A strong cold front brought heavy snow to parts of northern Arizona above 6000 feet.
Every event with a place to put it; 4 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 cold front brought heavy snow to parts of northern Arizona above 6000 feet.
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 4, 2:46 PM MST, 3 hours 14 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Flagstaff AZ 246 PM MST Mon Feb 4 2019 .SYNOPSIS...Moist southwest flow will keep unsettled and cool conditions going into Tuesday. A strong cold front will move across northern Arizona Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Significant accumulating snow is expected over the higher terrain in the next 36-48 hours. Dry weather will return for Thursday and Friday. Unsettled weather may develop again over the weekend. && .DISCUSSION...Very active weather continues through Wednesday with a strong cold front crossing the region Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. Winter Storm Warnings and Advisories have been issued along the Mogollon Rim as well as the Coconino and Kaibab Plateaus. Significant snow accumulations are anticipated in these areas from late tonight through Wednesday morning. Water levels remain high along and south of the Rim, but have been slowly receding through the day. Rain and snow showers will gradually increase through the evening hours and overnight along and south of the Mogollon Rim. Weak CAA will slowly drop snow levels down to between 6,000-6,500 feet by early Tuesday morning. Widespread rain and snow showers will continue on Tuesday as strong upslope flow persists. A strong front associated with a very cold upper low will cross the region Tuesday night into Wednesday morning which will bring the period of most significant precipitation and lowering snow levels. General snowfall amounts of 6-12 inches above 6,000 feet are forecasted at this time through midday Wednesday. One concern pertaining to snowfall amounts is the shallow nature of the moisture until Tuesday evening when deeper moisture arrives with the front. This will be something to monitor especially later tonight and Tuesday during the daylight hours. Additionally, gusty southwest winds will persist through the period with the potential for blowing snow and low visibility especially Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Daytime temperatures on Wednesday will struggle to get out of the mid- upper 20s over the higher terrain with wind chills making it feel even colder. On top of winter weather impacts, hydrology concerns remain as more precipitation is poised to fall over the region. While this system will not be as wet as the system yesterday, this could cause some additional flooding issues. Based on this and coordination with the CBRFC, we opted to issue a Flash Flood Watch from 11pm tonight - 5pm Wednesday afternoon for northern Gila and Yavapai counties. Quieter weather is on the way for Thursday and Friday with much lighter winds. Latest long range guidance indicates a potential return to unsettled weather over the weekend, but confidence is low on how this will play out. && .AVIATION...For the 00Z Package...Along the Mogollon Rim and NW to the Kaibab Plateau, ISOLD to SCT -SHRA/-SHSN will continue tonight. Expect local IFR/LIFR conditions for cigs/vis. Surface S-SW winds at 10-15G20-25 kts tonight over the higher terrain. South to southwest wind gusts up to 40-50 kts are possible after 17Z. Aviation discussion not updated for TAF amendments. && .FIRE WEATHER...Scattered rain and snow showers tonight, mainly over the Mogollon Rim and Kaibab Plateau, will increase in coverage Tuesday. Breezy southwest winds will persist tonight and Tuesday as temperatures remain below normal. Rain and snow showers continue Wednesday as both temperatures and southwest wind speeds decrease. Thursday through Saturday...Drier conditions, decreased wind speeds, and a modest warming trend will develop Thursday and Friday. Chance for unsettled weather to return by Saturday. && .FGZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...Winter Storm Warning from 11 PM this evening to 8 AM MST Wednesday FOR AZZ004-015-016. Flash Flood Watch from 11 PM MST this evening through Wednesday afternoon FOR AZZ008-018-037-038. Winter Weather Advisory from 11 PM this evening to 8 AM MST Wednesday FOR AZZ007. Winter Weather Advisory from 5 PM Tuesday to 11 AM MST Wednesday FOR AZZ017. && PUBLIC...TPS AVIATION...NL FIRE WEATHER...NL For Northern Arizona weather information visit weather.gov/flagstaff
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ
144 PM MST MON FEB 4 2019
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1200 PM FLASH FLOOD PAGE SPRINGS 34.77N 111.89W
02/03/2019 YAVAPAI AZ PUBLIC
AT THE PEAK OF THE FLOODING THERE WAS ABOUT
1 FT OF WATER FLOWING THROUGH THE RV PARK.
ONE LARGE TREE AND SEVERAL SMALLER TREES
CAME DOWN IN THE FLOODING AND RED MUD WAS
DEPOSITED THROUGHOUT THE RV PARK.
&&
DBThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 heavy snow, 1 avalanche. Local standard time, as filed.
Eighteen inches of snow fell in Jacob Lake. The bulk of the snow fell between the evening of February 4 and the evening of February 5.
Between 9 and 10 inches of snow fell at the Flagstaff Airport and Kachina Village.
Eight inches of snow fell in Forest Lakes between the evening of February 5 and the morning of February 6. Happy Jack Ranger Station reported 7.5 inches of new snow.
There was a naturally caused avalanche in Snowslide Canyon in the San Francisco Peaks (also called Kachina Peaks Wilderness Area--just north of Flagstaff) during the February 5-6 storm cycle. The time was estimated.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arizona in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in Arizona, February 2019
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: 808334, 808333, 808335, 809077.