Arizona Starts October With Extreme Weather: Tornado, Dust Storms, Snowfall

Arizona experienced extreme weather during the start of October, including a tornado, snowfall, and dust storms.

On Monday, dust storms and flash flood warnings that could last the rest of the week were issued for counties throughout Arizona. The storms caused 40,000 power outages in the metro Phoenix area, according to reports.

Dust Storms

Roaring dust storms made visibility difficult, and many people took to social media to post about their experiences.

Snowfall

Snow even fell on Flagstaff's San Francisco Peaks, covering the mountain range.

Tornado

The Junipine Estates, a rural neighborhood just north of Williams, was the site of a tornado that touched down around 1:30 PM on Monday, according to the National Weather Service's Flagstaff office. The tornado was identified as an EF-1 tornado, which is a "weak" tornado.

Damages

The sheriff's office for Coconino County also verified that eight to ten homes suffered damage as a result.

A portion of Yavapai county, located south of the tornado strike, even had 2,000 power outages, according to Arizona Public Service.

Tornado In Arizona

Arizona experiences few tornadoes, but they do happen occasionally. There are typically five in the Grand Canyon state each year.

Contrarily, Texas averages the most tornado touchdowns of any state, with about 155 per year.

Brian Klimowski, the meteorologist-in-charge from Flagstaff National Weather Service said that in the transitional season, tornadoes are frequently reported.

The main reason Arizona doesn't have many tornadoes is that the necessary weather conditions aren't present. There is warm air near the surface and cooler, dry air in the upper atmosphere, along with a change in wind direction or speed with height.

Klimowski said that strong thunderstorms, but strong thunderstorms that are rotating, can frequently develop when the change in the direction and speed of the wind or wind sheer that will rise through the atmosphere interacts with any remaining monsoon moisture. These are the storms that can produce tornadoes and are known as supercell thunderstorms.

Notably, on the morning of October 6, 2010, Arizona reportedly recorded 11 tornadoes, setting a record for the most tornadoes ever recorded in a single event west of the Continental Divide.

The Phoenix area experienced seven tornadoes in this year's early January, the most since 1972.

In Arizona's recorded history, the 1972 tornado was both the strongest and most destructive tornado. A portion of Paradise Valley, Scottsdale, and parts of east Phoenix were all affected by the EF-2 tornado.

The storm at the time was front-page news for the Republic. Just in Paradise Valley, more than 200 homes were destroyed. APS officials claimed that the damage was the worst they had ever seen at the time because the tornado also severely damaged canals and power lines in Arizona. Damages are estimated to be around $25 million.

The Climate Change Connection

There are speculations that Arizona's extreme weather was caused by climate change. However, Klimowski said that making any connections of that nature to a single event is very challenging. It is very challenging to link severe weather in Arizona with any signs of a changing climate because tornadic storms, in particular, are so uncommon. But October will undoubtedly bring more unexpected weather as Arizona approaches that transitional season, AZ Central reports.