1 day Ago
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — After a dry season in Arizona’s high country, Flagstaff locals and visitors are excited to see the first accumulating snowfall of the season. “This is ideal, this is perfect,” Brandon Martin of Yuma said.
“We like it to be really cold when we come up here. So, it was a great time, a great week.” Flagstaff’s cold weather has been luring in visitors from across the state, but some who took a day trip on Tuesday, left a little disappointed.
“It would be better if there was cold weather with snow combination,” Hali Goldstein of Tempe said. Those visitors just missed it. Snowflakes started to fall around 6 p.
m. on Tuesday. “The snow we need it, it’s been dry up here for sure,” Quentin Estic of Phoenix said.
The locals told 12News they want the snow, too. They’re preparing for the first accumulation of the season. “We’ve had a few flurries here and there, but this is the first one where we’ll hopefully see some significant precipitation,” Acting Director of Coconino County Emergency Management Tim Carter said.
Carter said the county’s snowplows are ready to go. They hit the roads as soon as the flakes started falling and will stay on until the storm passes and the roads are clear. Carter warns drivers to still take caution on the road and be aware of black ice and slick spots.
“Take your time. Give yourself some extra space from the car in front of you. Make sure you’re bundled up, you know, wind chills are going to get pretty low [Tuesday night,]” Carter said.
On the highways, the Arizona Department of Transportation also deployed its snowplows leading up to the storm. “Our plow operations work around the clock when the storms hit,” ADOT spokesperson Kelsey Mo said. ADOT said its snowplow operators have been preparing since October.
If the weather warrants it, they’ll treat the roads with deicer. “It’s really important to remember to give it that space to do the work because it’s there to help clear the road ahead of ice and snow and make your commute safer and easier,” Mo said. ADOT doesn’t recommend traveling during the storm, but if drivers need to get on the road, they encourage checking AZ511 for road closure information.
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com or the Amazon app. Arizona Weather Arizona has seen its fair share of severe weather. Here is a compilation of videos from various storms across the Grand Canyon state.
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