FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — A winter storm dumped nearly a foot of snow on some parts of Arizona, according to the latest National Weather Service (NWS) report.
Dozens of people traveled from other cities in Arizona to witness the first major snowfall of the season.
"It's beautiful to see. It's kind of freezing as well, but it's fine. We love it," Stephanie Vargas said.
Flagstaff was covered in a widespread blanket of snow Sunday morning.
With about an inch falling each hour, the city accumulated nearly eight inches of snow before noon, according to NWS.
"We saw it was going to snow. Didn't realize how much it was going to snow though," Bill Dundas said.
Flagstaff residents spent their day shoveling sidewalks, plowing roads and clearing driveways.
"This is the biggest (snowfall) of the year so far," Justin Erickson said.
Andrea Jack and her family were met with few challenges while driving from Phoenix to Flagstaff on Interstate 17 Sunday morning, where several crashes were reported.
"It was pretty rough about 30 minutes outside of Flag coming up, it was pretty slow about," Andrea Jack said. "A lot of snow on the ground, really foggy. Really couldn't see. There were hazard lights on everywhere."
The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) can have up to 200 plows and 400 operators on the highways during a storm.
The City of Flagstaff and Coconino County take care of the local roads.
"Storm preparations start really months and months ago," Coconino County Department of Emergency Management Deputy Director Tim Carter said.
Carter told 12News state and local agencies monitor all winter storms closely despite the size.
"While this may not be one of the larger storms that we can see, we are going to get significant snowfall," Carter said. "Road impacts are a big concern for us, you know, driving conditions are going to be not optimal by any means."
ADOT was forced to temporarily close some major highways during the storm, including parts of State Routes 87 and 89A, plus Interstate 40 due to icy roads.
Although the snow has lightened up, officials recommend driving with caution as the roads remain slippery in freezing temperatures.
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