PHOENIX (AP) — Heavy snow shut down parts of major interstates in northern Arizona on Thursday while low-lying clouds delayed dozens of flights in Phoenix, after storms earlier this week battered California and left a muddy mess .
Forecasters in the mountainous region of northern Arizona recorded double-digits of snowfall — two feet or more in some locations — with more expected into the weekend. Snow, ice and whiteout conditions forced partial closures of Interstates 40 and 17 in and around Flagstaff, northern Arizona’s largest city.
Dennis Fritsch, a trucker, was enroute from Georgia to Reno, Nevada, where he has a delivery due Friday. He pulled over at a truck stop along I-40 in Bellemont, Arizona, anticipating the roadway would be shut down after the temperature dropped and the sun disappeared.
“It’s pretty brutal, actually,” he said.
Longtime Bellemont resident Rick Schuler, who was clearing his and a neighbor’s driveway, was taking it in stride as his dog, Dakota, ran around in deep snow.