Schools, state agencies brace for snow deluge in northern Arizona
Feb 20, 2019, 5:10 PM | Updated: Feb 21, 2019, 1:51 pm
(Unsplash Photo)
PHOENIX – School districts and state agencies are bracing for a potent winter storm expected to bring several feet of snow to northern Arizona.
Many districts across the state’s high country, including Flagstaff Unified, have canceled classes and other services Thursday and Friday.
The closures also include schools in Page, Holbrook, Payson, Kingman, Williams and on the Hopi reservation.
Northern Arizona University canceled classes on Thursday and Friday “due to the impacts of significant snowfall, high winds and road conditions.”
Gov. Doug Ducey said state agencies – including the Department of Emergency and Military Affairs, Department of Transportation and Department of Public Safety — were working with local partners to make sure they have the resources they need.
“We encourage all Arizonans to be cautious during these winter weather conditions,” Ducey said in a press release.
“Our agencies are taking proactive steps to keep Arizonans safe. We will continue to monitor this situation and provide assistance as needed.”
With a major storm hitting Arizona, stay safe by avoiding travel. If travel is necessary:
❄️ Check weather conditions
🔦 Pack an emergency kit
🚗 Make sure your car is in good condition
MORE → https://t.co/B4gak55ODn @ArizonaDOT— Doug Ducey (@dougducey) February 20, 2019
The release said that hundreds of snowplow operators were prepared to work around the clock, and ADOT crews have been treating roadways with deicing agents in advance of the snow.
The storm is expected to impact Arizona’s high country from Wednesday night until Friday morning or early afternoon.
“We could see up to 2 feet of snow in the Flagstaff area,” National Weather Service meteorologist Robert Rickey told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Wednesday.
Rickey said higher elevations could see more than 3 feet.
While metro Phoenix won’t get cold enough for the white stuff, the area will get plenty of the wet stuff, with the chance for rain at 100 percent Thursday and 60 percent Friday.
High temperatures will be in the 50s in the Valley through Saturday, with overnight lows dipping into the 30s.
Anybody planning to drive up north was advised to delay their trip because of snow accumulation, icy roads and poor visibility.
“Traveling will be difficult, dangerous, maybe impossible on some roadways,” Rickey said.
If travel can’t be avoided, make sure your vehicle and tires are in good condition, give yourself plenty of extra time and pack an emergency kit with warm clothes, blankets, food and water.
Also, make sure to keep your gas tank three-quarters full.
ADOT said its offices in Chinle, Cottonwood, Flagstaff, Holbrook, Kingman, Page, Payson, Prescott, Show Low, Tuba City, Window Rock and Winslow would be closed Thursday in anticipation of unsafe driving conditions.
KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Jim Cross and The Associated Press contributed to this report.