An upper level trough moved over Arizona with strong and gusty winds.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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.
An upper level trough moved over Arizona with strong and gusty 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 Feb 18, 9:07 AM MST, 5 hours earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ 907 AM MST THU FEB 18 2016 .SYNOPSIS...A WEATHER DISTURBANCE WILL BRING INCREASING SOUTHWEST WINDS WITH GUSTS FROM 40 TO 55 MPH LATER THIS MORNING THROUGH EARLY THIS EVENING...MAINLY FROM THE MOGOLLON RIM NORTHWARD. IN ADDITION...LOOK FOR A CHANCE OF SHOWERS MAINLY OVER NORTHWEST ARIZONA. FOR THE WEEKEND...BUILDING HIGH PRESSURE WILL PRODUCE WARM AND DRY WEATHER ACROSS ARIZONA. && .DISCUSSION...A BAND OF WEAKENING SHOWERS CONTINUED OVER NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL ARIZONA AS OF 900 AM MST. THE BAND OF SHOWERS IS IN ASSOCIATION WITH A TROUGH THAT WILL MOVE EASTWARD ACROSS NORTHERN ARIZONA TODAY. IN ADDITION, THE TROUGH WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR STRONG SOUTHWEST WINDS LATER THIS MORNING AND AFTERNOON...WITH WIND GUSTS FROM 40 TO 55 MPH PRIMARILY FROM THE MOGOLLON RIM NORTHWARD. A WIND ADVISORY CONTINUES UNTIL 8 PM MST THIS EVENING FOR AREAS ALONG AND NORTH OF THE MOGOLLON RIM. AFTER THIS SYSTEM MOVES TO THE EAST...THE WINDS WILL DIE DOWN TONIGHT. MODELS SHOW ANOTHER VERY WEAK DISTURBANCE MOVING THROUGH ARIZONA ON FRIDAY PRODUCING A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS ALONG AND SOUTH OF I-40 AND EAST OF I-17. OVER THE WEEKEND HIGH PRESSURE IS FORECAST TO RETURN OVER THE WESTERN STATES PRODUCING DRY AND WARM WEATHER ONCE AGAIN. ON MONDAY AND TUESDAY...A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL DROP SOUTHWARD INTO THE CENTRAL UNITED STATES. IN RESPONSE, A WEAK COLD FRONT WILL PUSH ACROSS NORTHERN ARIZONA LEADING TO GUSTY NORTHERLY WINDS AND A BIT COOLER TEMPERATURES. FROM TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY...MODELS SHOW BUILDING HIGH PRESSURE. SPRING IN FEBRUARY WILL LIKELY CONTINUE. && .AVIATION...FOR THE 12Z PACKAGE...BREEZY SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS...WITH GUSTS UP TO 25 KNOTS POSSIBLE IMMEDIATELY DOWNSTREAM OF HIGH TERRAIN. AFTER 16Z...EXPECT INCREASING WINDS ACROSS ALL OF NORTHERN ARIZONA. THE STRONGEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED ALONG AND NORTH OF THE MOGOLLON RIM...WHERE SOUTHWEST WINDS BETWEEN 20 TO 35 KNOTS WITH GUSTS OF 40 TO 55 KNOTS ARE FORECAST. WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO DECREASE AFTER 02Z FRIDAY. CEILINGS WILL LIKELY REMAIN WITHIN THE VFR CATEGORY THROUGH THE PERIOD...BUT PERIODS OF MVFR CEILINGS ARE POSSIBLE FROM KGCN NORTHWARD FROM 16Z THU THROUGH 00Z FRI. AVIATION DISCUSSION NOT UPDATED FOR TAF AMENDMENTS. && .FGZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 8 PM MST THIS EVENING FOR AZZ004>007-009>017- 039-040. && PUBLIC...MCCOLLUM/TC AVIATION...MCCOLLUM/RR FOR NORTHERN ARIZONA WEATHER INFORMATION VISIT WEATHER.GOV/FLAGSTAFF
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ 229 PM MST WED FEB 17 2016 AZZ004>018-037>040-180615- 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- 229 PM MST WED FEB 17 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR APACHE...COCONINO... NORTHERN GILA...NAVAJO...AND YAVAPAI COUNTIES IN NORTHERN ARIZONA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT MOST AREAS WILL SEE SOUTHWEST WINDS 5 TO 2O MPH. HOWEVER, LOCALIZED SOUTHWEST WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE FOR AREAS LIKE DONEY PARK...CAMERON...HOUSE ROCK VALLEY AND MARBLE CANYON. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY A WEATHER SYSTEM WILL MOVE THROUGH NORTHERN ARIZONA THURSDAY PRODUCING STRONG SOUTHWEST WINDS SUSTAINED AT 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS FROM 35 TO 55 MPH. THE GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 40 MPH WILL START LATE MORNING AND LAST THROUGH THE EARLY EVENING MAINLY FROM THE MOGOLLON RIM NORTHWARD. A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR THURSDAY. .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.
2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The Grand Canyon Airport ASOS measured a peak wind gust of 59 MPH at 207 PM MST.
The ADOT anemometer at Two Guns measured a peak wind gust of 60 MPH at 315 PM MST.
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, February 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: 620306, 620307.