A low pressure system move from off the southern California coast, across southern Nevada, and then northern Arizona. This brought accumulating snow down to as low at 3500 feet.
Every event with a place to put it; 4 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 low pressure system move from off the southern California coast, across southern Nevada, and then northern Arizona. This brought accumulating snow down to as low at 3500 feet. The heaviest snow fell over the Eastern Mogollon Rim and White Mountains. Winter Storm conditions were seen at lower elevations (such as Page) that do not usually see much snow.
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 13, 4:27 AM MST, 2 hours 33 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ 427 AM MST MON FEB 13 2012 .SYNOPSIS... WIDELY SCATTERED MOUNTAIN SNOW AND VALLEY RAIN SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE TODAY. PRECIPITATION WILL LIKELY INTENSIFY AND BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD FOR TONIGHT AND TUESDAY AS THE NEXT STORM SYSTEM MOVES ACROSS NORTHERN ARIZONA. GUSTY SOUTHWEST WINDS AND COLDER TEMPERATURES SHOULD ALSO BE EXPECTED BEFORE THIS SYSTEM EXITS THE STATE TUESDAY NIGHT. && .DISCUSSION... ENOUGH MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY WILL PERSIST TODAY FOR WIDELY SCATTERED RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS TO CONTINUE IN THE WAKE OF YESTERDAY'S WEATHER DISTURBANCE. A STRONGER AND COLDER STORM IS THEN EXPECTED TO ARRIVE LATER TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY...WITH RAIN AND ACCUMULATING SNOW SHOWERS LIKELY. BREEZY SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL DEVELOP IN ADVANCE OF THIS FEATURE TODAY...AND CONTINUE THROUGH THE EVENT WITH PERIODS OF BLOWING SNOW EXPECTED. SNOW LEVELS WILL DROP TO AS LOW AS ABOUT 4000 FEET BY TUESDAY AFTERNOON...BUT ACCUMULATING SNOW WILL GENERALLY BE LIMITED TO ABOVE 5000-5500 FEET FOR MOST AREAS. FOR WEDNESDAY THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK...COOL AND UNSETTLED WEATHER IS ANTICIPATED TO CONTINUE. && .AVIATION... FOR THE 12Z PACKAGE...BKN TO OVC CIGS FROM 2-4KFT AGL WILL BE COMMON ALONG AND NORTH OF THE MOGOLLON RIM TODAY. ISOLD TO SCT -SHRA/-SHSN WILL CONTINUE...ESPECIALLY WEST OF A LINE FROM KFLG TO KGCN. ANY SHOWERS COULD PRODUCE IFR CONDITIONS. AFT 04Z-06Z TUESDAY...EXPECT DETERIORATING CONDITIONS OVER MUCH OF THE WESTERN HALF OF THE REGION...ALONG AND WEST OF A LINE FROM KPAN TO KGCN. WDSPRD IFR/LIFR CAN BE EXPECT FROM RAIN AND SNOW IN THAT AREA. AVIATION DISCUSSION NOT UPDATED FOR AMENDMENTS. && .FGZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && PUBLIC...KD AVIATION...PETERSON FOR NORTHERN ARIZONA WEATHER INFORMATION VISIT WEATHER.GOV/FLAGSTAFF.
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ 450 AM MST MON FEB 13 2012 AZZ004>018-037>040-140700- 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- 450 AM MST MON FEB 13 2012 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 ENOUGH MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY WILL PERSIST TODAY FOR WIDELY SCATTERED RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS TO CONTINUE IN THE WAKE OF YESTERDAY'S WEATHER DISTURBANCE. A STRONGER AND COLDER STORM IS THEN EXPECTED TO ARRIVE LATER TONIGHT WITH RAIN AND ACCUMULATING SNOW SHOWERS LIKELY. BREEZY SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL DEVELOP IN ADVANCE OF THIS FEATURE TODAY AND CONTINUE THROUGH THE EVENT WITH PERIODS OF HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS IN BLOWING SNOW EXPECTED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY SNOW LEVELS WILL DROP TO AS LOW AS ABOUT 4000 FEET BY TUESDAY AFTERNOON...BUT ACCUMULATING SNOW WILL GENERALLY BE LIMITED TO ABOVE 5000-5500 FEET FOR MOST AREAS. PLEASE CONSULT POINT-SPECIFIC FORECASTS FOR SNOWFALL AMOUNTS EXPECTED AT A GIVEN LOCATION. .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.
4 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
A spotter at Show Low Lake reported 8.5 inches of snow.
Four inches of snow fell in Fredonia at an elevation of 4700 feet. This much snow at this elevation meets the heavy snow criteria.
Show Low received 6 to 7 inches of snow.
Three inches of snow fell in Page at an elevation of 4200 feet. This much snow at this elevation meets the heavy snow criteria.
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, February 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: 367377, 367378, 367376, 367375.