Heavy Snow — Oak Creek and Sycamore Canyons, Arizona

2019-02-20 to 2019-02-22 · Oak Creek and Sycamore Canyons, Arizona

Event narrative

Four inches of snow fell by around 800 AM on February 21 in Sedona around 4,500 feet elevation. Snowfall totals for this zone include (in inches): Sedona 18.0, Village of Oak Creek 15.0, and West Sedona 14.0. In Oak Creek Canyon, 31 inches of snow fell at just above 5,000 feet elevation. Twenty-two inches of snow fell at Slide Rock State Park.

Wider weather episode

A cold, strong, intensifying low pressure system spread a deep blanket of snow over a majority of central and northern Arizona between the evening of February 20th and the night of February 22nd, 2019. Across the Mogollon Rim and other high country regions, reports of two to over three feet of snow were received. Anywhere from a few inches to over a foot of snow fell in the lower deserts and valleys of northern Arizona. These lower elevations may not see accumulating snow for several years at at time. For many locations across central and northern Arizona, this storm was among the top 10 greatest recorded. The single-day snowfall record was broken at Flagstaff Airport and in Show Low. As a result of the heavy snowfall, major roadways were closed, trees were downed and power was lost in local communities. Both the City of Flagstaff and Coconino declared a state of emergency on February Thursday 21.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 814367. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.