A winter storm that moved into northern Arizona late last night dropped snowfall levels down to 5,000 feet. The National Weather Service said that 3.5 inches of snow had already fallen in the Flagstaff area as of 5 a.m. this morning. The main part of the storm system has now moved east from Flagstaff, but isolated snow showers are expected to remain throughout the day, according to NWS meteorologists. Little additional accumulation is expected, but a winter weather advisory remains in effect until 5 p.m.
The Interstate 17 northbound was reopened at the Highway 179 turnoff to Sedona at around 11 a.m., according to the Arizona Department of Transportation. The road was closed at 6:45 a.m. due to excessive snow on the roadway and ADOT deployed two additional snowplows. ADOT currently has all snowplows deployed in the Flagstaff area.
Interstate 40 is also open, but ADOT officials say there’s packed snow covering the surface. Highway 89 south between Flagstaff and Sedona remains open as well. Icy roadway conditions are expected to remain throughout the day, with mild snowfall forecast through the afternoon. “The message we’re sending out to people is ‘use caution and consider delaying travel’,” said ADOT spokesperson Mackenzie Kirby.
