PHOENIX (AP) – Heavy snow closed parts of a major interstate in northern Arizona and low-level clouds in Phoenix on Thursday, after storms hit California earlier this week and caused widespread damage. Dozens of flights were delayed. muddy mess.
More than 2 feet (61 centimeters) of snow has fallen in some places in the mountains of northern Arizona, with more expected over the weekend. Snow, ice and whiteout conditions have partially closed Interstates 40 and 17 in and around Flagstaff, northern Arizona's largest city. Interstate 17 later reopened, but portions of Interstate 40 remained closed Thursday night.
Truck driver Dennis Fritsch was on his way from Georgia to Reno, Nevada, for a delivery scheduled for Friday. He parked his car at a truck stop along Interstate 40 in Belmont, Ariz., expecting the road to be closed after the temperatures cooled and the sun disappeared.
“It's actually quite cruel,” he said.
Rick Schuler, a longtime Belmont resident, was clearing snow from his and his neighbor's driveways as his dog Dakota ran through the deep snow.
“I’m just enjoying this great weather, shoveling snow, playing with my dogs and having fun,” he said.
Schools around northern Arizona, including Northern Arizona University, called it a snow day.
Further south, the state's desert regions were battered by rain. A low cloud ceiling temporarily suspended all flights to and from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, the state's largest airport. The Federal Aviation Administration issued a 45-minute ground stop order Thursday morning, delaying more than 100 flights, according to aviation tracking websites. flight aware. The first round of play at the Phoenix Open Golf Tournament was also suspended due to rain.
Days of wind, rain and heavy snow in California caused power outages, flooded roads and hundreds of destructive landslides, but the skies remained clear across much of the state. Very wet weather made a huge turn from a very slow start to winter.
It was a perfect day for skiing in the Sierra Nevada, with more snow falling Thursday at Lake Tahoe ski areas and Mammoth Mountain south of Yosemite National Park. Mammoth had already reported up to 5 feet (1.5 meters) of snow since Sunday.
The National Weather Service said the region east of Los Angeles, dubbed Snow Valley, in the San Bernardino Mountains received about the same amount of snow as parts of the eastern Sierra Nevada. An eagle named Jackie was completely buried in snow several times and was widely watched via webcam as it tended to three eggs in its nest, the Friends of Big Bear Valley announced. Facebook page.
Downtown Los Angeles saw a five-day rainfall total of more than 9 inches (23 centimeters), more than half of the normal annual rainfall of 14.25 inches (36 centimeters), while other parts of the city received less than 1 foot (30 centimeters). centimeter). .
Meanwhile, avalanche danger in the San Gabriel Mountains east of Los Angeles prevented searchers from continuing their search for a woman who went missing while hiking alone on Mount Baldy on Sunday. San Bernardino County authorities said 22-year-old El Monte resident Raihuy Juan was last heard Sunday afternoon as the storm moved into the area. Baldy is known to be a dangerous place in the winter, and last year claimed the lives of several hikers, including: actor julian sands.
Unusual precipitation has begun in California last weekendAn abnormal low pressure system rotating off the coast, atmospheric river. Fierce winds blew across Northern California, and huge amounts of water vapor fell across the South for several days.
Then, on Wednesday, a new front roared down the California coast, bringing heavy rain and damage, including a weak tornado near Grover Beach in San Luis Obispo County.
State officials tallied nine deaths from the storm, but that does not include the five Marines killed in the crash. military helicopter East of San Diego late Tuesday night. Officials have not said whether weather was a factor.
There was also a storm destructive landslide In the city of Los Angeles alone, there are more than 500, with at least 16 buildings deemed uninhabitable and another 33 with yellow tags. That means residents can enter to retrieve their belongings, but cannot remain there. Experts say the threat of landslides will continue because the soil is saturated.
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Anczak reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press writers Felicia Fonseca in Belmont, Arizona, and Christopher Webber in Los Angeles contributed to this article.
