A strong low pressure system over the Great Basin brought strong winds and blowing dust to portions of northern Arizona.
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 low pressure system over the Great Basin brought strong winds and blowing dust to portions of northern Arizona.
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 May 23, 2:55 PM MST, 30 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ 255 PM MST WED MAY 23 2012 .SYNOPSIS...A DEEP TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE WILL DEVELOP OVER THE WEST BRINGING WINDY CONDITIONS AND A COOLING TREND FOR THE REST OF THIS WEEK. AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT FRIDAY AND SATURDAY WILL BRING SOME OF THE STRONGEST WINDS SO FAR THIS SPRING. AS THE COLD FRONT MOVES ACROSS NORTHERN ARIZONA SATURDAY COOLER TEMPERATURES WILL DEVELOP AS WELL AS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION FROM FLAGSTAFF NORTHWESTWARD. && .DISCUSSION...A LONGWAVE TROUGH OVER THE WEST IS BRINGING WINDY AND DRY CONDITIONS TO NORTHERN ARIZONA TODAY...WITH WINDS 20-35 MPH TYPICAL FROM THE MOGOLLON RIM AND WHITE MOUNTAINS NORTHWARD...AND GUSTS AS HIGH AS 52 MPH MEASURED SO FAR. A WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT IN THESE AREAS. AREAS OF BLOWING DUST WILL ALSO AFFECT THE VALLEYS OF NORTHEASTERN AZ. FOR THURSDAY...A WEAKNESS IN THE LONGWAVE TROUGH WILL DEVELOP AS A STRONGER SHORTWAVE DIGS SOUTHWARD INTO CA. THIS WILL PRODUCE SLIGHTLY LIGHTER WINDS ACROSS MOST OF NORTHERN AZ...ALTHOUGH WINDS 20-25 MPH WILL STILL AFFECT MUCH OF NORTHERN AZ THURSDAY AFTERNOON. BREEZY WINDS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT AS PRESSURE GRADIENTS CONTINUE TO TIGHTEN ACROSS THE REGION. THE STRONGEST WINDS LOOK TO BE ON FRIDAY AFTERNOON AS THE SHORTWAVE SWINGS EASTWARD TOWARD AZ. WINDS ACROSS NORTHERN AZ WILL GENERALLY INCREASE TO 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS 45 TO 55 MPH. AREAS OF BLOWING DUST WILL LIKELY AFFECT THE VALLEYS OF NORTHEAST AZ AGAIN. LOW VISIBILITIES DUE TO DUST AND STRONG WINDS WILL HAVE TRAVEL IMPACTS IN NORTHEAST AZ. FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY...THE TROUGH WILL LIFT NORTHEASTWARD...CLIPPING NORTHERN AZ AND ESPECIALLY NORTHWEST AZ WITH A COLD FRONT AND A SLIGHT CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION. STRONG WINDS WILL CONTINUE AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT...BRINGING BREEZY TO STRONG WINDS FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY...ESPECIALLY OVER EASTERN AZ. TEMPERATURES WILL COOL 5-10 DEGREES FROM FRIDAY'S READINGS BRINGING A COOL DAY TO MUCH OF NORTHERN AZ. SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY WILL FEATURE A WARMING TREND AND MUCH LESS WINDY CONDITIONS. && .AVIATION...FOR THE 00Z PACKAGE...VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS. WINDS SW20-30G35-45KTS FROM THE MOGOLLON RIM NORTHWARD...AND 15-25G30KTS ELSEWHERE. WINDS DIMINISHING AFT 02-04Z. AREAS OF SMOKE DOWNWIND OF WILDFIRES ALONG AND SOUTH OF THE MOGOLLON RIM. AFT 24/18Z...WINDS BCMG SW10-20G35KT. AVIATION DISCUSSION NOT UPDATED FOR AMENDMENTS. && .FIRE WEATHER...A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE OFF THE WEST COAST WILL MAINTAIN A DRY AND WINDY PATTERN ACROSS NORTHERN ARIZONA THOUGH THE WEEKEND. WINDS HAVE STRENGTHENED THIS AFTERNOON AS THE FIRST DISTURBANCE MOVES THROUGH THE TROUGH. A RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF NORTHERN ARIZONA THROUGH