Storm dumps heavy snow in northern Arizona, rain in desert

A winter storm dumped several inches of snow in Arizona's high country and rain in the deserts, with more precipitation on the way through the new year.

Meteorologist Mark O’Malley with the National Weather Service in Phoenix says this type of weather in the winter is normal.

“When it’s all said and done today areas across the Phoenix Metro will accumulate somewhere between about a half an inch to maybe as high as an inch of rain before things come to an end early in the afternoon," O'Malley said. 

By Thursday, the rain will mostly be gone but it’ll be cooler than we’ve been feeling the past week, with highs in the mid-60s.

O’Malley says that if you’re planning to travel into the high country, you should be prepared as Flagstaff has already received six inches of snow.

Some communities near Flagstaff received as much as a foot of snow by midday Wednesday before the storm moved east and out of the state. Travel was slow on major roadways and local streets, with some sections shut down at least temporarily.

Power outages also were reported earlier in the day, but much of the service had been stored by Wednesday afternoon.

Scattered rain and snow are expected across Arizona through Saturday before another big storm hits the state on New Year's Day, the National Weather Service said.