Arizona winter storms
Every recorded winter storm record since 1996 · 15 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 1,318 winter storm records in Arizona from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 45 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the March 13, 2025 winter storm in Coconino County: 5 deaths across 4 records. Arizona ranks 45th of 51 states and territories by count and 48th of 50 per square mile.
Winter storms in Arizona, 1996 to 2026
Winter storm records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $1 million
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- Records
- 1,3181996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 45average
- Deaths
- 44253 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $3.8Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 2023102 records
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
Are winter storm records common in Arizona?
Arizona averages about 45 winter storm records a year since 2000, 45th of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2023 (102). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Arizona records 116 winter storm records since 1996, 48th of 50 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.
Which counties in Arizona have the most winter storm records?
Per square mile, Greenlee County leads Arizona: 86 days with a winter storm record since 1996, 46.7 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Coconino County has the most winter storm records (516 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is winter storm season in Arizona?
55% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in January and February. The busiest month is February (385 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 337 · Feb 385 · Mar 194 · Apr 60 · May 8 · Jun 0 · Jul 0 · Aug 0 · Sep 0 · Oct 14 · Nov 64 · Dec 256 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest winter storm records in Arizona?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-03-13 | Winter StormCoconino County · forecast zone Western Mogollon Rim One storm episode: 4 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. The first of two back to back winter storms moved in on March 13th and left on March 14th. This was marked by an intense band of snow that was short lived, but dropped quite a bit of snow. This created travel problems including a large traffic pile up on Interstate 40 near Williams. | 5 | 0 | – | |
| 2006-01-25 | Ice StormCoconino County · forecast zone Western Mogollon Rim One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. A low pressure center moving into Arizona and a cold easterly flow into the into the Little Colorado River Valley, White Mountains, and Eastern Mogollon Rim caused widespread freezing drizzle and freezing rain. Law enforcement officers and the general public reported 47 wrecks and roll overs between Winslow and the ... | 5 | 0 | – | |
| 2000-03-20 | Winter StormNavajo County · forecast zone Little Colorado River Valley In Navajo County A powerful winter storm blanketed northern Arizona with heavy snow. Some of the highest elevations reported around 2 feet of snow. There were a number of trafic accidents with some fatalities. A DPS officer and 3 residents of the Navajo Reservatioin were killed on US Highway 89 in Page and two children were injured. A ... | 5 | 0 | – | |
| 1997-01-12 | Winter StormCoconino County and Navajo County · forecast zone Northeast Plateaus And Mesas From Highway 264 North One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. Perhaps the largest snow storm of the decade brought heavy snow to most of northern Arizona. Heavy snow fell from early Sunday morning, the 12th, through last Tuesday night, the 14th. Four deaths from exposure occurred during, or immediately after the storm, on the Navajo Nation Reservation and were directly related ... | 4 | 0 | – | |
| 2006-03-10 | Winter StormYavapai County · forecast zone Yavapai County Valleys And Basins A major winter storm affected all of Northern Arizona from Friday (03/10) though most of the day on Sunday (3/12). Heavy snowfall and rare low elevation snowfall occurred over almost all of Northern Arizona. Snow levels dropped to as low as 2000 feet south of the Mogollon Rim. Strong winds accompanied this ... | 3 | 0 | – | |
| 2008-03-16 | Winter WeatherCoconino County · forecast zone Western Mogollon Rim 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 ... | 2 | 53 | – | |
| 2000-03-05 | Winter StormPima County · forecast zone E Pima A winter storm dropped between 1 and 1 1/2 inches of rain in the Tucson area, with nearby mountains receiving about 24 inches of snow. Temperatures hovered around freezing and approximately 500 illegal aliens surrendered themselves to nearby homes or passing motorists. Wearing only t-shirts and using plastics bags as ... | 2 | 10 | – | |
| 2010-01-18 | Winter WeatherCoconino County · forecast zone Western Mogollon Rim Snow across the greater Flagstaff area cause numerous traffic problems. Highway Patrol responded to over 150 requests for help, 14 non-injury collisions, and four injury collisions. The Flagstaff Police department responded to 50 slide-offs and 21 requests for help. There were 16 non injury collisions and 2 injury ... | 2 | 6 | – | |
| 2011-04-08 | Heavy SnowCoconino County · forecast zone Western Mogollon Rim Snow began to fall in the Flagstaff area early morning (5AM) on April 8th. Snow became during the late morning and through the night. Snow in and around Flagstaff ranged between 10 and 13 inches. At 10800 feet, 28 inches of snow fell. Kachina Village picked up 9 inches and Doney Park had 4 inches. Northbound ... | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2005-01-03 | Heavy SnowApache County and Navajo County · forecast zone White Mountains A powerful winter storm began to move across northern Arizona on January 3rd and lingered into early January 5th. Widespread snowfall was reported above 5000 feet with generally 4 to 12 inches of total snowfall from 5000 to 6000 feet...12 to 20 inches from 5000 to 7000 feet...and 20 to 45 inches above 7000 feet. Heavy ... | 2 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.
