Storms head to Arizona
Two storm systems will move through Arizona starting this weekend, bringing rain to the Valley and snow to higher elevations.
A pair of storm systems will move through Arizona starting this weekend, bringing rain and lower temperatures to the Phoenix area and plenty of snow to the state’s higher elevations.
“It looks like the first system will probably be moving in sometime during the day on Saturday and then linger into Sunday, and then the second one will most likely be coming in during the day Monday and lingering through at least
Tuesday, possibly into early Wednesday,” National Weather Service meteorologist Marvin Percha said.
Snow is expected in northern parts of the state, and motorists were advised to delay all but essential travel before heading out to those areas this weekend, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.
“Waiting out a storm before traveling is the safest and most efficient option because it allows ADOT’s snowplows to clear the highways more quickly,” the department said in a statement.
Those motorists choosing not to delay their travel north should plan to spend an extended time on the roads. ADOT officials advised motorists to slow down, leave extra room between vehicles and pack an emergency kit.
“It looks like it will be bringing snow to northern Arizona, perhaps even significant amounts of snow,” Percha said. The second system could bring even more. “The second system is going to be a pretty cold system so we are
expecting some pretty low snow systems from that one,” he added.
In the Phoenix metro area, the first storm will likely produce between a quarter- and a half-inch of rain. The second storm will bring even more rain, between one-third and two-thirds of an inch in the Valley and even more in higher terrain in the northeast Valley, according to the Weather Service.
The next few days, high temperatures will be in the 60s to near 70, but by this weekend and early next week, highs most likely will fall into the mid and upper 50s. Those temperatures will drop even lower in the evening and early morning hours. Probably by Wednesday morning, there is a chance for some patchy frost especially in outlying areas, according to Percha.
The best chance for those cold temperatures, of course, would be in the normally cold areas like Queen Creek, Maricopa and the outlying areas of western Maricopa County.
Percha advised people to prepare for the weather by keeping an eye on the forecast, especially if they’re traveling to northern Arizona because there could be significant snow and low temperatures.