Heavy Snow — Oak Creek and Sycamore Canyons, Arizona

2013-03-08 to 2013-03-09 · Oak Creek and Sycamore Canyons, Arizona

Event narrative

Six inches of snow fell in an area 3 miles north of Sedona at an elevation of 5000 feet. 5.2 inches of snow fell in Oak Creek Canyon at the Junipine Resort at an elevation of 5075 feet. It rained for several hours before the snow level lowered to below 5000 feet.

Wider weather episode

A strong Pacific storm system brought heavy snow to much of northern Arizona March 8 and 9. The heaviest snow fell above 6000 where most of the precipitation through the event was snow. Between 4000 feet and 6000 feet, the precipitation started out as rain and then changed to snow as the main part of the storm moved over Arizona. Accumulating snow was reported as low as 3800 feet before the storm moved east. Snowfall amounts ranged from around an inch in Sedona, Show Low, and Ganado to around two feet in Forest Lakes, Sunrise Ski Park, and Arizona Snowbowl.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 442961. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.