Arizona, 2019Flash Flood and Avalanche in Arizona, November 28 to 30, 2019
November 28 to 30, 2019 · NWS FGZ · 16 events in 15 counties and zones
A very large are of low pressure brought wind, rain, and snow to northern Arizona Thanksgiving day and Black Friday. Strong southerly winds brought very moist air over Arizona with rising snow levels.
Every event with a place to put it; 14 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
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 16
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.
A very large are of low pressure brought wind, rain, and snow to northern Arizona Thanksgiving day and Black Friday. Strong southerly winds brought very moist air over Arizona with rising snow levels. Heavy rain fell below around 7500 through much of Thanksgiving Day with lowing snow levels the night of November 29th into the 30th with the passage of a cold front. Snowfall was eventually reported at the bottom of The Grand Canyon. Significant snow was reported as well as increased flows in lower elevations creeks and rivers.
Event by event
13 heavy snow, 1 flash flood, 1 flood, 1 avalanche. Local standard time, as filed.
Flash Flood, Coconino
- When
- November 28, 10:00 PM MST to November 29, 5:45 AM MST
- Where
- Coconino County, 10.15 mi SSE of Havasupai to 6.96 mi SW of Havasupai
- Cause
- Heavy Rain
- Reported by
- Public
- Coordinates
- 36.093, -112.634
Heavy rain fell over the Cataract/Havasu Creek drainage. The stream gauge at Supai peaked started to rise at 1100PM and peaked at 17.1 feet (245 AM), just above flood stage (base flow is 14.7 feet). There were reports on social media of flooding in the campground with personal gear being swept way.
Heavy Snow, Yavapai County Mountains
- When
- November 29, 12:00 AM MST to 12:00 PM MST
- Where
- Yavapai County Mountains forecast zone
- Reported by
- Official NWS Observations
- Coordinates
- 34.600, -112.554 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
The snow level lowered and rain changed to snow over some of the observation sites around midnight. Here are some of the snowfall totals (in inches): Groom Creek 12, |Seligman 10 - 13, 10 miles west of Seligman 8.0, Prescott Courthouse 7 - 10, Skull Valley 7, and Chino Valley 6. Several large tree branches broke around Prescott due to the heavy wet snow. A foot of snow was reported 10 miles west of Ash Fort at about 5200 feet elevation.
Heavy Snow, Coconino Plateau
- When
- November 29, 12:00 AM MST to November 30, 12:00 AM MST
- Where
- Coconino Plateau forecast zone
- Reported by
- Law Enforcement
- Coordinates
- 35.839, -111.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Eighteen inches of snow fell in Fraziers Well area. The Valle area had 10-14 inches of snow by 700 AM. Thirteen inches of snow fell 10 ENE of Seligman. Eleven inches of snow fell 4 miles north of Ash Fork at an elevation of 5100 feet above sea level. A foot of snow fell at Grand Canyon Caverns at an elevation of 5600 feet.
Heavy Snow, Grand Canyon Country
- When
- November 29, 1:00 AM MST to November 30, 1:00 AM MST
- Where
- Grand Canyon Country forecast zone
- Reported by
- Official NWS Observations
- Coordinates
- 35.839, -111.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
The Grand Canyon Village received 13 - 15 inches of snow (above 6800 feet elevation). A light dusting of snow fell at the bottom of the Canyon at Phantom Ranch (2460 feet elevation). The Grand Canyon National Park and the near by City of Tusayan lost power during the storm impacting more than 1,000 people. The city declared a state of emergency.
Heavy Snow, Chinle Valley
- When
- November 29, 2:00 AM MST to November 30, 4:00 AM MST
- Where
- Chinle Valley forecast zone
- Reported by
- Social Media
- Coordinates
- 35.398, -109.905 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Seven inches of snow was reported at Buffalo Pass (8,400 feet elevation) at 1000 AM November 29. It was still snowing.
Heavy Snow, Chuska Mountains and Defiance Plateau
- When
- November 29, 2:00 AM MST to November 30, 4:00 AM MST
- Where
- Chuska Mountains and Defiance Plateau forecast zone
- Reported by
- Social Media
- Coordinates
- 35.396, -109.489 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Seven inches of snow was reported at Buffalo Pass (8,400 feet elevation) at 1000 AM November 29. It was still snowing.
Heavy Snow, Yavapai County Valleys and Basins
- When
- November 29, 3:00 AM MST to 2:00 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)
Seven inches of snow fell in Skull Valley by 842 AM at an elevation of about 4500 feet. Wilhoit received 6 inches of snow by 944 AM at an elevation of 4800 feet. State Route 260 from Camp Verde to Cottonwood was closed during this storm...at an elevation of around 3,200 feet above sea level.
Heavy Snow, Eastern Mogollon Rim
- When
- November 29, 3:00 AM MST to November 30, 12:00 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)
A trained spotter in Forest Lakes received half an inch of rain before the precipitation changed over to snow. at around 300 AM. Ten inches of snow fell by 1000 AM...with snow still falling. Sixteen inches of snow was reported in Forest Lakes by the time it stopped snowing around noon on November 30. State Route 87 from Payson to Winslow was closed for a period of time during the storm.
