Hail blankets parts of north Phoenix ahead of evening commute
Dec 9, 2019, 2:57 PM | Updated: 4:05 pm
(ADOT Traffic Camera Photo)
(ADOT Traffic Camera Photo)
PHOENIX — It may not have lasted long, but north Phoenix residents can say they got to experience a slice of winter on Monday afternoon.
Hail blanketed areas near the Loop 101 and State Route 51 interchange, making for a temporary winter wonderland.
“All day we’ve been seeing some pop-up thunderstorms but what’s really been impressive is the hail they’ve been dropping,” meteorologist Andrew Deemer with the National Weather Service in Phoenix told KTAR News 92.3 FM. “The hail generally hasn’t been too big but in some places there has been a lot of it.”
The hail, which started around 2 p.m., was fairly limited in its north Phoenix reach, but more reports of hail came in from across the Valley over the course of the afternoon.
Meanwhile, near Sky Harbor Airport … #azwx #phxtraffic pic.twitter.com/Vf4s7tEr2k
— Arizona DOT (@ArizonaDOT) December 9, 2019
Deemer said more isolated thunderstorms in Mesa and Scottsdale could drop additional hail before the sun sets.
The National Weather Service also reported sightings of a funnel cloud in Paradise Valley.
Water runoff from the hail could also lead to less than ideal traffic conditions on the evening commute.
[2:30 PM MST] Two severe thunderstorm warnings are currently in effect, primarily for hail up to the size of quarters, lightning, and heavy rain. These storms have a history of producing accumulating hail. #azwx pic.twitter.com/6yxy8mEFN5
— NWS Phoenix (@NWSPhoenix) December 9, 2019
“Sometimes you get a lot of little hail and it accumulates and it comes down so fast and can create some treacherous driving conditions,” Deemer said.
The wintry weather came just hours after parts of the Valley dealt with dense fog on the morning commute.
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KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Nailea Leon contributed to this report.
