3 feet of snow pummels Flagstaff, shuts down busy northern Arizona interstates

 Heavy snowfall rates of 1–2 inches per hour accumulated in Flagstaff, amounting to nearly a foot per day. Till Friday midnight, the city has received 36.1 inches of snowfall since Tuesday.

   More than 3 feet of snow forced officials to close dozens of miles of Interstate 40 through the northern Arizona mountains from Thursday to Friday, disrupting travel across the region and leaving residents scrambling to escape the three-day snowstorm.

"Things have changed over the past hour to the point where we're seeing the definition of whiteout conditions across northern Arizona," Fox Weather meteorologist Nicole Valdes said Thursday, reporting from Flagstaff, Arizona. “And because of that, the problems are increasing very rapidly.”

One of the biggest impacts was on regional travel.

He added, "We got an emergency alert on our phone here in downtown Flagstaff that I-40 eastbound has already been closed because visibility on the freeway is virtually impossible." "So this is a sign that things are getting worse as the day goes on."

The prediction proved true as heavy snowfall caused the closure of hundreds of miles of interstates and highways on Thursday, including large sections of I-40 and I-17, as well as US-191. Those closures continued till Friday morning.

Heavy snowfall rates of 1–2 inches per hour accumulated in Flagstaff, amounting to nearly a foot per day. Till Friday midnight, the city has received 36.1 inches of snowfall since Tuesday.

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The storm is Flagstaff's largest snowstorm since a "superstorm" in February 2019 dropped 40.8 inches of snow, according to the Fox Forecast Center.

"Stay safe out there and try to stay off the roads throughout northern Arizona today," NWS Flagstaff said.

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That snow was falling at unusually low elevations, accumulating as high as about 4,000 feet and as low as 4,500 feet. Flagstaff, located at an altitude of 7,000 feet, is accustomed to frequent snowfall in winter, but in lower elevations, heavy snowfall is a once-a-year occurrence.

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"It's not unusual to see more than 20 inches of snow every two years in the high country of northern Arizona," Valdes said.

Still, Flagstaff saw a daily record snowfall on Wednesday, with the city recording 13 inches of snowfall. Due to snowfall at school, children were playing in the snow for the second consecutive day.

Officials in New Mexico, Colorado and Utah are warning drivers to avoid mountain travel due to heavy snowfall and wind.

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Ski resorts rejoice

However ski resorts couldn't be happier. Arizona's snowball has dropped 26 inches of rain in just 24 hours, and the good news comes for snow-battered Phoenix.

"Flagstaff, we're talking about an elevation difference of about 6,000 feet from Phoenix. But a lot of people who live in the valley love to hear when it's (snow) falling here, then north on I Drive to -17 and play in the snow, just for a few hours?” Valdes said. "But Arizona DOT says things can be even more dangerous when you have all that snow falling, at the rate it is here – you've got poor visibility. And when you add that into the mix, cars are snowing down "On the side of the freeway, hoping to catch a glimpse and play in some snow, it makes things very dangerous."