WINTER FUN
Arizona saw it all Tuesday — rain, hail, graupel and snow. And while the storm system went away with the afternoon, Phoenix National Weather Service meteorologist Marvin Percha said it will in fact come another day.
“We are getting a small break here, but as soon as Friday, Phoenix will see more precipitation come through,” he said. “Tuesday does not mark the end, and it’s my hope we learned from it for when the next one hits.”
Percha said despite warnings to stay home and off icy roads, many Arizonans decided to take the risk. Bart Graves, an Arizona Department of Public Safety spokesperson, said since Monday eve
ning about 6 p.m., DPS troopers have responded to more than 50 accidents. The number was even higher Sunday morning through Monday evening.
“DPS troopers responded to more than 90 collisions in northern Arizona during that time,” Graves said. “Most were slide-offs, two-vehicle, non-injury collisions and minor-injury collisions.”
Before the dry conditions entered the forecast, Percha said starting about 7 a.m. Tuesday, Phoenix experienced “lingering showers” and by 1 p.m. had accumulated just under half an inch of rain. Mesa received over half an inch and pea-sized hail, while graupel, or soft hail that resembles snow, was reported in Scottsdale and Tempe.
Some west Valley areas didn’t receive quite as much action. Glendale and Avondale saw about a quarter-inch of rain, while Tolleson, Wittman and El Mirage received a third of an inch, according to Percha.
The high Tuesday at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport was 53 degrees, while the low was expected to hit the mid-30s. Percha said this causes great concern for “frost and freezing temperatures” into Wednesday afternoon.
“You need to make sure pets are in a warm place, plants are covered and that children are well-dressed if they wait for a bus in the morning,” he said. “Temperature drops like this can be very dangerous if we aren’t prepared.”
Meanwhile, an inch of snow fell in Tucson on Tuesday morning, and areas near Globe got 3 to 5 inches. With more snow showers expected into the evening, a winter storm warning was put in place until 5 p.m. for Globe and any elevations above 4,000 feet east of Phoenix, Percha said.
Since Sunday night, Flagstaff got up to 26 inches of snow, Prescott Valley got up to 14 inches and Sedona only saw about 8. However, the winter storm warning for Mogollon Rim from Flagstaff to Show Low was canceled about 2:45 p.m. due to decreasing intensity of snow showers, the weather service said in a tweet.
“Roads everywhere, especially in the north, are expected to stay really slick through Wednesday morning,” Percha said. “Even though snow and hail might not be actively falling, now is still the time to be cautious.”