Strong Wind — Upper Gila River Valley, Arizona

2009-12-08 · Upper Gila River Valley, Arizona

Event narrative

Strong winds uprooted a large dead tree near the intersection of First Avenue and Highway 191 in Safford during the early morning hours. The tree toppled onto an unoccupied residence, causing some roof damage to the home.

Wider weather episode

An intense winter storm passed through Arizona during the evening hours of December 7th and during the early morning hours of December 8th. Heavy snowfall and very strong winds combined to produce winter storm conditions in the mountains of southeast Arizona, with blizzard conditions occurring at times. A particularly strong pressure gradient south of this storm produced a significant nighttime high wind event across much of southeast Arizona, with many reports of damage.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 201680. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.