A strong trough of low pressure brought high winds and areas of blowing dust to portions of northern Arizona.
Every event with a place to put it; 11 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 trough of low pressure brought high winds and areas of blowing dust to portions of northern 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 Mar 22, 4:50 AM MST, 4 hours 35 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ 450 AM MST TUE MAR 22 2016 .SYNOPSIS...A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVING THROUGH THE REGION WILL BRING VERY STRONG SOUTHWEST WINDS TODAY ALONG WITH AREAS OF CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS. THE ONLY CHANCE FOR LIGHT SHOWERS WILL BE NEAR THE UTAH BORDER OVERNIGHT. DRY WEATHER AND A WARMING TREND ARE FORECAST LATE THIS WEEK FOLLOWED BY ANOTHER LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM AND UNSETTLED WEATHER ON SATURDAY. && .DISCUSSION...A LOW PRESSURE TROUGH AND COLD FRONT WILL HELP PRODUCE SOME WINDY CONDITIONS TODAY ACROSS NORTHERN ARIZONA. THE STRONGEST WINDS ARE FORECAST TO BE OVER THE LITTLE COLORADO RIVER VALLEY AND CHINLE VALLEY WITH WIND GUSTS FROM 50 TO 60 MPH...POSSIBLE BLOW DUST IN THESE SAME AREAS. DRY CONDITIONS... STRONG WINDS...ALONG WITH DRY FUELS IN SOME LOCATIONS HAVE ALSO PROMPTED A RED FLAG WARNING FOR FIRE WEATHER OVER EAST CENTRAL ARIZONA. THERE IS ALSO A WIND ADVISORY FOR AREAS NORTH AND WEST OF THE THE HIGH WIND WARNING. WINDS ARE FORECAST TO BEGIN DECREASING THIS EVENING AS THE TROUGH AND COLD FRONT MOVE TO THE EAST OF NORTHERN ARIZONA. WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT IS FORECAST TO BUILD BACK IN OVER THE REGION DURING THIS TIME PERIOD. WEDNESDAY WILL HAVE THE COOLEST DAYTIME TEMPERATURES BEHIND THE COLD FRONT...THEN WARMING DAYTIME TEMPERATURES THURSDAY AND FRIDAY...ALONG WITH LIGHTER WINDS. SATURDAY ANOTHER LOW PRESSURE TROUGH AND COLD FRONT IS FORECAST TO BRING COOLER AND WINDY CONDITIONS ONCE AGAIN. THE WIND GUSTS ARE FORECAST TO BE UP AROUND 35 MPH FROM THE WEST-SOUTHWEST. SUNDAY...HIGH PRESSURE ONCE AGAIN WITH LIGHTER WINDS AND SLIGHTLY WARMER DAYTIME TEMPERATURES. MONDAY AND TUESDAY OF NEXT WEEK...ANOTHER LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM AND COLD FRONT APPROACH THE REGION WITH ANOTHER ROUND OF WINDY CONDITIONS...COOLER TEMPERATURES...AND ANOTHER CHANCE OF LIGHT SPOTTY SHOWERS ACROSS THE REGION. && .AVIATION...FOR THE 12Z PACKAGE...EXPECT VFR CONDITIONS UNDER PERIODS OF MAINLY HIGH CLOUDS THE NEXT 24 HOURS. A FEW -SHRA/-SHSN COULD DEVELOP 00Z-12Z NORTH OF KGCN-KRQE. SOUTHWEST SURFACE WINDS REMAINING IN THE 10-20 KT RANGE THROUGH 15Z...THEN GRADUALLY INCREASING TO 20-35 KTS WITH GUSTS OF 35-50 KTS BY 18Z AND CONTINUING THROUGH EARLY EVENING. STRONGEST GUSTS ALONG AND NORTHEAST OF A KINW-KSOW LINE. LOCAL BLOWING DUST IS POSSIBLE. AVIATION DISCUSSION NOT UPDATED FOR TAF AMENDMENTS. && .FGZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 10 AM THIS MORNING TO 7 PM MST THIS EVENING FOR AZZ011-013-014-017-040. RED FLAG WARNING FROM 10 AM THIS MORNING TO 7 PM MST THIS EVENING FOR AZZ110>114-140. WIND ADVISORY FROM 10 AM THIS MORNING TO 7 PM MST THIS EVENING FOR AZZ006-007-009-010-012-015-016-039. && PUBLIC...TC AVIATION...JJ FOR NORTHERN ARIZONA WEATHER INFORMATION VISIT WEATHER.GOV/FLAGSTAFF
