A strong Pacific storm system brought strong and gusty winds to northern Arizona and locally heavy snowfall.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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 Pacific storm system brought strong and gusty winds to northern Arizona and locally heavy snowfall.
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 27, 9:40 AM MST, 4 hours 20 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ 940 AM MST MON FEB 27 2012 .SYNOPSIS... A COLD STORM SYSTEM WILL BRING STRONG WINDS TO NORTHERN ARIZONA TODAY. THE CHANCE OF SNOW AND LOW ELEVATION RAIN WILL ALSO INCREASE THIS EVENING INTO TUESDAY MORNING. A DRYING AND WARMING TREND IS EXPECTED WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. && .DISCUSSION...HAVE ALREADY UPDATE FIRST PERIOD SKY...POP...AND WEATHER GRIDS FOR A SLOWER ONSET OF PRECIPITATION. NOT MUCH PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO ARRIVE UNTIL AFTER NOON. THE WINDS ARE PICKING UP ACROSS THE AREA AND WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE THROUGH THE DAY. CURRENT FORECAST LOOKS GOOD WITH ONLY FEW MINOR ADJUSTMENTS NEEDED FOR TIMING AND WIND SPEEDS. && .PREV DISCUSSION /350 AM MST/...A STRONG PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM AND COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INLAND AND EFFECT THE WEATHER ACROSS NORTHERN ARIZONA FOR THE COMING 36 HRS. INITIALLY...WINDS WILL INCREASE SIGNIFICANTLY DURING THE MID TO LATE MORNING HOURS BECOMING QUITE STRONG AND GUSTY. THEN...CHANCES FOR RAIN AND ACCUMULATING SNOW WILL BECOME MORE LIKELY OVERNIGHT. WHILE SHOWERS MAY BEGIN DURING THE DAY TODAY...THE GREATER THREAT FOR WIDESPREAD ACTIVITY LOOKS TO BE AFTER AROUND 03Z. SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL BEGIN TO INCREASE ACROSS THE WESTERN ZONES BY DAYBREAK ON MONDAY AND SPREAD EASTWARD THROUGH THE MORNING. THE STRONGEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED DOWNWIND FROM THE MOGOLLON RIM IN THE LITTLE COLORADO RIVER VALLEY. A HIGH WIND WARNING AND WIND ADVISORIES CONTINUE TODAY. WE ARE ANTICIPATING THAT AS THE WINDS INCREASE LATER TODAY...AREAS OF BLOWING DUST AND SAND ARE LIKELY...WHICH MAY CAUSE SOME RESTRICTIONS IN VISIBILITY. SEE PHXNPWFGZ FOR MORE DETAILS. STRONG OROGRAPHIC LIFT WILL BRING SCATTERED SHOWERS TO THE HIGHER TERRAIN TODAY...ALTHOUGH SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATION OF SNOW IS NOT EXPECTED UNTIL THIS EVENING WHEN THE UPPER LEVEL LIFT FROM THE STORM AND FRONT BEGIN TO AFFECT THE AREA. MOISTURE WILL ALSO INCREASE OVER ARIZONA TODAY WHICH WILL FEED INTO THE SYSTEM LATER TONIGHT AND TUESDAY MORNING. THE COLD FRONT WILL BRING MORE WIDESPREAD SNOW AND RAIN AS IT MOVES ACROSS THE STATE OVERNIGHT TONIGHT. CURRENT TIMING INDICATES THAT THE FRONT WILL HIT FLAGSTAFF AROUND MIDNIGHT...THEN THROUGH EASTERN SECTIONS OF THE STATE BY AROUND 5 AM TUESDAY MORNING. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES HAVE BEEN ISSUED FOR SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW FOR PORTIONS OF COCONINO...YAVAPAI...SOUTHERN NAVAJO...AND NORTHERN GILA COUNTIES...WITH MOST OF THE SNOW OCCURRING ABOVE 6000 FEET. CURRENT FORECAST FOR PRECIPITATION FROM THIS SYSTEM IS 4 TO 8 INCHES OF SNOW OVER THE KAIBAB WITH 3 TO 8 INCHES OVER THE MOGOLLON RIM...COCONINO PLATEAU...AND THE MOUNTAINS OF YAVAPAI COUNTY...AND 3 TO 5 INCHES OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF BLACK MESA OF NORTHEAST ARIZONA...THE HEAVIEST SNOW IS EXPECTED ABOVE 6000 FEET. SNOW LEVELS ARE EXPECTED TO DROP TO AROUND 3000 TO 4000 FEET MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY MORNING...WITH SOME SNOW ACCUMULATION POSSIBLE...3 INCHES OR LESS. HIGH TEMPERATURES BY TUESDAY ARE FORECAST TO RUN 10 TO 15 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. WEDNESDAY...A FLAT RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE OVER THE SOUTHWEST...WITH FAIR CONDITIONS AND TEMPERATURES REBOUNDING BACK TO NORMAL VALUES. THURSDAY...YET ANOTHER WEATHER DISTURBANCE IS FORECAST TO APPROACH THE AREA FROM THE NORTHWEST...HELPING TO PRODUCE ANOTHER POSSIBLE ROUND OF STRONG SOUTHWEST WINDS THURSDAY AFTERNOON. THERE WILL BE A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS