While rain fell in Tucson on Monday, the first flakes of what is expected to be 2 feet of snow landed on Mount Lemmon.
The snowy conditions led the Pima County Sheriffโs Department to close Catalina Highway at the base to all travelers except Mount Lemmon residents and employees of businesses on the mountain. Even then, they were required to put chains on their tires or use four-wheel drive.
The Mount Lemmon Cookie Cabin in Summerhaven closed Monday morning as the snow began to fall, said manager Samantha Beal.
With an eye toward reopening Tuesday, the Cookie Cabin hired a snowplow to clear the way for the many tourists Beal expects to drive up the mountain this week to enjoy the white stuff.
โYou know us Arizonans, we love to go out and play in the snow,โ she said.
Although no snow is forecast for the metro area, Tucsonans should see about an inch of rain and lower temperatures in the next four days, the National Weather Service in Tucson said.
The snow and rain are the result of three different weather systems sweeping through Tucson this week, the weather service said.
A low-pressure system centered on the northern Gulf of California hit Tucson on Monday afternoon. A second system blowing in from the Pacific Ocean west of Los Angeles should arrive Tuesday evening, followed by a third system, one originating in the Gulf of Alaska, on Friday.
The heaviest accumulation of snowfall, 17 inches, is expected for Mount Lemmon Ski Valley between Tuesday and Thursday night, with slightly lower amounts at Summerhaven and other locales in the Santa Catalina Mountains. The third weather system should bring another 5 to 10 inches Friday and Saturday, the weather service said.
Temperatures in Tucson are expected to decline steadily through the week. Mondayโs high temperature of 60 degrees will dip to 52 degrees by Saturday. The lows will drop from 47 degrees on Monday to 33 on Saturday.
Rainfall in Tucson will vary depending on location, the weather service said. The chance of rain Tuesday stands at 30 percent during the day and 60 percent at night, the weather service said.
Wednesday should see a 60 percent chance of rain during the day and a 40 percent chance at night, followed by a 50 percent chance during the day Thursday and a 30 percent chance at night. Friday should see a 50 percent chance of rain during the day and a 30 percent chance at night.
The weather service forecasts a zero percent chance of rain Saturday.
