After a weekend of nice weather, a winter storm is headed to Southern Arizona starting Monday, bringing colder temperatures and chances of rain.
Moderate rain and mountain snow is expected to start early Monday, the National Weather Service said.
Temperatures that are colder than normal also are expected, with a high Monday of about of 53 degrees. The low temperature is expected to be about 35 degrees.
A winter storm watch is also in effect starting Monday morning through the late night for areas above 5,000 feet, including the Oracle area, the Weather Service said.
Winds will be breezy as well, especially in Cochise County.
On Tuesday, morning precipitation chances dwindle from west to east and snow showers are possible mainly in the White Mountains, the NWS said. Cold temperatures and breezy winds east of Tucson will continue.
Patchy frost is also predicted in parts of Tucson on Tuesday before 8 a.m. The high for the day is predicted to be about 52 degrees. The low will be about 28 degrees.
And the coldest temperatures of the winter so far are expected on Wednesday morning.
Freezing temperatures and widespread frost are likely in the morning, with lows in the teens and low 20s south and east of Tucson. The high for the day here will be about 54 degrees, which also is below the normal temperature for this time of year, the NWS said.
The highlands of northern Arizona will also be under a winter storm watch beginning on Sunday evening, the Arizona Republic reported. The watch there, which is from Sunday evening through Monday afternoon, affects Flagstaff, Williams, Prescott, Show Low and the Grand Canyon.
Flagstaff is expected to receive between 6 and 8 inches of snow while near the Grand Canyonβs North Rim, snow could reach up to 12 inches, according to the Arizona Republic.
Visit the Weather Service website for more Tucson weather information.
Go to the Arizona Department of Transportationβs traffic map for information on weather-related road closures in Arizona.
Photos: The 73rd annual Winterhaven Festival of Lights in Tucson
A well lit house draws a couple of admirers at Treat Avenue and Richards Row on the opening night of the 73rd annual Winterhaven Festival of Lights, Tucson, Ariz., December 10, 2022.
Visitors stroll along Christmas Avenue on the opening night of the 73rd annual Winterhaven Festival of Lights, Tucson, Ariz., December 10, 2022. The Festival of Lights runs 6-10 pm everyday through December 26, there is no admission, however, a donation to the Community Food Bank is requested. There are no drive-thru dates this year.
Connor Ingram is on spray paint duty, helping family friends with their Grinch themed decorations during last minute decoration on the opening night of the 73rd annual Winterhaven Festival of Lights, Tucson, Ariz., December 10, 2022. The event was started in 1949 by Winterhaven's original developer, C.B. Richards, after he visited some similar neighborhood light displays in Beverly Hills, Calif.
Sun sets over visitors strolling by a display at the corner of Kleindale Road and Treat Avenue on the opening night of the 73rd annual Winterhaven Festival of Lights, Tucson, Ariz., December 10, 2022. The whole of Winterhaven neighborhood was designed in hopes of one day hosting a big holiday festival like the one we see today. Go to winterhavenfestival.org for more information.
Bikes take the place of reindeer on a home on Fox Avenue lit up on the opening night of the 73rd annual Winterhaven Festival of Lights, Tucson, Ariz., December 10, 2022.
A slightly skeptical Billie Dayton gets her first visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus, one of multiple Santas scattered throughout the neighborhood on the opening night of the 73rd annual Winterhaven Festival of Lights, Tucson, Ariz., December 10, 2022.
The holiday lights come up as the sun goes down on a display at the corner of Kleindale Road and Treat Avenue on the opening night of the 73rd annual Winterhaven Festival of Lights, Tucson, Ariz., December 10, 2022.
A lighted sign draws interest in the cul-de-sac at Stewart Avenue and McKenzie Street on the first night of the 73rd annual Winterhaven Festival of Lights on Dec. 10, 2022.
Farr Street and Treat Circle are transformed into Candy Cane Lane on the opening night of the 73rd annual Winterhaven Festival of Lights, Tucson, Ariz., December 10, 2022.
A sign on Treat Circle warns visitors off the lawn outside their comic book character themed decorations on the opening night of the 73rd annual Winterhaven Festival of Lights, Tucson, Ariz., December 10, 2022.
It was a wet morning in Tucson, with snow reported in Oracle and on Mount Lemmon. This time lapse shows the rain clouds coming in over the Catalina Mountains. Courtesy University of Arizona Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences.
