A strong area of low pressure moved through The Great Basin and brought strong and damaging winds across northern Arizona.
Every event with a place to put it; 11 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 area of low pressure moved through The Great Basin and brought strong and damaging winds across northern Arizona.
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 3, 9:44 AM MST, 1 hour 26 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Flagstaff AZ 944 AM MST Mon Apr 3 2023 .SYNOPSIS...Strong winds along with cooler temperatures will continue through this afternoon. Rain and high elevation snow showers will be possible north of I-40 tonight, but accumulations will be light. Very cold temperatures are forecast for Tuesday with gusty westerly winds and drier conditions. A warming trend is anticipated for the remainder of the week with much lighter winds and no chances for precipitation. && .UPDATE...Southwesterly winds are beginning to increase this morning ahead of an upper level trough entering the Great Basin. Gradient flow and enhanced downslope flow in the lee of the Mogollon Rim should combine to generate winds in excess of 60 mph NE of the Rim into Navajo Nation. As a result, think the High Wind Warning looks good for now, as does the Wind Advisory for areas southwest of the Mogollon Rim. Patchy blowing dust could also become a reduced visibility issue, especially along I-40 east of Flagstaff into the Four Corners. The next challenge will be rain/snow chances ahead of the trough axis as it pivots across northern Arizona tonight. Short-range guidance indicates that the precipitation will become less organized as it moves across the AZ/UT border. As a result, think rain and/or snow amounts should be relatively light. Any accumulations should remain north of I-40. Much colder air will then filter in behind the trough/cold front, with high temperatures forecast to be 20 degrees below normal on Tuesday. However, the air mass should begin to moderate and a warming trend to near normal highs is forecast by the end of the week as upper level ridging builds over the region. && .PREV DISCUSSION /235 AM MST/...Are you ready for a windy Monday? Strong winds continue to be the main impact of the incoming storm system moving down from the Pacific Northwest. As a result, the High Wind Warning for areas along and north of the Mogollon Rim to the Utah border remains in effect today beginning at 8 AM MST/9 AM MDT and lasting through 11 PM MST/midnight MDT. Wind speeds in these areas are forecast to range from 40 to 50 mph, with gusts up to 70 mph. Similarly, the Wind Advisory in place for the Coconino Plateau, Yavapai County, and Gila County remains in tack for the same duration as well. Winds will be slightly lighter in the Advisory areas, but expect speeds between 30 and 40 mph, with gusts up to 55 mph. Winds will taper off for our western CWA after approximately 10 PM MST tonight, but areas in the eastern part of our CWA will remain breezy well into Tuesday. By late afternoon/evening on Tuesday, winds will revert to mostly light and variable with the exit of the low-pressure system. In terms of precipitation, a mix of rain/high elevation snow will be possible, but mostly limited to areas north of I-40. Greatest chances for precipitation are going to be over the Kaibab Plateau, the San Fransisco Peaks, and near the Four Corners. Snowfall accumulation will be primarily for areas above 7500 feet, with storm total snow ranging between 1-4 inches. Immediately following the passage of this low-pressure system, temperatures will drop by 10 to 15 degrees on Tuesday compared to Monday. Overnight lows will also be cold, so remember to protect the 4 P's, Plants, Pets, People, and Pipes! On the bright side, a warming trend is expected to take place for the second half of the week and into the weekend. As mentioned in the previous discussions, there is still good agreement between models on an incoming ridge to build over the Southwest and bring spring-like conditions to northern Arizona. Only new item to note is the possibility of this ridge being short-lived by following storm systems. There is still high uncertainty with what's to come, but we'll provide updates as we progress through the forecast period! && .AVIATION...For the 18z TAF package...VFR conditions will generally prevail over northern Arizona through the TAF period. However, southwesterly wind gusts up to 60 knots will be possible this afternoon. Local reductions in VIS in blowing dust will also be possible across northeastern AZ this afternoon, mainly near KINW. TEMPO MVFR/IFR conditions in isolated -SHRA/-SHSN from 23Z-15Z north of I-40. Aviation discussion not updated for TAF amendments. && .FIRE WEATHER...Strong southwest winds develop today with gusts from 45 to 65 mph. There will be a 20-50% chance for light rain and snow showers tonight, mainly north of I-40. Drier and very cold conditions are expected on Tuesday with westerly winds of 20 to 30 mph. Wednesday through Friday...Dry conditions with gradually warming temperatures and lighter winds are expected for the second-half of this week. && .FGZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... High Wind Warning until 11 PM MST /midnight MDT/ this evening for AZZ004-005-009>017-039-040-104-105-109>117-139-140. Wind Advisory until 11 PM MST /midnight MDT/ this evening for AZZ006>008-018-037-038-106>108-118-137-138. && PUBLIC...TM/Swenson AVIATION...TM FIRE WEATHER...MCT For Northern Arizona weather information visit weather.gov/flagstaff
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
11 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Wind gusts of 58 MPH or higher were recorded at the Two Guns ADOT wind sensor along Interstate 40 between 1110 AM and around 500 PM MST. The peak wind gust was 67 MPH at 113 PM.
Peak wind gusts across the Eastern Mogollon Rim include (in MPH): Happy Jack 65 at 419 PM, Limestone Canyon 63 at 524 PM, and the Highway 277 - 377 Intersection 58 at 543 PM.
The Four Springs RAWS had a peak wind gust of 63 MPH at 119 PM.
Strong winds (58 MPH or higher) blew across the Little Colorado River Valley in Navajo County from late morning through late afternoon. Here are some peak wind gusts recorded in the area (in MPH): Winslow Airport 68 at 232 PM, Jack Rabbit 64 at 423 PM, and Taylor Airport 62 at 355 PM.
The highest wind gust across the White Mountains as 67 MPH on State Route 260 near mile marker 378 (just over 9,000 feet elevation). Greens Peak (over 10,00 feet) had a peak wind gust of 64 MPH at 156 PM. Greer had a peak wind gust of 61 MPH at 435 PM.
The highest wind gust across the White Mountains as 67 MPH on State Route 260 near mile marker 378 (just over 9,000 feet elevation). Greens Peak (over 10,00 feet) had a peak wind gust of 64 MPH at 156 PM. Greer had a peak wind gust of 61 MPH at 435 PM.
The wind sensor along Interstate 40 at Lupton measured a peak wind gust of 66 MPH at 614 PM MST. Wind gusts of 58 MPH or higher were measured from 230 to 620 PM.
High wind was observed across the Western Mogollon Rim during the afternoon. Some of the peak wind gusts observed were (in MPH): Williams Airport 62 at 315 PM, Flagstaff Airport 59 at 412 PM, Arizona Snowbowl Pumphouse 58 250 PM (9,969 feet elevation).
The peak wind gust at Cherry RAWS was 60 MPH at 311 PM. The peak wind gust at Humbug Creek RAWS was 58 MPH at 348 PM.
The peak wind gust at the Grand Canyon Airport was 59 MPH at 354 PM MST.
Strong winds moved across the Little Colorado River Valley in Apache County from around 400 PM to around 600 PM. The highest wind gust observed were 62 MPH at both Petrified Forest National Park (423 PM) and Springerville Airport (515 PM).
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arizona in 2023Every state in 2023This day in weather historyWarnings in Arizona, April 2023
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: 1098000, 1098004, 1097662, 1098001, 1098005, 1098006, 1097999, 1098003, 1097664, 1097663, 1098002.