Flagstaff shuts down as another round of snow moves in

PHOENIX — Schools and government offices locked the doors and turned off the lights early on Monday in Flagstaff as another round of snow moved into the area.

All of Flagstaff Unified School District declared a snow day on Monday, while Northern Arizona University gave staying open the old college try before deciding to cancel all classes that began after noon.

#SnowUpdate FLG classes that start at or after noon are canceled ⚠ pic.twitter.com/mRVaxZ7ck5

— NAU (@NAU) January 23, 2017

It seemed some NAU students had some fun planned for their snow day.

Campus commute 🏂 #BringYourBoard pic.twitter.com/PrJx86qEog

— NAU (@NAU) January 23, 2017

City offices also opened briefly, but the decision was later made to send everyone home early ahead of the advancing weather.

UPDATE: Early Closure Starting at 2pm Today for Non-Emergency City Operations and Services

In accordance with… https://t.co/IXZ5fIe9yH

— Flagstaff City Hall (@CityofFlagstaff) January 23, 2017

But government buildings weren’t the only places opting to close the shutters and stay in bed a few minutes longer. Several businesses in the area — including the Flagstaff Mall — did not open or had shortened hours.

BREAKING: Flagstaff Mall will be not be open today due to the storm. #Flagstaff

— KAFF News (@kaffnews) January 23, 2017

Flagstaff branches closing early at 3 p.m. today due to inclement weather. Our online and mobile banking are always available to you 24/7.

— OneAZ Credit Union (@OneAZCU) January 23, 2017

[fb_embed_post href=”https://www.facebook.com/FlagstaffYMCA/posts/10154879151667305/” width=”620″/]

The National Weather Service tweeted a video of heavy snow falling about noon and said conditions are expected to get worse.

1205 PM MST: Right now at the NWS Flagstaff…snow, strong winds, low visibility, very hazardous driving. It will be getting worse. #azwx pic.twitter.com/HDGvqDwUjs

— NWS Flagstaff (@NWSFlagstaff) January 23, 2017

In addition to snow, strong winds were also reported.

1127am MST: Strong winds recently recorded in N. Arizona: 47 mph near Seligman; 46 mph Flagstaff; 46 mph Show Low. #azwx

— NWS Flagstaff (@NWSFlagstaff) January 23, 2017

The weather service said Monday’s storm could bring up to an additional eight inches of snow for Flagstaff. A winter storm warning was in effect until 5 a.m. Tuesday.

The storm was expected to move out of the area on Tuesday, but high temperatures will likely remain below freezing until Sunday.

Northern Arizona was pounded with snow over the weekend. Some parts received nearly two feet of the white stuff and slide-offs were reported all along the high country.

Plenty of slide-offs reported in northern AZ. This photo is from I-40, about 20 miles west of #Flagstaff. pic.twitter.com/YLsrL3kRr5

— Arizona DOT (@ArizonaDOT) January 24, 2017

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