The core of a strong upper level low moved across Utah with a cold front moving across Arizona. The associated cold front moved across northern Arizona and brought high winds to portions of the area.
Every event with a place to put it; 5 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.
The core of a strong upper level low moved across Utah with a cold front moving across Arizona. The associated cold front moved across northern Arizona and brought high winds to portions of the area.
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 Apr 25, 10:00 AM MST, 3 hours earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ 1000 AM MST MON APR 25 2016 .SYNOPSIS...EXPECT VERY WINDY AND COLDER CONDITIONS TODAY AS A STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVES THROUGH THE AREA. AREAS OF RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS ARE ALSO LIKELY...ESPECIALLY ALONG AND NORTH OF THE MOGOLLON RIM. AFTER A BREAK TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY...EXPECT WET AND COOL WEATHER TO RETURN BY THURSDAY. && .DISCUSSION...AN UNSEASONABLY DEEP LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM CAN BE SEEN STRETCHING FROM NORTHWEST ARIZONA AND WESTWARD INTO CENTRAL CALIFORNIA THIS MORNING. HIGHER DEWPOINTS WERE ADVECTED INTO ARIZONA OVERNIGHT AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT NOW IN WESTERN ARIZONA. SOME SHALLOW INSTABILITY IS ALSO INDICATED THIS MORNING...SO ISOLATED T-STORMS CANNOT BE RULED OUT. THE LEAD TROUGH AXIS AND ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH CENTRAL ARIZONA THIS AFTERNOON AND TOWARD THE NEW MEXICO BORDER BY THE EVENING. STRONG FORCING ALONG THE FRONT WILL GENERATE RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS...ESPECIALLY ALONG AND NORTH OF THE MOGOLLON RIM. SNOW ALREADY BEING REPORTED AT THE GRAND CANYON. STRONG SOUTHWEST WINDS AHEAD OF THE FRONT WILL GENERATE SOME BLOWING DUST AND LOCALIZED HAZARDOUS FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS. THERE ARE MANY HEADLINES ALREADY OUT TO COVER THIS. THE SECOND AREA OF LOW PRESSURE OVER CENTRAL CALIFORNIA WILL ROTATE THROUGH ARIZONA TONIGHT...WITH ISOLATED/SCATTERED SHOWERS CONTINUING INTO EARLY TUESDAY MORNING. EXPECT QUIETER CONDITIONS TUESDAY...WITH INCREASING WINDS AGAIN WEDNESDAY AHEAD OF ANOTHER COLD LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM DUE BY THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. UPDATES ALREADY OUT THIS MORNING FOR HIGHER POPS. && .AVIATION...FOR THE 18Z PACKAGE...A STORM SYSTEM WILL MOVE ACROSS NORTHERN ARIZONA TODAY. LOOK FOR SOUTHWEST SURFACE WINDS AT 25-35 KTS GUSTING TO 45-60 KTS...DECREASING TO 5-15 KTS BY MIDNIGHT TONIGHT. AREAS OF MVFR CONDITIONS IN RAIN/SNOW SHOWERS SPREADING FROM WEST TO EAST THROUGH THE REMAINDER THE PERIOD. MOST SHOWER ACTIVITY ALONG AND NORTH OF THE I-40 CORRIDOR. AVIATION DISCUSSION NOT UPDATED FOR TAF AMENDMENTS. && .FIRE WEATHER...A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE REGION TODAY...PRODUCING VERY WINDY CONDITIONS. THE STRONGEST WINDS ARE LIKELY FROM THE MOGOLLON RIM NORTHWARD. CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED IN PORTIONS OF APACHE COUNTY. NEAR CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE FORECAST FOR PORTIONS OF NAVAJO AND GILA COUNTIES. THE COLD FRONT WILL ALSO BRING A CHANCE OF RAIN AND HIGH ELEVATIONS SNOW SHOWERS TO THE DISTRICT THROUGH THIS EVENING...ALONG WITH ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS. TUESDAY...EXPECT DECREASING SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY AND LESS WIND. WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...ANOTHER APPROACHING STORM WILL BRING DRY...COOL AND BREEZY WEATHER TO THE AREA ON WEDNESDAY. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS RETURNS THURSDAY AND FRIDAY...ALONG WITH COLDER TEMPERATURES. && .FGZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 8 PM MST THIS EVENING FOR AZ PUBLIC ZONES 004>010-012-015-016-018-037-038. HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 8 PM MST THIS EVENING FOR AZ PUBLIC ZONES 011-013-014-017-039-040. RED FLAG WARNING FROM NOON TODAY TO 7 PM MST THIS EVENING FOR AZ FWX ZONES 111-114. && PUBLIC...PETERSON AVIATION...MCCOLLUM FIRE WEATHER...TC FOR NORTHERN ARIZONA WEATHER INFORMATION VISIT WEATHER.GOV/FLAGSTAFF
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ 416 AM MST MON APR 25 2016 AZZ004>018-037>040-260300- 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- 416 AM MST MON APR 25 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR APACHE...COCONINO... NORTHERN GILA...NAVAJO...AND YAVAPAI COUNTIES IN NORTHERN ARIZONA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT VERY STRONG SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS WILL DEVELOP BY MID MORNING AND CONTINUE THROUGH EARLY EVENING. A HIGH WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM 9 AM TO 8 PM MST FOR PORTIONS OF EAST CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST ARIZONA WITH WIND GUSTS 55 TO 65 MPH. ELSEWHERE ACROSS THE STATE, A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR GUSTS 40 TO 55 MPH. THE STRONG WIND WILL COMBINE WITH LOW HUMIDITY TO PRODUCE CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTHEASTERN ARIZONA WHERE A RED FLAG WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED. IN ADDITION, SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE FROM AROUND FLAGSTAFF NORTHWARD TODAY. SOME LIGHT SNOW ACCUMULATION IS POSSIBLE ACROSS THE KAIBAB PLATEAU ABOVE 7000 FEET AND THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE SAN FRANCISCO PEAKS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY ADDITIONAL STORM SYSTEMS ARE POSSIBLE THURSDAY AND FRIDAY AND AGAIN SUNDAY. THERE WILL BE A CHANCE OF SHOWERS ALONG WITH SOME AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS ON THESE DAYS. .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.
5 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The Winslow Airport just east of the zone boundary had a peak wind gust of 61 MPH at 159 PM MST.
The RAWS in Kykotsmovi Village reported a peak wind gust of 58 MPH.
The RAWS in Kykotsmovi Village just south of the zone boundary reported a peak wind gust of 58 MPH.
The Winslow Airport had a peak wind gust of 61 MPH.
The St Johns Airport ASOS measured a peak wind gust of 62 MPH at 438 PM. The winds gusted over 55 MPH between around 300 PM MST and 530 PM. An observer 8 miles southwest of Concho reported a peak wind gust of 58 MPH.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arizona in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Arizona, April 2016
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: 628868, 628869, 628872, 628867, 628866.