Heavy Snow in Arizona, December 30 to 31, 2018

Name: Heavy Snow in Arizona, December 30 to 31, 2018
Start: 2018-12-30T07:00
End: 2018-12-31T23:59
Location: Arizona

December 30 to 31, 2018 · NWS FGZ · 9 events in 9 counties and zones

A third storm system in a week crossed northern Arizona with very low elevation snow. This storm lasted into New Year's Day.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 9 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: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 9

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 FGZ wrote it up.

A third storm system in a week crossed northern Arizona with very low elevation snow. This storm lasted into New Year's Day.

What forecasters said that day

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 Dec 30, 4:27 AM MST, 2 hours 33 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 30, 4:27 AM MST, 2 hours 33 minutes before

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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

9 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Grand Canyon Country

When: December 30, 7:00 AM MST to December 31, 9:30 PM MST
Where: Grand Canyon Country forecast zone
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 35.839, -111.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snow began fall around 700 AM on December 30 at the Desert View at the Grand Canyon. By 930 PM on New Year's Eve, 8.4 inches of snow had accumulated.

Heavy Snow, Eastern Mogollon Rim

When: December 31, 6:00 AM MST to 9:30 PM MST
Where: Eastern Mogollon Rim forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 35.620, -111.045 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Nine inches of new snow fell in Forest Lakes at an elevation of 7,600 feet between 600 AM and 930 PM. By the time the snow stopped falling on at 900 AM on New Year's Day, Heber received 7.5 inches of new snow.

Heavy Snow, Chuska Mountains and Defiance Plateau

When: December 31, 7:00 AM MST to 11:00 PM MST
Where: Chuska Mountains and Defiance Plateau forecast zone
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 35.396, -109.489 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Eleven inches of snow fell in Tsaile.

Heavy Snow, Western Mogollon Rim

When: December 31, 8:00 AM MST to 5:00 PM MST
Where: Western Mogollon Rim forecast zone
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 35.839, -111.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Nine inches of snow fell in Munds Park.

Heavy Snow, Little Colorado River Valley in Navajo County

When: December 31, 9:00 AM MST to 11:59 PM MST
Where: Little Colorado River Valley in Navajo County forecast zone
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 35.400, -110.321 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Five inches of snow fell in Joseph City at just above 5000 feet elevation by 1000 PM. Two more inches fell by midnight. Seven inches of snow fell in Holbrook at an elevation of around 5,160 feet above sea level. Six inches of snow was reported in Winslow at about 4920 feet elevation.

Heavy Snow, Yavapai County Valleys and Basins

When: December 31, 10:00 AM MST to 4:00 PM MST
Where: Yavapai County Valleys and Basins forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 34.600, -112.554 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Between 3 and 4.5 inches of snow fell in the Verde Valley between 3,300 and 4,000 feet. There was one 5 inch report a mile south of Middle Verde slightly lower than 3,200 feet. Four inches of snow fell about 1 mile southeast of Chino Valley a about 4,750 feet elevation. Five inches of snow fell at Lake Montezuma at an elevation of around 3,600 feet. Prescott Valley received 4.8 inches right at 5,000 feet elevation.

Heavy Snow, Oak Creek and Sycamore Canyons

When: December 31, 10:00 AM MST to 3:00 PM MST
Where: Oak Creek and Sycamore Canyons forecast zone
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 35.220, -112.162 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Five inches of snow fell in The Village of Oak Creek at around 4,320 feet elevation. West Sedona received 4.5 inches of new snow.

Heavy Snow, Northern Gila County

When: December 31, 10:00 AM MST to 10:00 PM MST
Where: Northern Gila County forecast zone
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 33.800, -110.812 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Four inches of snow was reported in Payson at an elevation of 4,920 feet elevation. Five inches of snow fell 4 miles southeast of Payson at an elevation of about 4,680 feet. Five inches of snow fell 2 miles northeast of Star Valley at an elevation just below 5,000 feet. Seven inches of snow fell in Strawberry at just below 6,000 feet elevation. A foot of snow fell 9 miles north-northeast of Young at an elevation of 6,400 feet.

Heavy Snow, White Mountains

When: December 31, 7:00 PM MST to 11:15 PM MST
Where: White Mountains forecast zone
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 35.398, -109.905 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snow started falling in Greer at around 700 PM and a foot of new snow fell by 1115 PM. Ten inches of fresh snow fell in Pinetop-Lakeside by 1030 PM. Fifteen inches of snow fell in Alpine at around 8,000 feet elevation. Thirteen inches of snow fell 3 miles north of McNary (a total of 18 inches of snow fell with this storm by the afternoon of New Year's Day).

What these are

Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Arizona in 2018 Every state in 2018 This day in weather history Warnings 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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 791444, 791439, 791377, 791376, 791372, 791369, 791370, 791371, 791481.