Arizona, 2018

Winter Weather in Arizona, December 29, 2018

December 29, 2018 · NWS TWC · 1 event in 1 county or zone

An area of low pressure aloft produced persistent light snow over southwest Cochise County much of the day on December 29th before ending shortly before midnight. Snow melted as it fell for much of the day, then began to accumulate after dark, creating icy roadways.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 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
1
Injuries
0
Property damage
$15,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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 TWC wrote it up.

An area of low pressure aloft produced persistent light snow over southwest Cochise County much of the day on December 29th before ending shortly before midnight. Snow melted as it fell for much of the day, then began to accumulate after dark, creating icy roadways. A single-vehicle accident and fatality resulted.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Upper San Pedro River Valley

When
December 29, 5:00 PM MST to 10:30 PM MST
Where
Upper San Pedro River Valley forecast zone
Deaths
0 direct, 1 indirect
Property damage
$15,000
Reported by
Newspaper
Coordinates
32.109, -110.569 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snow melted as it fell on December 29th, but refroze after dark as one to two inches of new snow accumulated after dark. A single vehicle rollover accident occurred on icy roadways shortly after snow had ended on State Route 92 near Hereford. The pickup truck's only occupant was not wearing a seat belt, was ejected from the vehicle, and died at the scene.

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
Winter Weather, Upper San Pedro River Valley2018-12-3020FemaleVehicle/Towed TrailerIndirect

What these are

Winter Weather
Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Arizona in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Arizona, December 2018

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 807380.