Another storm system hit northern Arizona with strong winds.
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.
Another storm system hit northern Arizona with strong winds.
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 26, 9:07 AM MST, 1 hour 22 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ 907 AM MST SAT DEC 26 2015 .SYNOPSIS...VERY COLD AND BLUSTERY CONDITIONS WILL DEVELOP ACROSS NORTHERN ARIZONA TODAY...WITH LOW WIND CHILL VALUES FOR THE HIGHER TERRAIN. THERE IS A CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS ALONG THE MOGOLLON RIM WITH SNOW SHOWERS LIKELY FOR THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. FAIR...BUT CONTINUED COLD WEATHER IS EXPECTED SUNDAY AND MONDAY. ANOTHER COLD LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL BRING A CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS BACK TO THE REGION MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY. && .UPDATE...MADE A COUPLE UPDATES THIS MORNING TO INCREASE THE CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION ALONG THE MOGOLLON RIM FROM SHOW LOW TO FLAGSTAFF TO ACCOUNT FOR CURRENT RADAR TRENDS AND OBSERVATIONS. ALSO, MADE SOME MINOR INCREASES TO THE CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION IN THE SAME AREA THROUGH AROUND MIDDAY AS UPSLOPE WINDS ARE FORECASTED TO INCREASE OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS. UNCERTAINTY PRIMARILY LIES IN THE WESTERN EXTENT OF THE UPSLOPE INDUCED SNOWFALL AS THE CUTOFF LOW, CURRENTLY POSITIONED OVER EAST- CENTRAL ARIZONA, PUSHES EASTWARD THROUGHOUT THE DAY. && .PREV DISCUSSION /428 AM MST/...THE UPPER LOW IS IN THE PROCESS OF CLOSING OFF THIS MORNING AS IT SHIFTS SOUTHWARD ACROSS ARIZONA. NORTHEAST FLOW ALOFT IS ALREADY INCREASING AND WILL BECOME STRONG LATER THIS MORNING INTO THIS EVENING...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE MOGOLLON RIM...YAVAPAI COUNTY AND NORTHERN GILA COUNTY. A WIND ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED THROUGH THIS EVENING FOR THESE AREAS...EXPECTING NORTH TO NORTHEAST WIND GUSTS IN THE 35 TO 45 MPH RANGE...LOCALLY HIGHER IMMEDIATELY DOWNWIND OF MOUNTAIN PEAKS. TEMPERATURES BY THIS AFTERNOON ARE EXPECTED TO BE NEAR 20 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. COMBINED WITH THE GUSTY WINDS...WIND CHILL VALUES WILL STRUGGLE TO REACH ZERO OVER THE MOUNTAINS WITH TEENS AND 20S FOR THE LOWER ELEVATIONS. THERE IS ALSO A CHANCE FOR SOME LIGHT UPSLOPE SNOW ON THE UPSLOPE NORTH SIDE OF THE MOGOLLON RIM MAINLY THIS MORNING. LIGHT SNOW IS LIKELY TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING FOR THE WHITE MOUNTAINS WHERE A FEW INCHES OF NEW SNOW ARE POSSIBLE. FAIR WEATHER RETURNS TO THE REGION SUNDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH MONDAY...THOUGH TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN SEVERAL DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. ANOTHER COLD LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IS FORECAST TO CROSS THE STATE MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY. WE INCREASED THE CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS FOR THIS TIME PERIOD WITH THIS MORNINGS FORECAST PACKAGE. MODEL PRECIPITATION FORECASTS CONTINUE TO BE RATHER LIGHT WITH THIS SYSTEM...BUT WE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR FOR ANY CHANGES SO STAY TUNED. && .AVIATION...FOR THE 18Z PACKAGE...AREAS ALONG THE NORTH SIDE OF THE MOGOLLON RIM FROM KFLG SOUTHEAST THROUGH KSOW WILL EXPERIENCE FREQUENT MVFR/IFR IN SHSN AND BLOWING SNOW THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON. ELSEWHERE PRIMARILY VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED. STRONG N/NW WINDS DEVELOPING 20-25 KTS GUSTING 30-40 KTS THROUGH 03-06Z. && .FGZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 8 PM MST THIS EVENING FOR AZZ008-015-016-018- 037-038. && PUBLIC...RR/JJ AVIATION...MCS FOR NORTHERN ARIZONA WEATHER INFORMATION VISIT WEATHER.GOV/FLAGSTAFF
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ 358 AM MST SAT DEC 26 2015 AZZ004>018-037>040-270300- 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- 358 AM MST SAT DEC 26 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR APACHE...COCONINO... NORTHERN GILA...NAVAJO...AND YAVAPAI COUNTIES IN NORTHERN ARIZONA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT GUSTY NORTHEAST WINDS WILL DEVELOP THROUGH THIS EVENING WITH GUSTS OF 35 TO 45 MPH ALONG AND SOUTH OF THE MOGOLLON RIM. THIS WILL RESULT IN VERY COLD WIND CHILL VALUES. THERE WILL ALSO BE A CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS ALONG THE NORTH SIDE OF THE MOGOLLON RIM...WITH SNOW SHOWERS LIKELY ACROSS THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. SPOTTY LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS ARE POSSIBLE ALONG THE MOGOLLON RIM...WITH A FEW INCHES OF NEW SNOW ACROSS THE WHITE MOUNTAINS BY SUNDAY MORNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY ON SUNDAY...BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES CONTINUE WITH A CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS OVER THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. DRY...BUT COLD CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED MONDAY. ANOTHER LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL BRING A CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS BACK TO THE AREA MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A peak wind gust of 63 MPH was recorded at the Flagstaff Airport at 1029 AM.
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: 605787.