Severe Weather Touches Down in Arizona With Multiple Tornado Warnings Issued Across High Country

At least 10 tornado warnings were issued across Arizona’s High Country on Wednesday as a powerful severe weather outbreak brought dark funnel clouds, high winds, and lightning to the region, prompting school closures and drawing storm chasers from across the country.

Chief meteorologists reported that a possible tornado formed over Dewey-Humboldt on Wednesday morning, stunning residents. A viewer-submitted video showed dark funnel clouds twisting above the town. Steve Banwart, a witness to the weather event, described seeing bright flashes of lightning bolts reaching all the way to the ground in the distance.

Another resident, Danielle Johnson, encountered the swirling formation while stepping outside to take out the garbage. Left speechless by the sight and worried that her recreational vehicle would not offer sufficient shelter if a tornado touched down, Johnson fled to Phoenix for safety. She noted that she had never witnessed a tornado in Arizona throughout her life, describing the experience as deeply unsettling.

The severe weather prompted immediate administrative action across tribal communities. All seven Hopi tribally controlled schools were closed on Thursday in response to the hazardous weather conditions.

The severe weather threat unfolded across a structured timeline throughout the day. The first round of warnings began around 5 a.m., when three tornado warnings were issued for portions of Yavapai and Coconino counties. These initial alerts covered Perkinsville, J.D. Dam Lake, Summit Mountain, and areas between Flagstaff and Williams including Bellemont, Parks, Camp Raymond, Fort Valley, Lava River Cave, and Whitehorse Lake. While initially set to expire at 5:45 a.m., the warnings were briefly extended for Bellemont, Humphreys Peak, Lava River Cave, Abineau Canyon Trailhead, Wing Mountain, and the Inner Basin Pumphouse before expiring after 6 a.m. Meteorologists noted that these early warnings were triggered by radar-indicated rotation rather than ground observations.

Shortly before 8 a.m., a fourth tornado warning was issued for Prescott, Prescott Valley, Prescott Airport, Mingus Mountain, Lynx Lake, and Willow Creek Reservoir, remaining active until it was lifted at 8:15 a.m. Moments later, a fifth warning was activated for Jerome, Woodchute Mountain, Parsons Spring, Jerome State Historic Park, Parsons Trailhead, and the Tapco Verde River Access, lasting until 8:45 a.m.

A sixth warning was issued at approximately 9:10 a.m. for Flagstaff and surrounding locations, including Fort Valley, Mt. Elden, University Heights, Rogers Lake, A1 Mountain, Doney Park, Sunset Crater National Monument, Timberline, East Flagstaff, and Wupatki Trails. That warning expired at 9:45 a.m. A brief seventh tornado warning was then issued around 11:30 a.m. for Valle and Red Butte Mountain in Coconino County, while an eighth warning hit Valle specifically at around the same time. An eighth warning overall emerged around 3:30 p.m. for an area near Show Low.

By evening, northeastern, northern, and northwestern Arizona remained under a tornado watch until 6 p.m., while a severe thunderstorm watch took effect for parts of northern Arizona, lasting until 2 a.m. Thursday.

The rare atmospheric conditions drew notable storm chasers and photographers to Arizona, including professional chaser Mike Olbinski, who tracked storms overnight and into Wednesday morning. Olbinski reported staying awake through the night starting from a supercell near Fountain Hills around 9 p.m. Tuesday before driving to Prescott, Ash Fork, and back to Prescott to photograph a supercell descending from the mountains.

Olbinski noted that the 5% enhanced tornado risk in Arizona attracted other prominent storm chasers, such as Reed Timmer and Jim Tang, eager to document tornadoes in a state where such events are uncommon. Although initial models pointed toward a supercell forming over the Grand Canyon, Olbinski chose to remain in north-central Arizona, citing Storm Prediction Center data indicating warmer temperatures and stronger low-level shear in that subregion before planning to head south toward Phoenix and the Beeline Highway.