A strong but dry shortwave trough and associated cold front plunged from north to south across Arizona bringing breezy to windy conditions to most areas. An observation station at the top of a ski lift recorded a wind gust to 84 MPH.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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 but dry shortwave trough and associated cold front plunged from north to south across Arizona bringing breezy to windy conditions to most areas. An observation station at the top of a ski lift recorded a wind gust to 84 MPH.
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 Jan 8, 10:13 PM MST, 2 hours 47 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Flagstaff AZ 1013 PM MST Wed Jan 8 2025 .SYNOPSIS...Drier and cold weather continues through Thursday, with gusty northeast winds. Winds decrease with a slight warming trend in store Friday and Saturday. Then, another cool down Sunday into early next week. && .UPDATE...After a windy couple of days, breezes are dropping off this evening which will allow for colder temperatures than last night. The decrease in winds will be short-lived however, as the next low is dropping quickly southward along the UT/CO state line and will be centered near the four corners by sunrise Thursday. Strong north/northeast winds on the west side of this low will impact our region through the day, along with even colder air than what we experienced today. Daytime wind chills won't get much above 15-20F Thursday over the high country, be prepared for that if you have to be outside. && .PREV DISCUSSION /444 PM MST/...Any showers from this morning have cleared out this afternoon with few to scattered clouds remaining. Northeast winds continue to be elevated with gusts as high as 35 mph in the High Country. Expect much drier conditions tonight with lighter northeast winds, 5-15 mph. Given these conditions, plan on colder overnight temperatures with much of the region, from Page to Payson and Seligman to Window Rock, below freezing. The upper-level low pressure system towards our south will continue to get pushed southward into Mexico overnight as a secondary wave of low pressure drops down from the north. This feature will usher in even colder air and produce another round of north-northeast winds, even stronger than last night, with widespread gusts of 30-40 mph. The winds will begin to pick up just before sunrise Thursday morning, getting stronger throughout the day as the pressure gradient tightens between the amplified high pressure ridge off the West Coast and the center of this secondary wave of low pressure straddling the AZ/NM border. The north to northeast winds will be the strongest across southern California and through the Colorado River Valley during this time with gusts as high as 50-80 mph. The folks up at the Arizona Snowbowl ski resort could see gusts of 50-80 mph all day on Thursday, finally easing by Friday afternoon. As for precipitation, conditions will remain mostly dry with isolated chances for snow showers Thursday afternoon and evening, mainly along the AZ/NM border and the Mogollon Rim given the expected upslope enhancement. Besides for the winds, temperatures are expected to be quite cold with single digit wind chills in many locations across northern Arizona. Thursday's high temperatures are forecast to be low to mid 30s for the High Country and 40s/50s for the lower valleys...5-10 degrees below average for this time of year. Even though the temperatures won't be extreme, it could come as a shock to some thanks to the warmer, above average weather we have been experiencing lately. The north-northeast winds become lighter on Friday with an increase in temperatures as shortwave ridging takes place. Slightly warmer temperatures with increased northwest winds are forecast on Saturday ahead of another area of low pressure dropping southward from the north on Sunday. Temperatures become much colder once again with a return to north-northeast winds, 10-20 mph, through Monday. This seems to be the pattern we are stuck in with an amplified ridge towards our west, allowing inside-slider type systems to ride along the eastern fringes of this ridge, resulting in dry, cold conditions with periods of blustery winds for northern Arizona. Confidence continues to increase with this pattern persisting for much of next week. && .AVIATION...Thursday 09/06Z through Friday 10/06Z... Mainly VFR conditions expected. Mainly light winds around 5-10 kts overnight with locally gusty winds around 20 kts downwind of the higher terrain. N winds 10-20 kts with gusts 25-35 kts after 15Z. Isolated -SHSN possible along and east of K0V7-KSOW line. OUTLOOK...Friday 10/06Z through Sunday 12/06Z...VFR conditions expected. NW-NE 5-15 kts on Friday, then becoming W-NW 5-15 kts on Saturday. && .FIRE WEATHER...Tonight through Friday...Mainly dry conditions. Winds gradually subsiding overnight except remaining locally gusty to 20 mph downwind of terrain. Winds strengthening on Thursday becoming north at 15-25 mph area wide. Friday will see lighter winds, northwest through northeast at 5-15 mph. Friday through Sunday...Dry conditions and near-normal temperatures. Northwest through northeast winds 5-15 mph each day. Locally gusty winds downwind of the terrain overnight. && .FGZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...None. && PUBLIC...JJ/LaGuardia AVIATION...Meola FIRE WEATHER...McCollum For Northern Arizona weather information visit weather.gov/flagstaff
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Flagstaff AZ
701 PM MST Wed Jan 8 2025
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0750 AM Snow 1 SSW Desert View 36.04N 111.83W
01/08/2025 M2.8 Inch Coconino AZ CO-OP Observer
CO-OP Observer station GCEA3 Grand Canyon
Village 25 E.
&&
JJThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The highest wind gust at the top of Snowbowl was 84 MPH at 600 AM.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arizona in 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyWarnings in Arizona, January 2025
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: 1228107.