Several inches of snow forecast for northern AZ
“It is possible to have a White Christmas in Arizona!”
That’s what Beth Stull wrote on Twitter as she watched nearly a foot of snow fall in Flagstaff.
No matter that it was Thursday by then. Much of Arizona had a white daybefore-Christmas and a white day-after-Christmas, too. And the snowy weather isn’t likely to let up anytime soon.
With temperatures deep below freezing — Flagstaff had a low of 6 degrees and a high of 28 on Thursday — and several inches of snow expected overnight Thursday plus more this morning, travel was expected to become “very difficult,” according to the National Weather Service.
Drivers planning to head anywhere in the high country should beware, meteorologist Brian Klimowski said.
Elevations above 5,000 feet could see between 3 and 10 inches of snowfall by Saturday morning, Klimowski said.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety issued a similar warning on Thursday, advising drivers to bring cold weather gear, an ice scraper and tire
chains when traveling through the high country.
Arizona State Parks announced Thursday morning that the road leading to Tonto Natural Bridge State Park would be closed for the rest of the day because of hazardous road conditions in the area.
Ice on Interstate 17 apparently also caused at least one freeway closure, when a semitruck swerved on icy roads across the median and rolled, blocking the northbound lanes for hours.
The snow came as a benefit for some, from kids and dogs playing on hillsides to skiers on the slopes.
Arizona Snowbowl outside Flagstaff tweeted that it received another 5 inches of snow in 24 hours, bringing its three-day total to 2 feet.
And while the winter storm meant only a wet Christmas in Phoenix, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality said the air quality on Christmas this year was the best on record based on data recorded since 2010.