Deep moisture continued to move northward over Arizona fueled strong thunderstorms.
Every event with a place to put it. 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.
Deep moisture continued to move northward over Arizona fueled strong thunderstorms.
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 Aug 2, 9:55 AM MST, 3 hours 5 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Flagstaff AZ 955 AM MST TUE AUG 02 2016 .SYNOPSIS...Expect frequent afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms through much of this week. Slightly drier conditions will develop by next weekend. && .DISCUSSION...Deep moisture remains across the CWA today. Substantial debris cloud cover is now starting to burn off and we are already seeing some convection over the peaks and in Yavapai county. A weak upper low south of Phoenix will drift northward over the next few days and this may add some synoptic forcing to our airmass. Either way, expect frequent and potentially widespread convective activity for the next few days. Drier southwest flow develops later in the week and into next weekend. Grids look good, no updates needed. && .AVIATION...FOR THE 18Z PACKAGE...Scattered to numerous thunderstorms will develop again today. Expect storms to largely dissipate after 02-03Z...with shower activity continuing overnight. Aviation discussion not updated for TAF amendments. && .FGZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...Flash Flood Watch from 10 AM MST this morning through 5 AM MST Wednesday for AZZ011-014-017. && PUBLIC...Peterson AVIATION...MAS For Northern Arizona weather information visit weather.gov/flagstaff
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ 1015 AM MST TUE AUG 2 2016 AZZ004>018-037>040-031200- 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- 1015 AM MST TUE AUG 2 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR APACHE...COCONINO... NORTHERN GILA...NAVAJO...AND YAVAPAI COUNTIES IN NORTHERN ARIZONA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT DEEP MONSOON MOISTURE WILL LEAD TO FREQUENT AND WIDESPREAD SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY TODAY. A WEAK AREA OF LOW PRESSURE MAY ENHANCE THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVIER RAIN OVER EASTERN ARIZONA. A FLASH FLOOD WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR PORTIONS OF APACHE AND NAVAJO COUNTIES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY HIGH MOISTURE VALUES WILL PERSIST THROUGH THURSDAY...BEFORE A DRYING TREND DEVELOPS LATE IN THE WEEK AND NEXT WEEKEND. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ 1234 PM MST TUE AUG 2 2016 AZZ007-012-022000- COCONINO PLATEAU AZ- LITTLE COLORADO RIVER VALLEY IN COCONINO COUNTY AZ- 1234 PM MST TUE AUG 2 2016 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR COCONINO COUNTY UNTIL 100 PM MST... AT 1234 PM MST...DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 13 MILES SOUTHEAST OF DESERT VIEW AT GRAND CANYON. THE STORM IS NEARLY STATIONARY. DIME SIZE HAIL WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM ALONG WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN. THIS STORM WILL REMAIN OVER MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF COCONINO COUNTY. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... TORRENTIAL RAINFALL IS ALSO OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM...AND MAY LEAD TO FLASH FLOODING. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE THROUGH FLOODED ROADWAYS. && LAT...LON 3580 11173 3585 11183 3596 11173 3591 11161 TIME...MOT...LOC 1934Z 211DEG 5KT 3587 11173 MOTTICE
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ
1245 PM MST TUE AUG 02 2016
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1250 PM LIGHTNING 1 ESE ARIZONA SNOWBOWL 35.35N 111.68W
07/20/2016 COCONINO AZ LAW ENFORCEMENT
*** 1 FATAL, 2 INJ *** LIGHTNING STRUCK 3 INDIVIDUALS
AT THE SUMMIT OF HUMPHREYS PEAK... RESULTING IN 1
FATALITY.
&&
CORRECTED LOCATION
EVENT NUMBER FGZ1600204
TMThe Phoenix radar (KIWA), 119 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:01 UTC.
13 heavy rain, 5 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
The Mesonet station in Minnehana (WAGA3) recorded 2.05 inches of rainfall.
The Stanton Mesonet Station (ZSTA3) measured 1.93 inches of rainfall.
The Towers Mountain Mesonet station MNNA3 recorded 1.89 inches of rainfall.
The Mid Martinez Creek Mesonet station (ZMMA3) recorded 1.10 inches of rainfall.
The Mesonet Station 4 miles south of Yarnell (QSTA3) recorded 1.80 inches of rainfall.
The Mesonet gauge in Yarnell recorded 2.17 inches of rainfall.
The Mesonet station CPA3 (22 miles north of Yava) measured 1.95 inches of rainfall.
Two feet of water moved through a restaurant, the Yarnell Post Office was inundated with water, and portions of Highway 89 was close due to debris and mud.
The Mesonet station 2 miles north-northeast of Kachina Village (FLAA3) recorded 1.33 inches of rainfall.
The Mesonet station 7 miles south-southeast of Crown King (QHBA3) recorded 1.42 inches of rainfall.
The Mesonet station 14 miles east-southeast of East Fork (QLMA3) recorded 2.16 inches of rainfall.
The Chambers Mesonet station (PUCA3) recorded 1.62 inches of rainfall.
A 9.1 foot rise was reported on Martinez Creek. Residents downstream reported washed out roads. Some area were not accessible because of the flooding.
Washes were running across portions of State Route 97. High clearance vehicles could make it across the washes without any issues while smaller cars had to turn around. Rainfall total was estimated from radar.
An 8 foot rise in water was reported at the bridge in Cedar Creek.
Reports from the public were received of a few inches of water flowing over Highway 89. Both location and amounts were estimated.
A 2-3 foot surge in water prompted a swift water rescue involving 5 people and one pet.
Highway 288 was impassable at mile post 277 due to downed logs that washed onto the road.
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, August 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: 658396, 658398, 658399, 658406, 658400, 658392, 658397, 657138, 658404, 658403, 658394, 658402, 657139, 658391, 657140, 658407, 658389, 657986.