An approaching storm system will bring strong southwest winds to much of northern Arizona today through Tuesday. The stongest winds are expected across the Little Colorado River Valley, the northern slopes of the White Mountains and portions of the Mogollon Rim late tonight through Tuesday. Areas of blowing dust will likely affect travel across much of northeast Arizona including Interstate 40.

Southwest winds 25 to 35 MPH with gusts 45 to 55 MPH increasing 30 to 40 MPH with gusts of 55 to 65 MPH Tuesday morning.

Winds this stong can make driving difficult especially for high profile vehicles. Minor property damage and spotty power outages are possible with the stongest gusts. Areas of dense blowing dust are possible across the Little Colorado River Valley affecting travel along Interstate 40. Consider securing loose belongings on your property.

Continue to monitor the latest forecasts and additional weather information at here at www.311info.net or at www.weather.gov/flagstaff.  For current road conditions visit www.az511.gov.

A seasonably strong low pressure system will move into the western states on Sunday. Dry humidity levels along with increasing winds may produce critical fire weather conditions on Sunday across northeastern Arizona for areas north of the Mogollon Rim.

A Fire Weather Watch will be in effect from Sunday morning through Sunday Evening for strong winds and low relative humidity. Check back for possible Red Flag Warnings.

Apache County Sheriff’s Office is conducting a large scale training exercise for today, 4/12/13 and Saturday 4/13/13. You may see an increase in aircraft, police, and first responders during these two days. There has not been an emergency, nor is there an incident occuring in Apache County, it is all training exercise involving multiple agencies and multiple counties.