Heavy Snow — Upper San Pedro River Valley, Arizona

2023-03-01 to 2023-03-02 · Upper San Pedro River Valley, Arizona

Event narrative

About 4 to 5 inches of snow fell in the Benson area with 4 inches in the Tombstone area, resulting in difficult driving conditions. One to four inches in the Sierra Vista area caused schools to be closed for the day.

Wider weather episode

A very strong late season storm system swept through southeast Arizona resulting in strong winds, followed by snow which reached the desert and valley floors of southeast Arizona. Heavy snow of around a foot in depth accumulated in the high country, but even some locations down to 3500 feet received four inches of snow causing travel difficulties. Even parts of the Tucson Metro area saw 1 to 3 inches of snow, although accumulations there were mostly limited to non-paved areas.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1074208. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.