THIS EVENING. WINDS WILL DECREASE SOME ON THURSDAY BUT ARE EXPECTED TO REACH CRITICAL CONDITIONS AND A RED FLAG WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THURSDAY NIGHT AND CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS MAY BE EXPERIENCED IN SOME LOCATIONS OVERNIGHT. WINDS WILL BECOME VERY STRONG ON FRIDAY AND CRITICAL TO EXTREME FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED. SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY...WINDS WILL BEGIN TO DECREASE ON SATURDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL COOL A FEW DEGREES AND MOISTURE WILL INCREASE LESSENING THE CHANCES OF CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS DURING THIS PERIOD. && .FGZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... RED FLAG WARNING TODAY 10 AM MST UNTIL 8 PM MST FOR AZZ104>118-137>140. RED FLAG WARNING THURSDAY 11 AM MST THROUGH FRIDAY AT 8 PM MST FOR AZZ104>118-137>140. WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 8 PM MST TODAY FOR AZZ004-005-009>017-039-040. && PUBLIC.........DJO AVIATION.......DB FIRE WEATHER...DB FOR NORTHERN ARIZONA WEATHER INFORMATION VISIT WEATHER.GOV/FLAGSTAFF
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ 312 PM MST WED MAY 23 2012 AZZ004>018-037>040-240900- 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- 312 PM MST WED MAY 23 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 STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM AND COLD FRONT IS TAKING SHAPE IN THE WESTERN U.S. FOR NORTHERN ARIZONA...THIS WILL BRING WINDY CONDITIONS AND CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS TODAY. A RED FLAG WARNING IS IN EFFECT THROUGHOUT NORTHERN ARIZONA AND A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST ARIZONA. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY A STRONG WEATHER SYSTEM AND COLD FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP OVER THE WESTERN STATES FROM THURSDAY INTO SATURDAY WITH THE COLD FRONT SWEEPING ACROSS THE AREA ON SATURDAY. THIS WEATHER PATTERN WILL BRING SEVERAL CONSECUTIVE DAYS OF DRY AND WINDY WEATHER ACROSS NORTHERN ARIZONA. CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE LIKELY FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME AND A RED FLAG WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM LATE THURSDAY MORING UNTIL FRIDAY EVENING. SOUTHWEST WIND WILL INCREASE TO 25 TO 35 MPH FRIDAY AFTERNOON ACROSS MOST OF NORTHERN ARIZONA...WITH GUSTS FROM 45 TO 55 MPH. THESE WINDS COULD ALSO CAUSE CONSIDERABLE BLOWING DUST AND SAND IN THE LITTLE COLORADO RIVER VALLEY AND THE CHINLE VALLEY WITH AREAS OF ZERO VISIBILITY. THESE CONDITIONS WOULD HAVE SERIOUS IMPACTS TO TRAVEL ACROSS NORTHERN ARIZONA...ESPECIALLY FOR THE LITTLE COLORADO RIVER VALLEY AND THE CHINLE VALLEY WITH MAJOR ROUTES LIKE I-40...HIGHWAY 89...ROUTE 191 AND 160...AND OTHER SECONDARY ROADS IN PORTIONS OF COCONINO...NAVAJO AND APACHE COUNTIES BEING SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTED.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind, 1 dust storm. Local standard time, as filed.
The Window Rock ASOS reported a peak wind gust of 60 MPH. The visibility was down to 4 miles in dust at the time.
Blowing dust dropped the visibility down to half a mile in the community of Many Farms. The visibility in Chinle was down to 100 feet.
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, May 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: 394007, 394038.