An approaching low pressure system brought very dry and windy conditions across northern Arizona. A passing shortwave trough kept gusty winds going through the evening hours.
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The episode as NWS FGZ wrote it up.
An approaching low pressure system brought very dry and windy conditions across northern Arizona. A passing shortwave trough kept gusty winds going through the evening hours.
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 Apr 19, 8:54 AM MST, 4 hours 41 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Flagstaff AZ 854 AM MST Tue Apr 19 2022 .SYNOPSIS...Expect strong winds and dry conditions across northern Arizona today. Breezy conditions will continue through much of the week and into the weekend. Temperatures will generally be mild through Thursday, before things cool off over the weekend. && .DISCUSSION...A passing shortwave trough will deliver a round of gusty southwest winds to northern Arizona this afternoon and evening. The strongest winds will occur along and north of the Mogollon Rim, where wind gusts into the 40-50 mph range are likely. In addition, these winds will combine with afternoon humidity in the teens to single digits and above normal temperatures, to create concerning fire weather conditions. As a result, Wind Advisories, and/or Red Flag Warnings, have been issued for much of the area. In terms of updates, the current forecast captures these trends well and no changes are anticipated this morning. && .PREV DISCUSSION /325 AM MST/...Mild temperatures will continue through most of the week as we continue to have a mostly zonal flow across the region. A mid level trough starts to dig down from the Pacific Northwest for this evening and aside from the pressure gradient tightening up, we will see little from it as it quickly moves off to the east. As a result of the tightened gradient, we will see winds increase out of the southwest through the morning with the strongest winds expected across Coconino, Navajo, and Apache counties with gusts near 50 mph through this afternoon and evening. No changes were made to the Wind Advisories this morning as the gradient is weaker as you head to the south and west. Winds will remain up through the early evening before the gradient starts to relax and winds drop off. The continued southwest flow will keep the warm air across our region, though a slight cooling should take place behind the departing mid level trough as we head into the latter part of the week. The next trough starts to dig down through the PacNW and is progged to arrive in the desert SW on Friday. This trough is much more robust than the one expected later today and we will again see strong, gusty winds across the forecast area. Additionally, the trough appears to have some moisture with it which may result in a few light showers across northern areas. Model QPF mean values are quite low (around a tenth of an inch or less) so not really sold on us seeing all that much in the way of precipitation. Temperatures drop as the trough cross the region and we quickly go from above normal temperatures to below normal temperatures, as has seemed to be the pattern across northern and central Arizona lately. The cooler temperatures look to continue through the weekend before we start to rebound and warm in the new week. && .AVIATION...For the 18Z TAF package...VFR conditions persist for the next 24 hours with SCT-BKN250. Southwest winds 15-25 kts with gusts of 30-45 kts through 03Z then 10-20kts. Blowing dust possible for KPGA & KINW into this evening. Aviation discussion not updated for TAF amendments. && .FIRE WEATHER...Widespread critical fire weather conditions today across northern Arizona with southwest winds 20-30 MPH with gusts of 40-50 MPH with RH below 15%. Near critical Wednesday as afternoon humidity increases with breezy southwest winds likely. Thursday through Saturday...Warm and dry conditions Thursday with breezy southwest winds. Cooler temperatures with strong southwest winds Friday, however humidity will increase with possible showers. Temperatures gradually warm Saturday with breezy west-northwest winds. && .FGZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...Red Flag Warning until 8 PM MST this evening FOR AZZ105>114- 137>140. Wind Advisory until 8 PM MST this evening FOR AZZ004>007-009>017- 039-040. && PUBLIC...RR/Meola AVIATION...MAS FIRE WEATHER...MAS For Northern Arizona weather information visit weather.gov/flagstaff
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The Winslow Airport reported a peak wind gust of 62 MPH at 135 PM.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arizona in 2022Every state in 2022This day in weather historyWarnings in Arizona, April 2022
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: 1018039.