Winter Storm — Santa Catalina and Rincon Mountains, Arizona

2016-02-01 · Santa Catalina and Rincon Mountains, Arizona

Event narrative

An ultrasonic anemometer on Mt. Lemmon recorded a wind gust to 105 MPH before the instrumentation iced up. In addition, snowfall of 5 inches occurred which resulted in brief blizzard-like conditions. This event began on January 31.

Wider weather episode

A strong trough of low pressure moved across Southeast Arizona the night of January 31 into February 1. This produced very strong winds across Southeast Arizona, especially in the mountains with Mt. Lemmon gusting over 100 MPH. Valley locations across Southeast Arizona generally saw wind gusts of 35 to 55 MPH with a few spots especially near Sierra Vista with gusts over 60 MPH. Snow was also observed in elevations primarily above 4000 feet with the mountains seeing brief blizzard-like conditions.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 610021. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.