A strong area of low pressure moving over northern Arizona brought high winds to east central Arizona.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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 moving over northern Arizona brought high winds to east central 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 Feb 26, 1:47 PM MST, 8 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Flagstaff AZ 147 PM MST Mon Feb 26 2024 .SYNOPSIS...A couple of weather systems will move across Arizona through midweek delivering cooler temperatures, strong winds, and chances for precipitation. Warmer and drier conditions return for the second half of the week but are short lived as another system arrives over the weekend. && .DISCUSSION...Two shortwave troughs will move across northern Arizona over the next few days. The first will dive across the area from the north the remainder of today through Tuesday. The primary impact of the first trough and associated cold front will be wind. South of the Mogollon Rim mostly looking at southwest winds at 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 25 mph during the daytime hours. From the Mogollon Rim northward southwest winds will range from 20 to 30 mph with gusts from 40 to 55 mph. Winds will tend to die down some tonight but still range from 10 to 20 mph with gusts to 40 mph at many locations. As a result, a Wind Advisory for locations along and north of the Mogollon Rim will remain in effect into Tuesday evening. Otherwise, as the cold front sweeps across the area, additional moisture will be drawn northward. Larger scale dynamics for lift will be weak but with strong flow aloft upslope forcing will be fairly strong. The result will be scattered showers over higher terrain features with precipitation amounts ranging from 0.25 to 0.50 inches. At lower elevations lighter amounts are anticipated with accumulation of a trace up to 0.10 inches. The snow level will remain quite elevated with accumulating snow likely confined to elevations above 8500 feet . From Wednesday into Thursday...The second trough meanders across southern Arizona. Upslope flow will be weak with this second system but it will contain decent large-scale lift. Much of northern Arizona will see no impact from this second system with the main moisture and precipitation chances confined to the area south of a Prescott-Flagstaff-Window Rock line. Heading into the weekend...High pressure and a short lived fair weather day arrives on Friday. By Saturday strong winds return as another trough approaches. By late Saturday look for increased chances of rain and snow showers which may linger into Monday of next week. && .AVIATION...Monday 26/18Z through Tuesday 27/18Z...VFR conditions through 00Z, with MVFR possible in scattered SHRA/SHSN spreading from west to east thereafter, more numerous over the higher terrain. S/SW winds 15-25 kts with gusts 30-40 kts. Locally higher gusts to around 50 kts possible near a KINW-KSJN line on Tuesday. OUTLOOK...Tuesday 27/18Z through Thursday 29/18Z...MVFR possible in SHRA/SHSN over the higher terrain before 06Z Wednesday, then VFR. W/SW winds 15-25 kts with gusts 30-40 kts on Tuesday and becoming light and variable on Wednesday. Locally higher gusts to around 50 kts possible near a KINW-KSJN line on Tuesday. && .FIRE WEATHER...Tuesday through Wednesday...Rain and high elevation snow showers will continue through Tuesday with southwest winds gusting 35-45mph. Precipitation and winds will decrease Tuesday night. Some showers will develop across the Eastern Rim and White Mountains on Wednesday, with cooler temperatures and light northeast winds across the area. Thursday through Saturday...Outside of isolated showers near the White Mountains on Thursday morning, dry and warming conditions should prevail into Saturday. Strong SW winds will develop again on Saturday, with rain and snow developing from the west by Saturday afternoon. && .FGZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Wind Advisory until 8 PM MST Tuesday for AZZ004-006-007-009>017- 039-040. && PUBLIC...McCollum AVIATION...BAK FIRE WEATHER...BAK For Northern Arizona weather information visit weather.gov/flagstaff
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The peak wind gust at the Taylor Airport was 59 MPH at 235 PM. The sustained wind was above 40 MPH between 155 PM and 235 PM.
The peak wind gust at a wind sensor 5 miles N-NW of Sunrise Park (MP 378 on SR-260) was 61 MPH at 1634 PM MST.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arizona in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyWarnings in Arizona, February 2024
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: 1164541, 1164544.