Arizona sees rare October snowfall
Oct 10, 2013, 1:23 PM | Updated: 2:25 pm
PHOENIX — In a time normally associated with the oranges and reds of autumn, things turned a different color Thursday in northern Arizona.
Arizona Snowbowl, one of the state’s two ski resorts, said it received between three and five inches of snow as a cold front moved through the state.
Areas near Flagstaff received two to four inches of snow but Flagstaff only received about a half-inch of snow.
“What I found looking back at the records, there are only six occurrences in the first 10 days of October where we’ve had snowfall exceeding a trace,” David Vonderheide with the National Weather Service said.
The snow came from a strong storm moving south from Canada. While the high country saw winter weather, the Valley enjoyed a high of 72 degrees Thursday.
Last year, Snowbowl was manufacturing its own snow as early as the second week in November.
Snowbowl, located outside of Flagstaff, Ariz., is about a two-hour drive from Phoenix.
KTAR’s Jim Cross contributed to this story.
