High Wind in Arizona, April 1 to 5, 2024

Name: High Wind in Arizona, April 1 to 5, 2024
Start: 2024-04-01T08:00
End: 2024-04-05T17:00
Location: Arizona

April 1 to 5, 2024 · NWS FGZ · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

A longwave trough moved on to the coast of California and across Arizona. This system |brought colder temperatures, some rain showers, and strong winds.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 6 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: 6

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 longwave trough moved on to the coast of California and across Arizona. This system |brought colder temperatures, some rain showers, and strong winds.

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 Apr 1, 4:57 AM MST, 3 hours 3 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 1, 4:57 AM MST, 3 hours 3 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Flagstaff AZ
457 AM MST Mon Apr 1 2024

.SYNOPSIS...Areas of rain and snow will continue today, especially
south of the I-40 corridor. Scattered thunderstorms develop this
afternoon and evening, some storms may be quite strong and contain
accumulating hail and graupel. Locally hazardous travel conditions
remain possible through this evening. Warmer and drier weather for
the middle of the week. Windy, colder and unsettled weather returns
by the end of the week.

&&

.DISCUSSION...A broad and slow moving trough over Arizona will
migrate across the state today. A weakening, but cold upper low in
the southern potion of the trough will provide dynamically driven
precipitation over the southern CWA through this morning. Some of
the precipitation may be moderate to heavy at times.

By the early afternoon, the southern low washes out and the flow
reverses, becoming quite unstable from the I-40 corridor southward
into the evening. In fact, model soundings are so impressive that
accumulating hail and graupel seems fairly likely, similar to last
Tuesday. Areas that are under the heavier convection will definitely
experience some impacts, but nothing as widespread as yesterday is
expected.

Snow levels will slowly rise to around 6000 feet, but may be driven
back to 5000 feet under heavier showers, so not a major change. WSW
products (above 5500 feet) in the southern tier of our CWA continue
until 12 PM MST, but again, that does not rule out localized travel
impacts due to heavy convection through this evening.

After today, a high amplitude ridge "rolls over" the low and into
Arizona for the late Tuesday through Thursday time frame. This will
usher in a dramatic warming trend, with daytime temperatures rising
above normal by Wednesday.

This is short-lived, another powerful cold front is set to affect
the area by Friday and Saturday. This means an equally dramatic
temperature drop, very strong southwest winds and more chances for
rain and snow. Stay tuned on this one.

&&

.AVIATION...Monday 01/12Z through Tuesday 02/12Z...IFR/MVFR
conditions possible in SHSN/SHRA and BR/FG, especially south of
I-40. NW-SW winds 5-15 kts.

OUTLOOK...Tuesday 02/12Z through Thursday 04/12Z...VFR conditions
with N winds 10-20 kts, becoming light and variable on Wednesday.

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...Today and Tuesday...Rain and snow showers, along
with afternoon thunderstorms, continue today. Especially along and
south of I-40. Warmer/drier conditions return on Tuesday, outside of
a few isolated showers near the White Mountains. West winds 10-20
mph, becoming northerly on Tuesday.

Wednesday through Friday...Mild temperatures and dry conditions
continue through Thursday, before cooler temperatures and chances
for precipitation return by Friday. Light and variable winds for
Wednesday, then increasing from the south 15-25 mph on Thursday and
20-30 mph on Friday.

&&

.FGZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
Winter Weather Advisory until noon MST today for AZZ008-016-017.

&&

PUBLIC...Peterson
AVIATION...Humphreys
FIRE WEATHER...Humphreys

For Northern Arizona weather information visit
weather.gov/flagstaff

In the hours before

Local storm report, Apr 1, 7:57 AM MST, 3 minutes before

Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Flagstaff AZ
757 AM MST Mon Apr 1 2024

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0420 AM     Snow             1 N Pinetop-Lakeside    34.16N 109.97W
04/01/2024  M6.4 Inch        Navajo             AZ   Public

            Snow 3 PM 3/31 to 420 AM 4/1.

&&

JJ

Local storm report, Apr 1, 7:58 AM MST, 2 minutes before

Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Flagstaff AZ
758 AM MST Mon Apr 1 2024

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0704 AM     Snow             2 W Eagar               34.09N 109.33W
04/01/2024  M3.9 Inch        Apache             AZ   Public

&&

JJ

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Little Colorado River Valley in Navajo County

When: April 1, 8:00 AM MST to 2:30 PM MST
Where: Little Colorado River Valley in Navajo County forecast zone
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 35.400, -110.321 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Wind gusts were 58 MPH or higher from around 820 AM to noon at the Winslow Airport. The peak wind gust was 64 MPH at noon. The sustained wind was 40 MPH or higher from around 800 AM and 100 PM. The Taylor Airport had peak wind gusts of 61 MPH at 255 PM and 315 PM. The sustained winds were above 40 MPH at times between 1130 and 220 PM. The ADOT sensor along I-40 at Jackrabbit (MM 270) had wind gusts 58 MPH or higher from 900 AM to 115 PM. The peak wind gust was 65 MPH at 903 AM.

High Wind, Eastern Mogollon Rim

When: April 4, 2:10 PM MST to 2:50 PM MST
Where: Eastern Mogollon Rim forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Department of Highways
Coordinates: 35.620, -111.045 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The wind sensor at the Highway 277 and 377 Intersection had a peak wind gust of 59 MPH at 243 PM. The wind gusted to around 58 MPH between 210 PM and 250 PM.

High Wind, Little Colorado River Valley in Apache County

When: April 5, 8:30 AM MST to 11:30 AM MST
Where: Little Colorado River Valley in Apache County forecast zone
Measured: 54 kt (62 mph) measured gust
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 35.396, -109.489 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The peak wind gust at the Springerville Airport was 62 MPH at 850 AM. Sustained winds were 40 MPH or higher from around 830 to 1130 AM.

High Wind, White Mountains

When: April 5, 11:10 AM MST to 11:40 AM MST
Where: White Mountains forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 35.398, -109.905 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The peak wind gust at the Show Low Airport was 58 MPH at 1115 AM. The highest sustained wind was 45 MPH at 1135 AM.

High Wind, Northeast Plateaus and Mesas South of Highway 264

When: April 5, 11:10 AM MST to 2:25 PM MST
Where: Northeast Plateaus and Mesas South of Highway 264 forecast zone
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Department of Highways
Coordinates: 35.545, -110.527 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The peak wind gust at Interstate-40 at the Petrified Forest National Park exit was 63 MPH at 1133 AM. The sustained winds were above 40 MPH from around 1110 AM to 210 PM. The wind gusts were above 58 MPH from around 1120 AM to 225 PM.

High Wind, Chuska Mountains and Defiance Plateau

When: April 5, 4:00 PM MST to 5:00 PM MST
Where: Chuska Mountains and Defiance Plateau forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 35.396, -109.489 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Window Rock Airport reported peak wind gusts of 58 MPH between 400 and 500 PM.

What these are

High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Arizona in 2024 Every state in 2024 This day in weather history Warnings in Arizona, April 2024

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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1177186, 1177650, 1177653, 1177648, 1177654, 1177649.