A downburst from a passing shower hit the visitor center at Meteor Crater.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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 downburst from a passing shower hit the visitor center at Meteor Crater.
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 Jun 24, 2:30 PM MST, 15 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ 230 PM MST SUN JUN 24 2012 .SYNOPSIS... HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING INTO ARIZONA FROM THE EAST WILL BRING LIGHTER WINDS AND INCREASING MOISTURE OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. AS A RESULT... EXPECT ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA THROUGH TUESDAY. A DRIER AIR MASS WILL BEGIN TO PUSH ACROSS THE NORTHLAND BY MIDWEEK WITH A DECREASING CHANCE OF STORMS. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN NEAR TO ABOVE NORMAL. && .DISCUSSION... HIGH PRESSURE REMAINED STATIONED OVER THE CENTRAL UNITED STATES WITH A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE LOCATED JUST OFF THE WEST COAST DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS. SOUTHERLY FLOW BETWEEN THESE PRESSURE PATTERNS WILL CONTINUE TO DRAW MOISTURE OVER MEXICO ACROSS ARIZONA OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. FOR THIS EVENING...ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL LINGER UNTIL JUST AFTER SUNSET. OTHERWISE...EXPECTING JUST A FEW CLOUDS AND MILD TEMPERATURES OVERNIGHT. FOR MONDAY AND TUESDAY...SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL CONTINUE TO DRAW MOISTURE NORTHWARD. EXPECT THE CHANCE FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL INCREASE SOME ON MONDAY AND TUESDAY BUT REMAIN LARGELY HIGH-BASED AND ISOLATED WITH LITTLE PRECIPITATION AT THE GROUND. THE MAIN IMPACTS LOOK TO BE STRONG GUSTY WINDS NEAR ANY STORMS AND DRY LIGHTNING WHICH WILL BE AN ISSUE FOR HIKERS AND POTENTIAL LIGHTNING STARTS IN THE FOREST. FROM WEDNESDAY INTO SATURDAY...THE WEST COAST TROUGH WILL LIFT NORTHEASTWARD MOVING ALONG THE U.S./CANADIAN BORDER. THIS WILL HELP SUPPRESS THE CENTRAL U.S. HIGH SOUTH AND WESTWARD PRODUCING A DRIER WEST TO SOUTHWEST FLOW ACROSS NORTHERN ARIZONA. THIS WILL LIKELY BRING AN END TO SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY EXCEPT FOR PORTIONS OF FAR EASTERN ARIZONA. MOISTURE OVER MEXICO WILL REMAIN POISED TO MOVE BACK ACROSS ARIZONA WITH ANY SHIFT TO SOUTHERLY FLOW. WE WILL KEEP YOU UPDATED THROUGH THE COMING WEEK. && .AVIATION...FOR THE 00Z PACKAGE...WINDS SW08-15KT...DIMINISHING AFT 01-03Z. ISOLD HIGH-BASED -SHRA/-TSRA PRODUCING MAINLY VIRGA ALONG WITH GUSTY AND ERRATIC SFC WINDS. ISOLD MICROBURSTS PSBL. MOST CONVECTION ENDING 02-04Z. AVIATION DISCUSSION NOT UPDATED FOR AMENDMENTS. && .FIRE WEATHER...MONDAY AND TUESDAY...HIGH PRESSURE TO THE EAST AND LOW PRESSURE OVER THE EASTERN PACIFIC WILL MAINTAIN A SOUTHERLY FLOW ACROSS THE REGION. MOISTURE IS EXPECTED TO SLOWLY INCREASE ACROSS THE REGION OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE BOTH DAYS...HOWEVER...A VERY HOT BOUNDARY LAYER WILL REMAIN SO THAT MOST PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO EVAPORATE BEFORE REACHING THE GROUND AND LITTLE OR NO MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED. THE INCREASE IN MOISTURE WILL RESULT IN A REDUCTION OF THE HAINES INDEX AND WILL ALLOW BETTER OVERNIGHT RECOVERY. WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...THE MOIST FLOW WILL WEAKEN DURING THIS PERIOD AND CHANCES OF PRECIPITATION WILL DECREASE...HOWEVER ENOUGH MOISTURE WILL REMAIN ACROSS THE AREA TO ALLOW MODERATE OVERNIGHT RECOVERY. && .FGZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && PUBLIC.........MCCOLLUM AVIATION.......DB FIRE WEATHER...DB FOR NORTHERN ARIZONA WEATHER INFORMATION VISIT WEATHER.GOV/FLAGSTAFF
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ 1134 PM MST SAT JUN 23 2012 AZZ004>018-037>040-241200- 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- 1134 PM MST SAT JUN 23 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST CENTRAL ARIZONA...NORTH CENTRAL ARIZONA...NORTHEAST ARIZONA AND WEST CENTRAL ARIZONA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY INCREASING MOISTURE WILL LEAD TO WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS NORTH OF A PRESCOTT TO WINDOW ROCK LINE WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS SOUTH OF THAT LINE ON SUNDAY. MORE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A shower passing to the east of Meteor Crater caused a down bust with a peak wind of 60 MPH and blowing dust.
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, June 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: 395911.