Winter storms close northern Arizona highways for an extended period

PHOENIX – Multiple northern Arizona highways remained closed Friday due to dangerous winter driving conditions.

With more snow on the way after Thursday’s activity, the Arizona Department of Transportation said closures on Interstate 40 are expected to last at least through Friday night. As a result, motorist are advised to use I-8 and I-10 to travel across the state.

“If you don’t have to travel, it is certainly not recommended,” Paige Konieczny of the National Weather Service in Flagstaff told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Friday morning.

Snow is starting to stick on area roads at 350 PM. Here are a few pictures from ADOT. #azwx pic.twitter.com/cZ931MbC64

— NWS Flagstaff (@NWSFlagstaff) March 13, 2025

Here is the updated list of openings, per ADOT:

• Interstate 17 northbound at State Route 179 (milepost 299).
• Eastbound I-40 near Kingman and in Ashfork (mileposts 71 and 146).
• SR 89A in both directions between Sedona and I-17 (mileposts 375-394).
• SR 260, which was closed between Camp Verde and the junction with SR 87.
• Westbound I-40 between Williams and Holbrook (milepost 252-282).
• Westbound I-40 between Williams and Holbrook (milepost 158-251, 283-289).
• Southbound SR 87 near Winslow (milepost 338).

In addition to the road closures, Northern Arizona University shut down its Flagstaff campus on Friday due to the storm’s effects.

How much snow fell in northern Arizona?

Snow started falling in northern Arizona on Thursday afternoon. Konieczny said the totals as of Friday morning ranged from 4-8 inches in the Flagstaff area, 5-8 inches around Williams and 1-3 inches in the Prescott area.

More snow is expected Friday afternoon into Saturday morning. Konieczny said conditions are expected to start clearing out late Saturday afternoon.

“And then as we head into Sunday, conditions will warm back up pretty dramatically compared to what we’ll see on Saturday,” she said.

Snowplows working to clear northern Arizona highways

ADOT said its snowplows were working in the impacted areas and advised drivers not to tailgate the road-clearing vehicles.

REMINDER: We recommend postponing travel until the storm passes. (This was taken earlier on SR 260.) https://t.co/21fIeeRA5x pic.twitter.com/Id7RDXGOfL

— Arizona DOT (@ArizonaDOT) March 14, 2025

In addition to the snow, cold temperatures are contributing to the dangerous driving conditions.

“It’s vastly below freezing up here, which is certainly adding to the slick road conditions because even the things that have been plowed, it still left kind of an icy layer on the road,” Konieczny said. “So, just not the most pleasant conditions up here at the moment.”

If you do have to travel in the area, prepare for delays and pack a winter emergency kit.

You're not really ready for your trip until you've packed an emergency travel kit!

It's always safest to delay travel until winter storms pass. However, if you do drive, it's essential to pack an travel kit in case of an emergency.

Learn more at https://t.co/fKzx7IbaJf. pic.twitter.com/aBccwBTWnt

— Arizona DOT (@ArizonaDOT) March 14, 2025

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Colton Krolak contributed to this report.

This is an updated version of a story originally published March 13, 2025.

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