Heavy Snow — Northern Gila County, Arizona

2023-01-01 to 2023-01-02 · Northern Gila County, Arizona

Event narrative

Just over 4 inches (4.3) of snow fell near the Payson Airport at an elevation of 5,100 feet. A spotter 4 miles southeast of Washington Park reported 8 inches of snow by 730 AM on January 2.

Wider weather episode

A long wave trough moved across Arizona on on New Year's Day with bringing widespread precipitation. Snow levels were initially relatively high for this time of the year. The snow levels dropped rapidly as a cold front associated with the trough moved across the area. The heavy rain and rain on snow caused flooding in the lower elevations.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1069660. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.