Frost/Freeze — Central Deserts, Arizona

2013-01-12 to 2013-01-16 · Central Deserts, Arizona

Event narrative

A very cold airmass settled in across the desert southwest from Saturday January 12th through Wednesday January 16th. The cold and relatively dry conditions led to widespread freezing and sub-freezing temperatures across the central deserts, including the communities of San Tan Valley, Casa Grande, Coolidge, Florence, Arizona City and Maricopa. A Hard Freeze warning was issued beginning Saturday night, which continued through the morning hours on Monday, January 14th. The Hard Freeze warning was downgraded to a regular Freeze Warning beginning Monday night, continuing through Wednesday morning January 16th. Despite the downgrade, the coldest morning of the freezing period was Tuesday, January 15, when the low dropped to 16 degrees in the town of Maricopa, and down to a frigid 13 degrees at Casa Grande National Monument. Overall, low temperatures each morning fell into the upper teens to low 20s over the colder deserts, resulting in the destruction of garden plants and vegetables as well as damage to landscaping plants and citrus trees. In addition, many outdoor pipes were damaged or burst completely.

Wider weather episode

A deep and very cold area of low pressure developed across the desert southwest during the middle of January 2013, which led to widespread freezing and sub-freezing temperatures across the lower deserts. Freezing temperatures developed on the morning of January 12, and continued for 4 days. The coldest morning was on January 15, the final day of the freeze outbreak, and the temperature that morning at Phoenix Sky Harbor fell to 29 degrees. The freezing temperatures resulted in significant damage across the deserts, in the form of burst outdoor pipe, crop damage and dead frost sensitive plants and trees, such a ficus and lantana. Freeze, and hard freeze, warnings were issued for the deserts of Arizona during this cold temperature outbreak.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 428942. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.