MAINLY FROM I-40 NORTHWARD TO THE UTAH BORDER AS THE LOW MOVES ON THROUGH. A COOL NORTHERLY FLOW AND DRY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED NEXT WEEKEND WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES CLOSE TO NORMAL VALUES FOR THIS TIME OF THE YEAR. && .AVIATION...FOR THE 18Z PACKAGE...A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO NORTHWESTERN ARIZONA THIS AFTERNOON AND ACROSS THE AREA TONIGHT. SURFACE WINDS S-SW AT 20-30KT WITH GUSTS 40KTS WILL DEVELOP TODAY. PEAK GUSTS UP TO 55KT IN THE LITTLE COLORADO RIVER VALLEY BTWN 20Z-01Z TUES MAY PRODUCE BLOWING DUST. WINDS SW-W 15-25KT AFT 02Z. TIL 23Z...VFR CONDITIONS PREVAILING...WITH SCT-BKN 4KFT AGL OVER HIGHER TERRAIN. AFT 23Z...EXPECT WDSPRD MVFR AND IFR CONDITIONS IN SHSN/SHRA WEST OF A LINE FROM KPAN TO KPGA. THESE CONDITIONS WILL WORSEN AND SPREAD EASTWARD THIS EVENING...WITH SCT LIFR/VLIFR CONDITIONS DUE TO CLOUDS AND PRECIP OVER HIGHER TERRAIN THROUGH AROUND 15Z THEN IMPROVING. AVIATION DISCUSSION NOT UPDATED FOR AMENDMENTS. && .FGZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WIND ADVISORY FROM 8 AM TO 10 PM MST MONDAY FOR AZZ004>009-015- 037-038-104>109-115-137-138. WIND ADVISORY FROM 10 AM TO 10 PM MST MONDAY FOR AZZ010-011- 016>018-039-110-111-116>118-139. HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 10 AM TO 10 PM MST MONDAY FOR AZZ012>014-040-112>114-140. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 11 AM MST TUESDAY FOR AZZ004-006>008-015-016-018-038-039. && PUBLIC...MAS/TC AVIATION...JJ FOR NORTHERN ARIZONA WEATHER INFORMATION VISIT WEATHER.GOV/FLAGSTAFF.
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ 532 AM MST MON FEB 27 2012 AZZ004>018-037>040-280930- 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- 532 AM MST MON FEB 27 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 A PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM WILL MOVE ACROSS NORTHERN ARIZONA TODAY BRINGING BOTH STRONG WINDS AND PERIODS OF RAIN AND SNOW. STRONG SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL DEVELOP DURING THE MORNING HOURS AND INCREASE DURING THE AFTERNOON. A HIGH WIND WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR EAST CENTRAL ARIZONA WHERE WINDS GUSTS OF 55 TO 65 MPH ARE EXPECTED. A WIND ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE REMAINDER OF NORTHERN ARIZONA WHERE WINDS GUSTS WILL REACH 40 TO 50 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON. WINDS WILL SLOWLY DECREASE LATER THIS EVENING. RAIN AND SNOW WILL DEVELOP TONIGHT AND CONTINUE INTO TUESDAY MORNING. A SNOW ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR PORTIONS OF COCONINO...YAVAPAI...SOUTHERN NAVAJO...AND NORTHERN GILA COUNTIES. TOTAL SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 4 TO 8 INCHES CAN BE EXPECTED ACROSS THE KAIBAB PLATEAU...WITH 3 TO 8 INCHES OVER THE MOGOLLON RIM...AND 3 TO 6 INCHES OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF THE BLACK MESA...AND 1 TO 4 INCHES ELSEWHERE ABOVE 3000 FEET. SNOW LEVELS ARE EXPECTED TO DROP TO AROUND 3000 TO 4000 FEET TONIGHT INTO TUESDAY MORNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY THE PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE TO BRING PERIODS OF HEAVY SNOW EARLY TUESDAY MORNING MAINLY EAST OF FLAGSTAFF...BEFORE TAPERING OFF LATE TUESDAY MORNING. THURSDAY...YET ANOTHER WEATHER DISTURBANCE IS FORECAST TO APPROACH THE AREA FROM THE NORTHWEST...HELPING TO PRODUCE ANOTHER POSSIBLE ROUND OF STRONG SOUTHWEST WINDS THURSDAY AFTERNOON. THERE WILL BE A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS MAINLY FROM I-40 NORTHWARD TO THE UTAH BORDER AS THE LOW MOVES ON THROUGH. .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.
1 heavy snow, 1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Eight inches of new snow fell in Jacob Lake overnight. ADOT reported a total of 12 inches of new snow about a mile north of Jacob Lake by noon.
An approaching cold front brought high wind to the Eastern Mogollon Rim during the early morning hours. The peak wind gust in Linden was 61 MPH. The Limestone RAWS recorded peak wind gusts between 57 and 59 MPH between 100 AM and 5 AM.
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: 367796, 367798.