Heavy Snow — Chinle Valley, Arizona

2022-03-10 to 2022-03-11 · Chinle Valley, Arizona

Event narrative

Heavy snow fell across the Chinle Valley with Teec Nos Pos reporting 9.0 inches and 8 miles east of Kayenta reporting 8.0 inches.

Wider weather episode

A trough over Utah moved southward through northern Arizona and then into New

Mexico. A strong cold front along the Utah/Arizona state line produced a significant band of snow with heavy snow falling over much of the Kaibab Plateau and over the Black Mesa north of Hwy 160. This band then slowly shifted southward through the morning of March 10 then accelerated during the afternoon and evening. The main period of snow reached the I-40 corridor including Flagstaff by mid afternoon and continued into the evening, with travel impacted all the way to the New Mexico border. The winds became northerly behind the cold front with enhanced upslope snow along the north side of the Mogollon Rim and White Mountains through the evening and continuing into the early morning hours March 11.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1014378. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.