“Peaceful” snow fall starts day in Santa Cruz County

Nogales, Arizona (KVOA) – Like most of Southern Arizona, it was the start of a snowy day in Santa Cruz County.

It was a rare site found along the border areas of Nogales, Arizona and nearby Liolico.

“Who would have thought it would snow in the southwestern desert?” asked Juan Ibarra of Rio Rico.

When he woke up, he was happy to see that the garden was full of snow.

“Do you know the word White Christmas? What is it almost like? I wish it was December with all the Christmas lights and decorations, gorgeous and peaceful.” he said.

From both sides of the border, we spotted many other people enjoying the event in downtown Nogales.

Alexandra Soto said, “It looks so pretty that I’ve never seen it before.

Many had to scrape the snow and ice off their windshields before driving to work. Road conditions were dangerous, but the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office said there were no major accidents.

Around noon, the snow started to melt, and by 4:00 p.m., most of the snow had disappeared.

Cold weather may be beautiful, but it’s the least desirable condition for the homeless.Jason Gonzales is the Operations Manager for the Crossroads Rescue Mission in Nogales. He said he expected more people to seek shelter soon as temperatures were being kept cool, and said he was prepared.

“It’s getting cold again and it’s probably going to be cold next week or so. We’re ready for that.”

All local public schools remained open and were unaffected.