High Wind — Eastern Mogollon Rim, Arizona

2024-05-05 · Eastern Mogollon Rim, Arizona

Event narrative

The Mogollon Rim Airpark measured a peak wind gust of 59 MPH at 335 PM. The Mesonet station near Heber measure a peak wind gust of 63 MPH. The RAWS station at Limestone Canyon had a peak wind gust of 63 MPH at 124 PM. Wind gusts at Limestone were 58 MPH or higher from around 100 PM to 300 PM.

Wider weather episode

A deep upper level low moved across The Great Basin and through Arizona. This system was anomalously strong for the time of year and is quite cold aloft. The pressure gradient tightened up and resulted in extremely gusty and strong winds. While most areas experienced wind gusts around 40-50 MPH with some areas had gusts of 55-65 MPH. The highest gusts were downwind of the higher terrain.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1182854. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.