22 historical photos of snow on Mt. Lemmon and the Catalinas
If you can't get up to Mount Lemmon while it's snowy, here are some historical photos, with some dating back to the 1950s.
Snow in Tucson
Snow clogs the Catalina Highway to Mt. Lemmon at 5,400 feet elevation on Feb. 18, 1967. Rock slides up ahead kept motorists from going further.
Snow on Mt. Lemmon
Paul Amerson, front, and Desiray Stamps ride down a slope on Mt. Lemmon on a big piece of tin that they took up with them. April 29, 1984.
Snow on Mt. Lemmon
Empty lift chairs, bare patches of mountain, and very little snow on the ground indicate that it has been a bad year for skiers on Mt. Lemmon. Taken March 3, 1989.
Snow on Mt. Lemmon
Boy Scouts of Troop 7 push a car from camp at Mt. Lemon April 30, 1951.
White World
Mt. Lemmon's winter snowfall normally is 100 inches and at the time of this picture, two falls had accumulated 36 inches on the level. Before the week was out another foot or so had fallen (January 1955).
CIT Mt. Lemmon Recreation5
Large inner tubes known as "whirlybirds" make ideal toboggans for youngsters using the Snow Bowl's play area in 1960s.
CIT Mt. Lemmon Recreation3
Citizen photo Feb. 7, 1955 – On skis made especially for her, three-year-old Lee Lawrence practices a snow plow stop under the expert tutelage of her father, Renn Lawrence, instructor in military science and tactics at the University of Arizona. Lee was born in Austria while her father was on duty here. But starting her in "almost as soon as she could walk." Lawrence hopes to develop Lee until she may one day become an Olympic ski champion.
CIT Mt. Lemmon Recreation2
Mt. Lemmon Stage Lines Photo Nov. 9, 1966 The Mt. Lemmon Ski Lodge gets its first coat of snow this season- a five inch layer that began falling yesterday. More snow was expected there today. The Mt. Lemmon Radar Station, slightly higher, received about eight inches while Summerhaven, below the lodge, got three.
Snow on Mt. Lemmon
Snow on Mount Lemmon Jan. 7, 1992.
Snow on Mt. Lemmon
Citizen photo by Dan Tortorell Mar. 22, 1965. Somebody once described a ski run as the distance between the top of a mountain and the bottom of a hot chocolate.
Snow on Mt. Lemmon
Shelly Bradshaw got a face full of snow from Rhonda Stratton, left, and a laugh from Neil Sewell, center, as the three Palo Verde High School students enjoyed the Mount Lemmon snow. Arizona Daily Star file photo taken 11/15/78 by Jack W. Sheaffer.
Snow on Mt. Lemmon
Tracy Lopez shovels snow from the patio at the Mt. Lemmon Ski Valley restaurant. The Icicles are from the melting snow on the roof. The longest are about 2 1/2 feet long. Jan. 7, 1992.
Snow on Mt. Lemmon
Snow on the Mount Lemmon Highway. 1981.
Snow on Mt. Lemmon
Nicki Goodsier, 9, dumps a handful of snow over Natoya Batson's (10) head Friday afternoon during a snowball fight at the Southern Arizona Burn Association's winter camp atop Mount Lemmon Feb. 25, 1994.
Snow on Mt. Lemmon
Old Man Winter has laid a 14-inch white blanket over the upper levels on Mt. Lemmon. Despite the snowfall, and several rockslides, the highway has been kept open. Tucson Citizen Dec. 13, 1965.
Snow on Mt. Lemmon
Snow and ice on Mt. Lemmon 1965. Tucson Citizen
Snow on Mt. Lemmon
Mount Lemmon snow. Taken Dec. 14, 1961.
Snow in Tucson
Snowfall drapes the trees along the Catalina Highway to Mt. Lemmon at about 7,500 feet on Dec. 6, 1969. Total snow accumulation was about nine inches.
Mt. Lemmon in Glamorous Winter Attire
A weekend of winter storm activity left a two-foot blanket of snow on Mt. Lemmon in 1965.
Mt. Lemmon Inn
A car almost completely covered with snow photographed in front of the Mt. Lemmon Inn at the Bavarian Village.
Snowy Roadway Atop Mt. Lemmon
Old Man Winter has laid a 14-inch white blanket over the upper levels of Mt. Lemmon, ca 1950s. Despite the snowfall, and several rockslides, the highway was kept open.
Wintry Look In Summerhaven
Snow flurries yesterday in the Catalina Mountains tried to give the Summerhaven resort area atop Mt. Lemmon a preview of a white Christmas, ca 1950s.
Woman, 20, starts her own charity.
Mount Lemmon is closed to visitors Thursday afternoon, authorities said.
The road to Mount Lemmon is open with no restrictions.
Officials said today's plan was to "strengthen containment lines and 'mop up,' which is going around the perimeter putting out hot spots."
Featuring 17 detached casitas, Mount Lemmon Hotel is expected to open in Summerhaven this winter despite numerous setbacks.
NWS looking for snowpack observers this winter.
Only vehicles with four-wheel drive or four-wheel drive with chains are able to use the road.
We're in for a cold weekend, Tucson.
Mt. Lemmon is expected to get more snow Thursday night as a brief winter storm passes through Southern Arizona.
The road will be open to residents and employees only.
Catalina Highway on Friday morning was open only to residents and employees.