A winter storm dumped 4 inches of snow by this afternoon on Mount Lemmon, and sustained winds were between 15 to 18 mph in Summerhaven. “It is 24 degrees but more like 10 degrees with the wind chill,” said Fire Chief Randy Ogden of the Mount Lemmon Fire District.
Catalina Highway was closed at the base of Mount Lemmon Sunday morning and employees and residents equipped with chains or four-wheel drives were the only ones allowed to travel up the mountain, said a Pima County Sheriff’s Department dispatcher.
More snow flurries were expected late Sunday night on Mount Lemmon, said Mic Sherwood, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Tucson.
Tonight's forecast for Tucson says rain showers are likely, and a low around 36 is expected.
In Northern Arizona, the weather caused collisions and slide-offs, according to the state Department of Public Safety.
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A semi-truck driver was seriously burned in a collision near Flagstaff on Interstate 40 at milepost 192. No other serious injuries and no fatalities had been reported shortly before 5 p.m. Sunday, according to DPS.
Interstate 40 was closed in parts of northern Arizona but reopened this afternoon. Interstate 10 through southern New Mexico also reopened after weather forced its closure.
In the Flagstaff area, visibility was down to one-quarter of a mile with heavy snow and fog by late Sunday afternoon.
The winter storm was caused by a low pressure that came out of the North Pacific and tracked southeast, making its way across California and Southern Arizona, according to the National Weather Service.
The storm is expected to remain in effect with snow levels starting at 4,000 feet into Monday morning. It will affect Pima, Graham, Greenlee and Cochise counties.
Winds are expected to diminish to 5 to 15 mph by late Sunday night and Monday morning.
Contact reporter Carmen Duarte at 573-4104 or cduarte@azstarnet.com