The costliest winter storm records in Arizona
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-01-20 | Winter StormCoconino County · forecast zone Western Mogollon Rim | 0 | 0 | $1.4M | |
| 2014-12-30 | Heavy SnowMohave County · forecast zone Northwest Deserts | 0 | 0 | $623K | |
| 2009-10-28 | Winter WeatherCoconino County · forecast zone Western Mogollon Rim | 0 | 7 | $550K | |
| 2009-11-28 | Winter WeatherCoconino County · forecast zone Western Mogollon Rim | 0 | 2 | $138K | |
| 2010-12-17 | Ice StormCoconino County · forecast zone Western Mogollon Rim | 0 | 13 | $135K | |
| 2012-12-13 | Winter WeatherCoconino County · forecast zone Western Mogollon Rim | 0 | 2 | $77K | |
| 2018-12-29 | Winter WeatherCochise County and Pima County · forecast zone Upper San Pedro River Valley | 1 | 0 | $18K | |
| 2012-02-16 | Winter WeatherMohave County · forecast zone Northwest Deserts | 0 | 2 | $13K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are winter storm records becoming more frequent in Arizona?
Arizona's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | Arizona | United States | Arizona's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 151 | 32,893 | 0.46% |
| 2000s | 397 | 88,805 | 0.45% |
| 2010s | 502 | 103,626 | 0.48% |
| 2020-26 | 268 | 62,015 | 0.43% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent winter storm records in Arizona
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-02-19 | Heavy SnowCoconino County · forecast zone Grand Canyon Country | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-19 | Heavy SnowCoconino County · forecast zone Kaibab Plateau | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-19 | Heavy SnowCoconino County and Navajo County · forecast zone Eastern Mogollon Rim | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-19 | Heavy SnowCoconino County · forecast zone Western Mogollon Rim | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-18 | Heavy SnowCoconino County and Navajo County · forecast zone Eastern Mogollon Rim | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-18 | Heavy SnowYavapai County · forecast zone Yavapai County Mountains | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-18 | Heavy SnowCoconino County · forecast zone Western Mogollon Rim | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-07 | Heavy SnowApache County and Navajo County · forecast zone Chinle Valley | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-07 | Heavy SnowCoconino County · forecast zone Western Mogollon Rim | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-04-18 | Heavy SnowNavajo County · forecast zone Little Colorado River Valley In Navajo County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-04-18 | Heavy SnowCoconino County and Navajo County · forecast zone Eastern Mogollon Rim | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-04-18 | Heavy SnowApache County and 2 more · forecast zone Northeast Plateaus And Mesas South Of Highway 264 | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.
Federal disaster declarations for winter storm records in Arizona
FEMA has declared 4 disasters in Arizona for winter storm, counting its incident type and declarations that name snow or winter storm or ice storm or blizzard in the title (FEMA files most storm disasters under Severe Storm); 3 were major disasters, the latest on April 11, 2023.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-04-11 | DR-4703 | Severe Winter Storms and Flooding | 1 |
| 2019-05-21 | DR-4436 | Snowstorm and Flooding | 1 |
| 2010-03-18 | DR-1888 | Severe Winter Storms and Flooding | 14 |
| 2010-01-24 | EM-3307 | Severe Winter Storm | 5 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Greenlee County: the county's whole recordThe Arizona county with the most winter storm records per square mile
- Winter storms across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in ArizonaTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
- Severe thunderstorm wind in Arizona4,106 records
- Floods in Arizona3,896 records
- Heat in Arizona2,676 records