Northern Arizona to get blanketed with snow from 2 storms in next few days

PHOENIX — Northern Arizona is gearing up to get hit with heavy snow spread across two storms this weekend and early next week.

National Weather Service meteorologist Ben Peterson told KTAR News 92.3 FM that the high country above 6,000 feet could see up to 14 inches of snow beginning Friday evening through Sunday.

A second storm expected to hit Monday and Tuesday could bring another 10-20 inches for areas above 5,000 feet, Peterson said Friday morning.

“It’s going to be one of the colder storm systems you will see in Arizona,” Peterson said of early next week’s storm.

IT'S GETTING CLOSE! Two winter storms are about to break on Arizona, so it's a good time to make sure you Know Snow! See the checklist to make sure you are prepared and learn more about safe winter driving here: https://t.co/JxZiomElRi pic.twitter.com/88FWR1wAUP

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High temperatures in Flagstaff are forecast to drop into the low 30s by Saturday, with lows in the teens, creating potentially hazardous traveling conditions.

The Arizona Department of Transportation is warning drivers to be cautious and consider delaying all non-essential travel because of the storms.

Arizona Snowbowl is predicting an accumulation of 13 inches of snow the next 1-5 days and about 21 inches by the next 6-10 days.

All of the resort’s lift tickets are already booked for Saturday and Sunday.

“It is a good week to go skiing although we want to stress that traveling is going to be very treacherous,” Peterson said. “It’s quite beautiful but take your time and be aware of unusual or particularly dangerous situations.”

Peterson said the storms could be so expansive that areas that typically don’t get snow, such as Verde Valley and Wickenburg, could also get accumulation.

“Areas that don’t see snow very often are going to see a few inches of accumulating snow on Monday night and Tuesday morning,” Peterson said.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Jeremy Foster contributed to this report.

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