High Wind — Little Colorado River Valley in Apache County, Arizona

2023-03-22 · Little Colorado River Valley in Apache County, Arizona

Event narrative

The winds at the Springerville Airport had winds gusts of 58 MPH or higher between 1100 AM and 530 PM. The peak wind gust was 73 MPH at 315 PM. The sustained wind was above 40 MPH for about the same period of time.

Wider weather episode

The first in a series of disturbances moved across Arizona from March 20 to 21. This caused widespread snow showers to develop. The heaviest snow was over the higher terrain in upslope areas. This storm also delivered strong and damaging winds. The higher snow levels caused significant melting of lower elevation snow and flooding. The flooding took several days to flow down major rivers in northern Arizona.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1089983. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.