TC/MCCOLLUM FOR NORTHERN ARIZONA WEATHER INFORMATION VISIT WEATHER.GOV/FLAGSTAFF
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ 341 AM MST WED APR 11 2012 AZZ004>018-037>040-120300- 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- 341 AM MST WED APR 11 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR APACHE...COCONINO...NORTHERN GILA...NAVAJO...AND YAVAPAI COUNTIES IN NORTHERN ARIZONA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT AN APPROACHING STORM SYSTEM WILL BRING WINDY CONDITIONS TO NORTHERN ARIZONA TODAY. GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED...WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR BLOWING DUST DEVELOPING ACROSS NORTHEASTERN ARIZONA. A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM TO 7 PM FOR MUCH OF NORTHERN ARIZONA...AND A RED FLAG WARNING IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHERN ARIZONA BELOW 6000 FEET TODAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY FOR FRIDAY INTO THE WEEKEND...A STRONGER STORM SYSTEM WILL AFFECT NORTHERN ARIZONA. STRONG WINDS ARE LIKELY FRIDAY...WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR RAIN AND HIGHER ELEVATION SNOW DEVELOPING LATE FRIDAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND. .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 dust storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Strong winds caused blowing dust and sand that reduced the visibility down to 1/2 mile at times along Highway 160 in Cow Springs. The wind speed was 50 MPH.
Localized blowing dust was reported on Interstate 40 near Winslow.
Strong winds caused blowing dust and sand that reduced the visibility down to a few hundred feet in communities of Chinle and Many Farms. Poor visibility in blowing dust was also reported in Kayenta.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arizona in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Arizona, April 2012
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: 375377, 375379, 375774.