Winter storm drops snow on northern Arizona, scattered Valley rain
Dec 28, 2022, 10:00 AM | Updated: 3:28 pm
PHOENIX — A large winter storm hit central and northern Arizona Wednesday morning, bringing snow and rain in the last days of the year.
Up north, Flagstaff Airport recorded 6.5 inches of snow by 5 a.m., according to the National Weather Service in Flagstaff.
Arizona Snowbowl recorded 13 inches of snow by 5:20 a.m. and is expecting anywhere between 26-30 inches of snow in the next week, according to OpenSnow, a weather forecasting and ski conditions mobile app.
A winter weather advisory remained in effect for Flagstaff and areas above 6,500 feet along the eastern and western Mogollon Rim through 5 a.m. Thursday.
The forecast in those areas on Wednesday calls for a high of 36 and a low of 23 degrees. Snow accumulation could also range from 3-11 inches, NWS said.
Drivers traveling near northern Arizona were advised to plan for extra travel time and slow down as accumulating snow can cause slick roads.
State Route 89A, north of Sedona, was closed in both directions between mileposts 383 and 390 because of winter weather conditions, the Arizona Department of Transportation said. The roadway reopened at about 3 p.m.
An earlier weather-related closure on northbound Interstate 17 near State Route 179, south of Sedona, was lifted Wednesday afternoon.
By 7 a.m., the average amount of rain recorded across the Valley was just over a tenth of an inch of rain.
As of 7 AM, all but the far Southeast Valley has received some rain. Sky Harbor is at 0.15" as of 725 AM. Additional observations available in the links below. #azwx #cawxhttps://t.co/U0wzPxpaukhttps://t.co/d785s03wbXhttps://t.co/E4xVPHgyBHhttps://t.co/7jqrx0qyWj pic.twitter.com/Wu7oFa3zwt
— NWS Phoenix (@NWSPhoenix) December 28, 2022
Most of the region saw some rain throughout the morning, with about half an inch falling across Phoenix, according to the Flood Control District of Maricopa County.
Metro Phoenix residents can expect most of the rain activity to taper off by early afternoon, followed by scattered showers through the evening, according to NWS.
Another storm system is forecast to move through on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
Chances of precipitation were at 90% on Sunday with anywhere between .25-.50 inches of rain possible.
