Winter snow storm buries cities in Arizona

Sections of Arizona will remain buried in snow on Monday as an unexpected winter storm paralyzed travel and closed schools. The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for the mountains of eastern and central Arizona that will continue through Monday morning. “Expect widespread snow across northern Arizona into Monday with extremely hazardous driving conditions, especially in the mountains,” the weather agency reported.

Over the weekend, the city of Flagstaff received 10 to 14 inches of snow, and Prescott received 8 to 12 inches, prompting school closings on Monday. The rare winter storm forced authorities to close 180 miles of Interstate 40 in northern Arizona on Sunday until further notice, according to the Arizona Highway Patrol. “The other day it was 65 degrees, next day it is snowing, so it’s been crazy. It killed a lot of people’s travel plans because the highways are a mess,” said Flagstaff resident Brandon Neuman. In eastern parts of the country however, mild conditions succeed, with temperatures well above average from Texas and the Midwest, all the way to the East Coast.