A cold storm system brought snow to lower elevations of central Arizona that do not often see snow. The snow amounts that fell at higher elevations were well below advisory criteria.
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 cold storm system brought snow to lower elevations of central Arizona that do not often see snow. The snow amounts that fell at higher elevations were well below advisory criteria.
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 Dec 20, 3:30 AM MST, 2 hours 30 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ 330 AM MST SUN DEC 20 2015 .SYNOPSIS...A WEATHER SYSTEM WILL MOVE ACROSS ARIZONA TODAY LEADING TO COLDER TEMPERATURES...BREEZY CONDITIONS AND A CHANCE OF RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS. LOOK FOR A BRIEF BREAK ON MONDAY BEFORE UNSETTLED CONDITIONS AND NEAR TO BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES SET IN THE FOR REMAINDER OF THE WEEK. WINTRY WEATHER REMAINS A DISTINCT POSSIBILITY HEADING INTO THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY WEEKEND. && .DISCUSSION...A FAST MOVING SHORTWAVE WILL BRING A CHANCE FOR SHOWERS TODAY, PRIMARILY FROM THE MOGOLLON RIM NORTHWARD. A COLD FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH THIS FAST MOVING SYSTEM WILL PUSH ACROSS NORTHERN ARIZONA TODAY WITH DAYTIME TEMPERATURES A GOOD 5 TO 10 DEGREES LOWER THAN ON SATURDAY. THE SNOW LEVEL WILL DIP DOWN TO 4500- 5500 FEET BUT THIS SYSTEM WILL BE ON THE DRY SIDE WITH SNOW ACCUMULATIONS GENERALLY OF 1 INCH OR LESS. ON MONDAY...MODELS ARE PROMISING FAIR WEATHER AS A FAST MOVING HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVES ACROSS THE STATE. LOOK FOR A BIT WARMER TEMPERATURES AND DRY CONDITIONS UNDER PARTLY TO MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES. STARTING TUESDAY AND LASTING INTO THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY WEEKEND...A COMPLICATED PATTERN UNFOLDS. A SERIES OF FAST MOVING WEATHER DISTURBANCES WILL HUSTLE ACROSS ARIZONA WITH UNSETTLED WEATHER CONDITIONS DEVELOPING. THERE WILL BE SOME CHANCE OF SHOWERS EVERY DAY WITH THE BEST CHANCE FROM THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY AS THE STRONGEST SYSTEM OF THE SERIES MOVES ACROSS ARIZONA. THE SNOW LEVEL IS EXPECTED TO RANGE FROM 6500-7500 FEET ON TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY BUT THEN TREND LOWER FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE PERIOD AS A COLDER AIR MASS PUSHES IN FROM THE NORTH. ON CHRISTMAS DAY SNOW LEVELS COULD DIP DOWN TO AROUND 3000 FEET ALONG THE ARIZONA/UTAH BORDER REGION WITH SNOW LEVEL OF AROUND 4500 FEET ACROSS CENTRAL ARIZONA. ACCUMULATING SNOW IS A DISTINCT POSSIBILITY FROM THURSDAY INTO CHRISTMAS DAY. THERE STILL REMAINS QUITE A BIT OF UNCERTAINTY CONCERNING THE WEATHER ON CHRISTMAS EVE AND CHRISTMAS DAY WITH MODEL SOLUTIONS CONTINUING TO VARY WILDLY IN TERMS OF PRECIPITATION. THE WINDY AND COLDER PORTION OF THE FORECAST LOOKS NEARLY CERTAIN. THE MODELS WILL EVENTUALLY SETTLE ON A PREFFERED SOLUTION BUT THAT MAY BE A DAY OR TWO AWAY. FOR NOW, MAKE SURE AND CHECK BACK AS THE CHRISTMAS WEEKEND APPROACHES. && .AVIATION...FOR THE 12Z PACKAGE...A COLD FRONT WILL BRING A GOOD CHANCE OF SHRA/SHSN ALONG AND NORTH OF A LINE EXTENDING FROM KAYENTA TO PRESCOTT THIS MORNING. AREAS OF MVFR WITH LCL IFR CONDS POSSIBLE IN SHOWERS. AFT 19Z CLOUDS AND A FEW SHOWERS WILL MOVE INTO NAVAJO AND APACHE COUNTIES WITH LCL MVFR CONDS. BTWN 00Z-06Z MONDAY AREAS OF MVFR CONDS IN LOW CIGS...ESPCLY OVER THE HIGHER TRRN OF NO. AZ WILL IMPRV WITH MAINLY VFR CONDS AFT 06Z MONDAY. AVIATION DISCUSSION NOT UPDATED FOR TAF AMENDMENTS. && .FGZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && PUBLIC...MCCOLLUM AVIATION...TC FOR NORTHERN ARIZONA WEATHER INFORMATION VISIT WEATHER.GOV/FLAGSTAFF
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ 352 AM MST SUN DEC 20 2015 AZZ004>018-037>040-210345- 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- 352 AM MST SUN DEC 20 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR APACHE...COCONINO... NORTHERN GILA...NAVAJO...AND YAVAPAI COUNTIES IN NORTHERN ARIZONA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A FAST MOVING WEATHER SYSTEM WILL BRING A CHANCE FOR SHOWERS TODAY, PRIMARILY FROM THE MOGOLLON RIM NORTHWARD. AN ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT WILL PUSH ACROSS NORTHERN ARIZONA TODAY WITH DAYTIME TEMPERATURES A GOOD 5 TO 10 DEGREES LOWER THAN ON SATURDAY. THE SNOW LEVEL WILL DIP DOWN TO 4500-5500 FEET BUT THIS SYSTEM WILL BE ON THE DRY SIDE WITH SNOW ACCUMULATIONS GENERALLY OF 1 INCH OR LESS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY EXPECT UNSETTLED CONDITIONS WITH NEAR TO BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES FROM TUESDAY INTO SATURDAY. STARTING THURSDAY AND LASTING INTO THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY WEEKEND, A POTENT STORM SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO MOVE ACROSS ARIZONA DELIVERING WIDESPREAD WINTRY CONDITIONS TO NORTHERN ARIZONA. STAY TUNED FOR FURTHER UPDATES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Two inches of snow fell in Jerome at an elevation of 4800 feet.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arizona in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Arizona, December 2015
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: 605782.