Snow blankets Flagstaff area, creates hazardous driving conditions

PHOENIX – Flagstaff saw its first significant snow of the year on Thursday, as a white blanket created hazardous driving conditions across sections of northern Arizona.

“Check your road conditions, make sure you have a winter driving kit if you’re coming up here, and take your time,” meteorologist Ben Peterson of the National Weather Service in Flagstaff told KTAR News 92.3 FM early Thursday.

Peterson said 4-8 inches of snowfall were expected in much of the area, with 8-10 inches in higher elevations.

“We’ve had a couple of snow events up on the peaks already and it has snowed over in east-central Arizona, but for Flagstaff proper this will be the first snowfall,” he said.

From our statewide road weather manager: Current conditions on I-17 southbound south of Flagstaff ❄️

Check the AZ 511 app for real-time traffic conditions.

And here's a reminder about conditions expected in the area today: https://t.co/cjx8Y6QMe4 pic.twitter.com/2PklRNBjJ7

— Arizona DOT (@ArizonaDOT) November 3, 2022

A winter weather advisory was activated through 11 p.m. for the western and eastern Mogollon Rim and Black Mesa areas, including the city of Flagstaff.

Peterson said the storm will move through the Flagstaff area from west to east and clear out an hour or two after sunset.

Thursday’s Flagstaff forecast called for a high of 35 degrees and an overnight low of 17 before moderating to 43 degrees on Friday and the 50s over the weekend.

“It’ll linger out to the New Mexico border until midnight and maybe even a little bit later,” he said. “By Friday morning the sky should be clear. It will be very cold … below 32 almost everywhere in northern and central Arizona.”

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Jim Cross contributed to this report.

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