High Wind — White Mountains, Arizona

2024-05-05 · White Mountains, Arizona

Event narrative

A wind sensor at Highway 260 (mile post 378) and Highway 273 reported a peak wind gust of 62 MPH at 413 PM. The sustained wind was above 40 MPH and/or wind gusts were above 58 MPH between1130 PM and 430 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 1182869. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.