Snow flurries wow Valley Parents snap photos as children frolic in rare winter storm Peter Corbett and Sarah Muench The Arizona Republic Jan. 22, 2007 12:00 AM [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif] It snowed in Phoenix on Sunday afternoon and locals were crazy about it. Flurries whitened parts of the Valley with reports of snow from Avondale to central Phoenix to Carefree and places in between. The National Weather Service and readers reported snowfall moving from north to south, falling anywhere from five to 30 minutes. Some of the earliest reports in the Valley were about 3:15 p.m. Danita D'Water, who lives off Dynamite Road and Tatum Boulevard in northeast Phoenix, said there were huge snowflakes in her neighborhood late Sunday afternoon. "The children are running up and down the street, riding their scooters in the snow," she said. "The kids are pretty excited but the adults were out taking pictures." Along the Valley's freeways, drivers could be seen sticking their hands out their windows to touch the snowflakes. The last reported snowfall at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport was Dec. 6, 1998, and the last measurable amount of snow recorded there was four-tenths of an inch on Dec. 21 and 22, 1990, according to the National Weather Service. While it snows occasionally on the northern outskirts of the Valley, it is unusual for it to snow in Valley cities. About 4:45 p.m., Jerry Grucky, 45, an employee of the Circle K at McDowell Road and Seventh Avenue, stood outside his 1970 Chevy Impala with his hands trying to feel the wet snowflakes drop. "It's great. It's fun. I have lived here all my life and have only seen snow twice," he said. Down the street, diners at My Florist restaurant stood in the window looking at the last of the snowflakes. A few employees stepped outside to play in it. But Jason Piontkowski of Phoenix wasn't impressed as he pumped gas nearby while snowflakes fell on his blue sweater. He is originally from Philadelphia. "I find it unusual to see snow here, but it's not that amusing," Piontkowski said. Just before 5 p.m., traffic on Interstate 10 in downtown Phoenix was backed up near Seventh Avenue because the slushy snowfall made streets and freeways slippery. As late as 6 p.m., readers reported that it was still snowing in parts of Scottsdale. The National Weather Service in Phoenix said there were no accumulations of snow in the Valley - it melted within minutes - but overnight the white stuff was expected to stick in areas with elevations of 2,500 feet or higher. How did it happen? Many people wondered how snow could fall through air with 40- and 50-degree temperatures in the Valley, well above freezing. National Weather Service meteorologists said Sunday that moisture particles were being lifted higher in the atmosphere, where it is very cold. "Today, what happened was, there was a little bit of clearing in the afternoon, instability, small thunderstorms formed south of Prescott and near Cave Creek and Carefree, moved south and there was a down rush of wind and particles," meteorologist Hector Vásquez said. He explained that all moisture in clouds starts off in snowflake form, but because the moisture was so high up in the atmosphere, it stayed colder for longer and didn't melt immediately, allowing it to remain as snow at non-freezing temperatures. It would be the same as watching an ice cube melt slowly rather than immediately on a warm surface, meteorologist Austin Jamison said. Today's forecast Phoenix's high is expected to be 48 to 53 degrees today with showers this morning and skies clearing this afternoon. By midweek, temperatures should return to normal highs of about 68 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. Northern Arizona, which got 3 to 7 inches of snow Sunday, is under a storm warning through noon today. Travelers from Phoenix are advised to check road conditions before heading to the high country, Department of Public Safety officials said. ---------------------------- We got about 4 inches up here. Snow day today since the roads are still in bad shape. Oh well--it gets me out of my bus duty (I have bus duty after school on Mondays). It's no fun to be out there with a couple hundred students when there's snow all over the place. [/FONT]
Yeah that's some crazy shit. I remember a couple times that it has snowed in Phoenix but the snow melted upon hitting the ground if not before. This is the first time I can remember snow sticking to the ground in any amount right in town.
Lived in Three Lakes Wisonsin (way up north) for about 6 years way back in the 70's when winter was a little longer. 30 inches of ice on the lakes (sometimes more) by the end of winter. I actually drove my 72 Buick (and then a pickup) on the lake up until the end of March every year. In about 15 more years I'd be afraid to even walk on the lake that time of year, let alone drive.
Yeah, my kids were playing in it. We had driven up to Flaggstaff to play in the snow a few weeks back, then it snowed down here!