Heavy Snow, Little Colorado River Valley in Apache County
- When
- November 29, 3:00 AM MST to 4:30 PM MST
- Where
- Little Colorado River Valley in Apache County forecast zone
- Reported by
- Public
- Coordinates
- 35.396, -109.489 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Nine inches of snow was reported 2 miles east-northeast of Concho. A trained spotter measured a foot of snow 8 miles north of Vernon at 6,600 feet. More than an inch of rain fell before changing to snow around 300 AM on November 29.
Heavy Snow, Western Mogollon Rim
- When
- November 29, 4:00 AM MST to November 30, 2:30 PM MST
- Where
- Western Mogollon Rim forecast zone
- Reported by
- Official NWS Observations
- Coordinates
- 35.839, -111.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
The snow level lowered to around 7000 feet and rain turned to snow across the Western Mogollon Rim population centers by 400 AM on November 29. Many areas had received 8 inches of snow by 800 AM. Here is a storm total (in inches): Hart Prairie (9000 feet) 30, Flagstaff Airport 16.8, Flagstaff 14 - 19, Parks 15 - 18, Bellemont (NWS Flagstaff) 17.0, Munds Park 12.2, and Williams 15 - 18. A storm total of 22 inches fell 5 miles west of Parks. Thirty inches of snow fell at 11,800 feet elevation. Interstates 17 and 40 and Highway 89A through Oak Creek Canyon were close as a preemptive measure around Flagstaff during the storm to allow crews to keep the roads clear (local traffic was still allowed to use these roads). Several wrecks and collisions were reported in the interstates after the roads re-opened.
Heavy Snow, Northern Gila County
- When
- November 29, 4:00 AM MST to November 30, 2:00 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)
Rain changed over to snow around 600 AM on November 29 in Star Valley at 48000 feet. Five inches of snow was measured at 1120 AM. A public report of 9.9 inches of new snow was received from Washington Park at 5,400 feet elevation. Twelve inches of snow fell in Strawberry at about 5,900 feet elevation. Three to five inches of snow fell in Payson right around 5000 feet.
Heavy Snow, Kaibab Plateau
- When
- November 29, 4:00 AM MST to 10:00 PM MST
- Where
- Kaibab Plateau forecast zone
- Reported by
- Public
- Coordinates
- 35.839, -111.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Five inches of snow fell in Fredonia at an elevation around 4700 feet.
Heavy Snow, Oak Creek and Sycamore Canyons
- When
- November 29, 5:00 AM MST to 9:00 AM 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)
Sedona received 4.5 inches of snow at an elevation of 4500 feet by 900 AM.
Heavy Snow, White Mountains
- When
- November 29, 8:00 AM MST to November 30, 11:00 AM MST
- Where
- White Mountains forecast zone
- Reported by
- Social Media
- Coordinates
- 35.398, -109.905 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Eight inches of snow fell in Show Low by 1230 PM with snow still falling. A spotter 4 miles northwest of McNary reported 10.5 inches of snow. The Pintop-Lakeside ended up with 9.5 inches of snow (1.49 total melted snow/rain).
Flood, Yavapai
- When
- November 29, 12:50 PM MST to 6:00 PM MST
- Where
- Yavapai County, 1.38 mi N of Canyon to 1.07 mi SSW of Bumble Bee
- Cause
- Heavy Rain
- Reported by
- Trained Spotter
- Coordinates
- 34.090, -112.150
Black Canyon Wash was flowing over Maren Ave about 1.5 feet deep by 1250 PM (from a river gauge reading of about 3.25 feet). The river eventually rose to 16 feet on the river gauge (a 13.5 foot rise). The river dropped to around 5 feet on the river gauge by around 8 PM on December 4.
Avalanche, Western Mogollon Rim
- When
- November 30, 2:00 AM MST
- Where
- Western Mogollon Rim forecast zone
- Reported by
- Public
- Coordinates
- 35.839, -111.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Avalanche debris were seen from two different natural avalanches at around 11,700 feet in the San Francisco Peaks in the Kachina Peaks Wilderness about 13 miles north of the Flagstaff Airport. The sides were on the north-northeasterly aspects.
- Flash Flood
- Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
- Heavy Snow
- Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
- Flood
- Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.
- Avalanche
- A mass of snow sliding down a mountainside that caused a death, an injury or damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in South Dakota, November 28 to 30, 20191 death · 4 injured · 24 events
- Flash Flooding and Heavy Snow in Arizona, November 28 to 29, 20191 injured · $44,000 · 63 kt wind · 8 events
- Flash Flooding in Arizona, November 28 to 29, 2019$74,000 · 4 events
- Flash Flood in California, November 28 to 29, 2019$30,000 · 1 event
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Minnesota, November 28 to 30, 20191 injured · 8 events
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Iowa, November 28 to 30, 201911 events
- Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in California, November 28 to 29, 20194 events
- Winter Weather in Nebraska, November 28 to 29, 20192 events
- Frost and Freeze in Oregon, November 28 to 29, 20192 events
- Strong Wind in Connecticut, November 28, 2019$1,000 · 1 event
- Strong Wind in Massachusetts, November 28, 2019$4,000 · 1 event
- Flash Flood in California, November 28, 20191 event
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: 858660, 860533, 860637, 860634, 860647, 860648, 860642, 860645, 860651, 860530, 860649, 860784, 860644, 860650, 860495, 860812.