Oh snap! Canadian cold front en route to Arizona

PHOENIX — An usually warm past few days will be coming to an end on Thursday morning, due to a big Canadian cold front.

Winter Storm Cleon will bring freezing temperatures to high country places like Flagstaff, Show Low and the Globe/Miami area. Highs will reach the upper 20s to very low 30s with the lows dropping to the teens through the weekend. Residents are advised to insulate any outdoor pipes and keep their faucets on a slow drip overnight.

Valley lows could hit freezing in some locations during the next few mornings.

“We could dip to the freezing mark in the cold-prone areas like Buckeye, East Mesa, Apache Junction, Surprise, Peoria and other outlying areas,” said Charlotte Dewey with the National Weather Service.

Dewey said it won’t be cold enough to merit insulating the outdoor water pipes in the Valley, but it will be cold enough that pets are a concern.

“Animals don’t feel the cold until it hits them. We can put on a light jacket and think it’s a little chilly, but for pets, being left out overnight will affect them,” Dewey cautioned. “Bring them indoors.”

Jeff Harper with Harpers Nurseries said the oncoming front will not be as cold as last January, when the Valley had a four-day run of 20-degree temperatures, so he said there’s no need to rush out and buy plant covers or sheets for the shade or citrus trees.

“I would be concerned with tomatoes and pepper plants, along with some tropical plants like bougainvillea,” he said. “They should be covered.”

To cover plants, old sheets, burlap and even cardboard boxes will get the job done.

Another tip for plant preservation will also make yards look festive: Run an old strand of Christmas lights through the plants and place the bulbs around the sensitive ones to help keep them alive.