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ 505 AM MST TUE MAR 22 2016 AZZ006-007-009>017-039-040-230200- GRAND CANYON COUNTRY-COCONINO PLATEAU- 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- BLACK MESA AREA-NORTHEAST PLATEAUS AND MESAS SOUTH OF HWY 264- 505 AM MST TUE MAR 22 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL ARIZONA...NORTHEAST ARIZONA AND WEST CENTRAL ARIZONA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A STRONG AND FAIRLY DRY LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL MOVE THROUGH THE GREAT BASIN AND DESERT SOUTHWEST TODAY PUSHING A COLD FRONT THROUGH NORTHERN ARIZONA. STRONG SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL DEVELOP AHEAD OF THE FRONT LATE THIS MORNING THROUGH THE EARLY EVENING HOURS. A HIGH WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR EAST CENTRAL AND PORTIONS NORTHEASTERN ARIZONA WHERE WIND GUSTS OF 50 TO 60 MPH ARE FORECAST. WIND ADVISORIES ARE ALSO IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHERN ARIZONA. BLOWING DUST IS POSSIBLE IN THE LOWER ELEVATIONS OF THE LITTLE COLORADO RIVER VALLEY NEAR WINSLOW AND CHINLE VALLEY. IN ADDITION A RED FLAG WARNING IS IN EFFECT...STRONG WINDS COMBINED WITH LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES WILL BRING CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTHEASTERN AND EAST CENTRAL ARIZONA LATE THIS MORNING INTO EARLY EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED DURING THIS TIME PERIOD. .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.
7 high wind, 4 dust storm. Local standard time, as filed.
The Winslow Airport ASOS reported visibility below 3 miles at times in dust for an hour and a half.
The Winslow Airport ASOS reported visibility below 3 miles at times in dust for an hour and a half.
The Winslow Airport ASOS reported wind gusts at or above 58 MPH at times for two and a half hours.
The Winslow Airport ASOS reported wind gusts at or above 58 MPH at times for two and a half hours. The Petrified Forest National Park reported a peak wind gust of 65 MPH at 143 PM MST.
The Show Low Airport ASOS reported sustained wind of 40 MPH and/or wind gust of 58 MPH or higher for around 6 and a half hours.
The Winslow Airport ASOS reported sustained wind of 40 MPH and/or wind gust of 58 MPH or higher for around 6 and a half hours.
The Springerville Airport ASOS reported sustained winds of 40 MPH and/or wind gusts of 58 MPH or higher for over 6 hours. The peak wind gust was 66 MPH. The St Johns Airport ASOS reported a peak wind gust of 59 MPH at 152 PM MST. Sustained winds of 40 MPH and/or gusts 58 MPH or higher were reported between 152 PM and 300 PM MST.
A trained spotter reported near zero visibility in dust as he traveled along Highway 89 from Bitter Springs to Marble Canyon to Lees Ferry.
A trained spotter reported near zero visibility in dust as he traveled along Highway 89 from Bitter Springs to Marble Canyon to Lees Ferry.
Wind gusts to 84 MPH were measured at the edge of Meteor Crater. The topography of the crater often enhances the wind speeds during this type of storm.
The Window Rock ASOS reported a peak wind gust of 62 MPH at 410 PM MST. Sustained winds of 40 MPH and/or gust of 58 MPH were reported for about an hour and a half around that time.
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, March 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: 620864, 620865, 620866, 620867, 620872, 620873, 620874, 620840, 620841, 620847, 620877.