A low pressure system approaching Arizona from the Pacific Northwest brought southwest winds to northern parts of the state. Several locations reported wind gusts over 50 MPH.
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 low pressure system approaching Arizona from the Pacific Northwest brought southwest winds to northern parts of the state. Several locations reported wind gusts over 50 MPH. One station in northwestern Yavapai county reported a peak wind gust of 60 MPH.
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 6, 9:00 AM MST, 4 hours 5 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ 900 AM MST TUE MAY 6 2014 .SYNOPSIS...A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM APPROACHING FROM THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST WILL BRING STRONG SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS TODAY ALONG WITH COOLER TEMPERATURES. ON WEDNESDAY...THIS SYSTEM WILL MOVE ACROSS ARIZONA RESULTING IN A CHANCE OF SHOWERS. FAIR AND WARMER WEATHER WILL RETURN FOR THE END OF THE WEEK. && .DISCUSSION...AN APPROACHING AREA OF LOW PRESSURE WAS LOCATED ALONG THE CALIF COAST THIS MORNING AND CONTINUES TO MOVE TO THE SOUTHEAST. EXPECT WINDY CONDITIONS TO DEVELOP BY LATER THIS MORNING AND CONTINUE THROUGH THE DAY AND INTO THE EVENING. A WIND ADVISORY AND A RED FLAG WARNING REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF NRN AZ TODAY. THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL MOVE ACROSS AZ ON WEDNESDAY BRINGING A DECREASE IN WINDS...MUCH COOLER TEMPS...AND A CHANCE OF RAIN AND MOUNTAIN SNOW SHOWERS. SNOW LEVELS WILL BRIEFLY FALL TO 6500-7000 FEET DURING THE DAY WEDNESDAY BUT LITTLE OR NO SNOW ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED BELOW ABOUT 8000 FEET. RAIN/SNOW AMOUNTS WILL GENERALLY BE LIGHT AS THIS SYSTEM HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO TAP INTO ANY SUBSTANTIAL MOISTURE POOL ACROSS THE PACIFIC. ECMWF AND GFS STILL DIFFER ON THURSDAY WITH THE ECMWF CONTINUING TO INDICATE A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AS A SECOND S/W TROUGH SWINGS ACROSS THE AREA. WILL CONTINUE TO CARRY A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE FCST FOR THIS PERIOD. A DRY NW FLOW DEVELOPS LATER IN THE WEEK AND TEMPS WARM BACK TO SEASONABLE READINGS. ANOTHER PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM WILL APPROACH THE REGION EARLY NEXT WEEK BRINGING COOLER TEMPS AND INCREASING WINDS. && .AVIATION...FOR THE 18Z PACKAGE...EXPECT VFR CONDITIONS ACROSS ALL OF NRN AZ THROUGH 12Z WEDS. SOUTH-SOUTHWEST WINDS OF 10 TO 15 KT INCREASING TO 20 TO 25 KT GUSTS 35 TO 45 KT THROUGH 03Z WEDS THEN S BECOMING 5 TO 15 KT. AFT 12Z WEDS...COCONINO COUNTY TO SEE AREAS BKN CIGS 2500 FT AGL WITH -SHRA/-SHSN. && .FIRE WEATHER...STRONG SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL DEVELOP TODAY AS A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM APPROACHES ARIZONA. HUMIDITY LEVELS WILL BE ON THE INCREASE OVER WESTERN ARIZONA WITH CRITICAL FIRE CONDITIONS SHIFTING TO THE NORTHEAST PORTION OF THE STATE. ON WEDNESDAY...THE LOW CENTER WILL PUSH ACROSS THE AREA WITH LIGHTER WINDS AND A GOOD CHANCE OF RAIN AND HIGHER ELEVATION SNOW SHOWERS. THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY...LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE TO THE NORTHEAST OF ARIZONA. A FEW SHOWERS WILL LINGER ON THURSDAY BUT ALL IN ALL WARMER AND DRIER WEATHER IS EXPECTED WITH BREEZY CONDITIONS EACH AFTERNOON. && .FGZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... RED FLAG WARNING FROM 9 AM THIS MORNING TO 8 PM MST THIS EVENING FOR AZZ105-109>114-117-139-140. WIND ADVISORY FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 8 PM MST THIS EVENING FOR AZZ004>017-039-040. && PUBLIC.........DB AVIATION.......DL FIRE WEATHER...MCCOLLUM FOR NORTHERN ARIZONA WEATHER INFORMATION VISIT WEATHER.GOV/FLAGSTAFF
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ 341 AM MST TUE MAY 6 2014 AZZ004>018-037>040-070400- 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 TUE MAY 6 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR APACHE...COCONINO... NORTHERN GILA...NAVAJO...AND YAVAPAI COUNTIES IN NORTHERN ARIZONA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM AND COLD FRONT WILL PUSH INTO WESTERN ARIZONA TODAY. THIS WILL PRODUCE STRONG SOUTHWEST WINDS OF 20 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS AS HIGH AS 50 MPH. A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FROM LATE MORNING UNTIL EARLY EVENING. SEE PRODUCT ID PHXNPWFGZ FOR DETAILS. THERE MAY BE AREAS OF BLOWING DUST CREATING REDUCED VISIBILITY IN THE VALLEYS OF NORTHEAST ARIZONA. COMBINED WITH LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY IN NORTHEAST ARIZONA...THESE WINDS WILL ALSO CAUSE CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS AND A RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT. SEE PRODUCT ID PHXRFWFGZ FOR DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY A CHANCE FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP BY WEDNESDAY AS THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM PASSES THROUGH THE NORTHLAND. REGARDLESS...THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER WILL BE LOW. .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 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
An anemometer 5 miles south-southwest of Ash Fork recorded a peak wind gust of 60 MPH (at 10 feet).
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arizona in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in Arizona, May 2014
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: 519373.