Winter Storm — Santa Catalina and Rincon Mountains, Arizona

2023-03-01 to 2023-03-02 · Santa Catalina and Rincon Mountains, Arizona

Event narrative

About 12 inches of snow occurred in Summerhaven with wind gusts in excess of 50 mph.

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 1074223. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.