A strong cold front for May moved across northern Arizona on May 8. This was a windy system with damaging winds reported in far eastern Arizona.
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 strong cold front for May moved across northern Arizona on May 8. This was a windy system with damaging winds reported in far eastern 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 8, 4:10 PM MST, 45 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ 410 PM MST FRI MAY 8 2015 .SYNOPSIS...AN UNSEASONABLY COLD AND WINDY STORM SYSTEM WILL AFFECT THE REGION THROUGH SATURDAY. EXPECT GOOD CHANCES FOR RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS...AS WELL AS THUNDERSTORMS...THROUGH SATURDAY. SHOWERS WILL DECREASE FROM WEST TO EAST SATURDAY NIGHT. ANOTHER WEAK DISTURBANCE WILL DROP THROUGH NORTHERN ARIZONA ON SUNDAY PRODUCING A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR SHOWERS MAINLY FROM THE MOGOLLON RIM NORTH. A WARMING TREND WILL ARRIVE MONDAY WITH WARMER AND DRIER WEATHER LASTING THROUGH WEDNESDAY. && .DISCUSSION...THE UPPER LOW IS MOVING INTO FAR WESTERN ARIZONA THIS AFTERNOON. THE MAIN BAND OF PRECIPITATION HAS MOVE EAST OF FLAGSTAFF...TO PAGE LINE. ADDITIONAL SHOWERS ARE FILLING IN OVER WESTERN ARIZONA UNDER THE COLD CORE. MORE LIFT AND INSTABILITY IS FORECAST ALONG WITH AN ENHANCE AREA OF LIFT IN RELATION TO THE JET THAT IS CURRENTLY BOTTOMING OUT ALONG THE SOUTHERN END OF THE LOW...AND THE JET IS FORECAST TO MOVE NORTHEAST THROUGH COCONINO AND YAVAPAI COUNTY THIS EVENING. ANTICIPATING MORE WIDE SPREAD ACTIVITY OVER NIGHT INTO YAVAPAI... COCONINO AND NAVAJO COUNTIES. TEMPERATURES ALOFT WILL CONTINUE TO FALL THIS EVENING AS THE UPPER LOW MOVES OVER THE AREA WITH SNOW LEVELS FALLING TO AROUND 6000 FEET BY SATURDAY MORNING...WITH ACCUMULATING SNOW IN THE HIGH COUNTRY. 1-3 INCHES OF SNOW OVER SOME LOCATIONS. THE UPPER LOW WILL MOVE ON THROUGH ARIZONA AND INTO COLORADO AND NEW MEXICO BY SATURDAY EVENING...WITH DECREASING CHANCES OF SHOWERS. ANOTHER WEAK DISTURBANCE WILL WRAP AROUND THE LOW SOUTHWARD THROUGH ARIZONA ON SUNDAY CONTINUE A 20 TO 30% CHC OF SHOWERS. MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...AS THE LOW CENTER MOVES EAST OF ARIZONA A WEAK HIGH PRESSURE IS FORECAST TO BUILD IN FROM THE WEST. WARMER AND DRIER WEATHER WILL RETURN PERHAPS THROUGH WEDNESDAY. FORECAST MODELS CAN NOT AGREE ON THE LATER HALF OF NEXT WEEK WHETHER UNSETTLE CONDITIONS WILL RETURN TO THE SOUTHWEST. FORECAST FOR THIS TIME PERIOD IS FOR A 10% CHC OF SHOWERS...CONFIDENCE IS LOW. && .AVIATION...FOR THE 00Z PACKAGE...EXPECT WDSPRD CIGS FROM 3-5KFT AGL WITH MVFR/IFR OVER MOST OF THE HIGHER TERRAIN. -SHRA/-SHSN/-TSRA CAN ALL BE EXPECTED...SNOW LEVELS FALLING TO AROUND 5KFT MSL FROM WEST TO EAST OVERNIGHT. IMPROVEMENT WEST TO EAST AFT 06Z SATURDAY...BUT ISOLD IFR IN -SHSN PERSISTING OVER HIGHER TERRAIN. MOST AREAS VFR BY 18Z-20Z SATURDAY. AVIATION DISCUSSION NOT UPDATED FOR TAF AMENDMENTS. && .FIRE WEATHER...AN UNUSUALLY COLD LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL BRING A GOOD CHANCE OF RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS TO MUCH OF THE DISTRICT THROUGH EARLY SATURDAY. SOME DRYING AND WARMING WILL DEVELOP BY SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND MOST PRECIPITATION WILL END BY SATURDAY EVENING. GUSTY SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL TURN WESTERLY TONIGHT AND SATURDAY...AND NORTHWESTERLY BY SUNDAY. SPEEDS AFTER THIS AFTERNOON WILL DECREASE SIGNIFICANTLY. EXPECT LINGERING SHOWERS AND FURTHER WARMING ON SUNDAY...AS LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM SLOWLY EXITS THE STATE. MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...A DRY AND SEASONABLY WARM PERIOD IS ANTICIPATED DURING THESE DAYS...WITH AFTERNOON SOUTHWEST BREEZES. && .FGZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && PUBLIC.........TC AVIATION.......PETERSON FIRE WEATHER...PETERSON
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The Window Rock ASOS reported wind gusts over 50 MPH from 455 PM MST to 520 PM MST. The peak wind gust of 67 MPH was recorded at 506 PM MST. A tree branch fell on a vehicle.
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, May 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: 581671.