Arizona, 2026Cold in Arizona, February 17, 2026
February 17, 2026 · NWS TWC · 1 event in 1 county or zone
Cool morning temperatures near normal across Southeastern Arizona. The Pima County Medical Examiner confirmed that cold and hypothermia was a contributing factor in the cause of death for an individual one in Tucson.
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.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
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- Deaths
- 1
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
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.
Cool morning temperatures near normal across Southeastern Arizona. The Pima County Medical Examiner confirmed that cold and hypothermia was a contributing factor in the cause of death for an individual one in Tucson.
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 Tucson, AZ wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 17, 2:14 PM MST, 3 hours 46 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 17, 2:14 PM MST, 3 hours 46 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Tucson AZ
214 PM MST Tue Feb 17 2026
.SYNOPSIS...Breezy winds with chances for rain and snow tomorrow
afternoon through Thursday. Cool temperatures continue through
Friday with a warming trend to follow.
&&
.DISCUSSION... Lingering, light showers continue across eastern
Pima county but will dissipate as the evening progresses. Rainfall
totals across southeastern Arizona range from 0.1" to 0.25" with
some locales in higher terrain seeing 0.75" to greater than 1.0".
Snowfall totals from this event range from 2.0" to 3.0". Breezy
to gusty winds have weakened from this morning with maximum wind
gusts observed this morning along the ridgelines ranging from 45
to 50 mph.
Breezy conditions continue tomorrow afternoon as another weather
system moves across northern Arizona. Winds will be southwest at
20-30 mph with gusts up to 40 mph. There are chances (20-40%) for
rain and mountain snow but precipitation amounts will be very
light, 0.01" to 0.15" in the lower terrain with up to 0.25" in the
higher terrain. Forecast snowfall on Mount Lemmon and Mount
Graham range from 1-2" with 4-6" in the White Mountains.
Temperatures continue to be cooler with highs in the 60s.
Elevated winds and lowered RH in southeastern Cochise county will
lead to isolated periods of near Red Flag Warning conditions but
fuel moisture conditions are not at criteria for any products to
be issued.
The last chance (20-30%) for rain and mountain snow this week
will come Friday afternoon with again only light precipitation
forecast and focused to the higher terrain north of Tucson. Once
this system pushes out of the area, high pressure will begin to
develop over the area. This will increase high temperatures to
well above normal with highs in the 80s in the lower elevations of
Pima and Pinal counties by Monday (Feb 23). Dry and warm
trends will continue past Monday.
&&
.AVIATION...Valid through 19/00Z.
A few -SHRA continue in eastern Pima county near KTUS but should
dissipate out of the area by 17/22Z. FEW to SCT clouds AOA 5-7k ft
areas north and west of KTUS and SCT to BKN clouds AOA 5-7k ft
areas south and east of KTUS. Cloud ceilings will gradually rise
throughout the day becoming FEW to SCT AOA 15-20k ft by 18/02Z and
will continue through to the end of the forecast period. SFC
winds will be southwest at 5-10kts increasing to 15-20kts with
gusts to 30kts by 18/20Z. Elevated winds will continue through the
forecast period. Aviation discussion not updated for TAF
amendments.
&&
.FIRE WEATHER...Strong and gusty southwest winds are expected
through Wednesday, with speeds in 15-25 mph and gusts around
35-40 mph Wednesday. While a few locales in eastern Cochise County
will see Red Flag threshold winds combined RH values around 15
percent, the areal extent is small and the state of the fuels
don't support issuance of any fire weather headlines at this time.
A few showers are possible again Wednesday night into Thursday.
Breezy conditions are also expected Thursday and Friday. Dry this
weekend with decreased wind.
&&
&&
.TWC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
None.
&&
Malarkey
Visit us on Facebook...Twitter...YouTube...and at weather.gov/Tucson
In the hours before
Local storm report, Feb 17, 1:40 PM MST, 4 hours 20 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Tucson AZ
140 PM MST Tue Feb 17 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1000 AM Snow Summerhaven 32.45N 110.75W
02/17/2026 E2.0 Inch Pima AZ Fire Dept/Rescue
Mount Lemmon Fire Department reported an
estimate of 2.0 inches of snow.
1000 AM Snow Summerhaven 32.44N 110.76W
02/17/2026 M2.0 Inch Pima AZ Trained Spotter
Mount Lemmon General Store reported 2.0
inches of snowfall.
1200 PM Snow 42 N Morenci 33.65N 109.31W
02/17/2026 M3.0 Inch Greenlee AZ Mesonet
Hannagan Meadows SNOTEL reported 3 inches of
snowfall.
0100 PM Snow 12 SW Thatcher 32.70N 109.89W
02/17/2026 M2.5 Inch Graham AZ Trained Spotter
Mount Graham International Observatory
recorded 2.5 inches of snowfall.
&&Cold/Wind Chill, Tucson Metro Area
- When
- February 17, 6:00 PM MST to 8:00 PM MST
- Where
- Tucson Metro Area forecast zone
- Deaths
- 0 direct, 1 indirect
- Reported by
- County Official
- Coordinates
- 32.097, -111.790 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cool morning temperatures were 2 to 4 degrees above normal across Southeastern Arizona. Tucson International Airport ASOS reached a low temperature of 48 degrees Fahrenheit. The Pima County Medical Examiner confirmed that environmental cold exposure was a contributing factor in the cause of death for an individual in Tucson.
- Cold/Wind Chill
- Cold or wind chill below warning criteria that caused deaths, injuries or damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
- Dust Storm and High Wind in Kansas, February 17, 20261 death · 70 kt wind · 16 events
- Flood in California, February 17 to 18, 20261 death · 1 injured · 1 event
- Wildfire and High Wind in Oklahoma, February 17 to 24, 20264 injured · $717,000 · 58 kt wind · 6 events
- Wildfire and High Wind in Texas, February 17 to 25, 2026$1.6 million · 63 kt wind · 21 events
- Wildfire and High Wind in Kansas, February 17 to 24, 20262 injured · $325,000 · 63 kt wind · 35 events
- Wildfire and High Wind in Oklahoma, February 17 to 24, 2026$51,000 · 60 kt wind · 6 events
- Winter Weather in Wyoming, February 17, 20263 injured · 6 events
- Blizzard and High Wind in South Dakota, February 17 to 18, 202663 kt wind · 25 events
- High Wind and Winter Weather in South Dakota, February 17 to 18, 202657 kt wind · 24 events
- High Wind in New Mexico, February 17, 202673 kt wind · 21 events
- Wildfire and High Wind in Texas, February 17 to 18, 202667 kt wind · 17 events
- Drought in Georgia, February 17 to 28, 202616 events
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: 1318218.