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More snow and rain expected in Arizona this week

Widespread winter storms in northern Arizona that brought record snowfall to Flagstaff over the weekend are expected to stretch into Tuesday night, prompting school closures as more snow and rain continue to fall over mountainous areas around the Southwest.

The most “intense periods of snow” in Flagstaff were expected Monday afternoon and into the evening, before showers begin to taper off Tuesday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.

A winter storm warning for elevations above 5,500 feet in northern Arizona is in effect through 11 p.m. Tuesday.

Flagstaff saw just shy of 15 inches of snow Sunday, breaking the previous daily snowfall record of about 9 inches set in 1978. At least 17 inches of snow fell in northern Arizona over the weekend, according to the weather service.

Amid the storms, the Flagstaff Unified School District announced it will be closed Tuesday. Both Coconino Community College and Northern Arizona University have also canceled classes Tuesday at their Flagstaff campuses.

With rain throughout the holiday weekend, Phoenix has already surpassed its average January precipitation total.

Intermittent showers are predicted for the Phoenix area overnight Monday and through Tuesday with projections showing high temperatures in the upper 50s.

However, residents living outside of the metro area may encounter much chillier temperatures. Mark O’Malley is a meteorologist with the National Weather Service based in Phoenix.

"On the outskirts of the Phoenix metro, temperatures could get down close to freezing so if you have any kind of vegetation outside, you want to pay attention later this week, could be close to freezing," he said.

KJZZ's Kathy Ritchie contributed to this story.

Ignacio Ventura is a reporter for KJZZ. He graduated from the University of Southern California with a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and a minor in news media and society.