Heavy Snow in Arizona, November 4 to 5, 2015

Name: Heavy Snow in Arizona, November 4 to 5, 2015
Start: 2015-11-04T01:00
End: 2015-11-05T12:00
Location: Arizona

November 4 to 5, 2015 · NWS FGZ · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

A slow moving storm system brought lowering snow levels to northern Arizona.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS FGZ wrote it up.

A slow moving storm system brought lowering snow levels to northern Arizona.

What forecasters said that day

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 Nov 3, 3:00 PM MST, 10 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 3, 3:00 PM MST, 10 hours before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Nov 3, 2:34 PM MST, 10 hours 26 minutes before

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The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Western Mogollon Rim

When: November 4, 1:00 AM MST to November 5, 8:00 AM MST
Where: Western Mogollon Rim forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 35.839, -111.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Six inches of snow fell by 600 AM MST in Kachina Village at an elevation of around 6800 feet. By 800 PM MST, 12 inches of snow fell in Mountainaire just 3 miles away. Six to 10 inches of snow fell by 700 PM east and northeast of Munds Park at about 6600 feet elevation. Snow continued to fall through the night on the 4th and into the morning of the 5th. Storm totals (in inches) include: Belemont 8, Munds Park 11, Flagstaff Airport 9.9, and Mormon Lake 8.

Heavy Snow, Eastern Mogollon Rim

When: November 4, 5:00 AM MST to November 5, 7:00 AM MST
Where: Eastern Mogollon Rim forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 35.620, -111.045 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

By 800 PM on the 4th, 8.5 inches of snow fell in Forest Lakes at an elevation of about 7600 feet above sea level. Twelve inches of snow fell by 700 AM on the 5th.

Heavy Snow, Northeast Plateaus and Mesas South of Highway 264

When: November 5, 4:00 AM MST to 12:00 PM MST
Where: Northeast Plateaus and Mesas South of Highway 264 forecast zone
Reported by: Department of Highways
Coordinates: 35.545, -110.527 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Six inches of snow fell in Chambers at an elevation of around 5700 feet MSL.

What these are

Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Arizona in 2015 Every state in 2015 This day in weather history Warnings in Arizona, November 2015

Sources

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: 605639, 605640, 605641.