Winter Weather — Western Mogollon Rim, Arizona

2008-03-16 · Western Mogollon Rim, Arizona

Event narrative

An intense snow shower lead to a massive pileup in both directions on I-10 about 7 miles west of Flagstaff. A total of 139 vehicles were involved over a 4 mile stretch on both sides of the highway. The east bound lanes were closed for over 14 hours and the west bound lanes were closed for over 16 hours. A total of 20 miles of I-40 were closed in both directions. This was one of the worst traffic accidents (most cars) in northern Arizona history. Two people died, 10 people had serious injuries, and another 35 people received treatment. A total of 53 people were transported to the Flagstaff Medical Center. Other patients were taken to Williams Health Care Center and Yavapai Regional Medical Center. Fifteen people were extracted from their vehicles with specialized rescue equipment. About 40 people went to a Red Cross shelter that had been set up.

Wider weather episode

An intense snow shower caused near zero visibility and slick roads that were blamed for a massive pileup on both sides of I-40.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 90351. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.