Rain showers move toward Phoenix, while snow is likely in Flagstaff and higher elevations
Cooler temperatures and a chance of rain will make their way into Phoenix on Wednesday and into the weekend, but there's blustery weather moving in elsewhere in the state, bringing with it a winter storm watch for Flagstaff.
While there is a 50-80% chance of rain over eastern parts of metro Phoenix on Thursday and Friday, areas of Flagstaff are expecting up to 12 inches of snow, and Jacob Lake could see up to 18 inches of snow.
“Rain and snow showers will begin to impact northern Arizona late on Wednesday and impact the area into the weekend,” National Weather Service forecasters in Flagstaff said.
If travel plans take you to northern Arizona later this week, make sure to be prepared; Thursday and Friday are expected to have hazardous travel conditions, according to the weather service. For up-to-date road conditions, visit AZ511.
For those in metro Phoenix, there is a 20-40% chance of rain Thursday into Friday, although there is still uncertainty about how much rain will fall in the area, according to Ryan Worley, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Phoenix.
“Right now, our forecast calls for anywhere from a tenth of an inch to maybe a quarter of an inch in the far eastern parts of the metro area, especially towards more terrain areas,” Worley said. “We have seen this system evolve, and those totals have gone up slightly compared to a few days ago, but we’re just going to have to see how things play out.”
Gusts up to 30 miles per hour are possible Wednesday across the Valley, but Worley said chances are better for breezy conditions and milder winds. Temperatures are expected to fall from the low 80s earlier this week to the upper 60s by Thursday and Friday.
Once the rain has passed, temperatures are expected to rise again, with Sunday expected to reach a high of 75 degrees. Next week will continue to warm up, with a high Monday of 78 degrees and Tuesday reaching up to 81 degrees.
Caralin Nunes writes about weather and related topics for The Arizona Republic and azcentral. Email her with story tips at caralin.nunes@arizonarepublic.com.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Winter storm brings rain, snow across much of Arizona
