A sudden snowfall and a series of accidents on Dry Creek Road, at Lower Red Rock Loop Road and slow-speed crashes along Cooks Hill shut down Sedona for more than three hours Monday, Dec. 31.

Traffic in Uptown, on State Route 179 and State Route 89A to at least Airport Road was completely stopped for a majority of that window as drivers and first responders waited for tow trucks and snow plows to clear the roads. 

Anticipating heavy snow, the Arizona Department of Transportation announced Sunday, Dec. 30, that its fleet of nearly 200 snow plows would be operating on roads in Northern Arizona as conditions began to worsen. According to the National Weather Service, snow flurries began just after 10:45 a.m. on Dec. 31 with 0.65 inches falling by 11:20 a.m. At 10:52 a.m., the city of Sedona reported that due to icy conditions, several cars had gone off the roadway near Airport Road, blocking the southbound lanes. 

The city reported an officer was directing traffic through the area. According to Sedona police, Airport Road was closed due to several vehicles blocking the roadway and sliding off the road in the extreme icy conditions. The roadway was closed for several hours while waiting for a tow truck and the plow, police stated. Three vehicles were towed and one — a white, rented truck — was unattended because the driver decided to walk away. The city alert system then announced a road closure at Dry Creek and Boynton Canyon roads outside city limits due to a five-vehicle accident at 10:54 a.m. 

At 11:03 a.m., the city announced both lanes of eastbound, i.e., downhill, State Route 89A on Cooks Hill were closed and warned drivers to stay clear of the area due to a four-car crash caused by icy conditions. Westbound lanes were still open at that time. According to Sedona police, there were around 12 vehicles that lost control on Cooks Hill due the snow on the unplowed roadway. There were no injuries, according to police, and one of the drivers left on foot and the vehicle was towed. 

According to police, Cooks Hill was blocked and closed for around three hours due to these issues, complicated further by a jack-knifed semi-tractor truck, while police and drivers waited for the plows. There was no public notification from the city about the location of the city-owned plows, nor where they were clearing roads. At 11:55 a.m., the city announced all northbound lanes into the city were closed at Lower Red Rock Loop Road and all southbound lanes were closed at Upper Red Rock Loop Road at Sedona Red Rock High School. According to Sedona police, the Schuerman Hill area had several vehicles that slid off the roadway due the snow. 

The Arizona Department of Public Safety and Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office handled the collision, which was outside the city, police stated. 

At 12:28 p.m., the city alert system announced, “[State Route] 89A is CLoSe[D] between Brewer Road & Lower Red Rock Loop Road in all directions; No incoming or outgoing traffic until further notice.” 

Another 0.39 inches of snow fell in Sedona between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., according to the NWS. Via the Sedona Red Rock News Facebook page, stranded drivers reported their locations and how long they had been waiting. Several residents reported booking hotel rooms for overnight stays, stating they did not think they would be able to make it home to Cottonwood or the Village of Oak Creek, while others reported waiting more than three hours. 

One driver wrote that it took 5½ hours for her to get home across Sedona, while another driver heading to Phoenix wrote that it took eight hours for what is normally a two-hour drive. According to the NWS, 0.78 inches of additional snow fell between 12:30 and 1:30 p.m., for a total of 1.82 inches. At 1:29 p.m., the city stated that Lower Red Rock Loop Road was open and moving slow from State Route 89A. A minute later, at 1:30 p.m., the city issued a snow and roads advisory, stating, “Snow and icy conditions have caused numerous traffic accidents, and many streets are closed both approaching and inside of the Sedona city limits. We advise you to limit travel until the storm passes and conditions improve. 

“The Sedona Police Department continues to respond to safety needs, and Public Works personnel are plowing and applying cinders to streets, with a priority on maintaining key access and emergency routes. Clearing neighborhood streets will take longer, once the precipitation has ended. The city has requested assistance from ADOT and Yavapai County in this work. 

“City offices will close to regular business at 2 p.m. on Dec. 31, and will also be closed on New Year’s Day. Sedona Police, Public Works and other essential safety personnel remain on duty.”

Another 0.13 inches of snow fell between 1:30 and 3 p.m. for a total of 1.95 inches. Sedona Police Department dispatchers said at 3 p.m. that all officers were on calls and the city had no timeframe for when roads might reopen. ADOT snowplows arrived in Sedona after 3 p.m., just as the NWS reported the snowfall had ceased. Drivers reported via social media that traffic along Cooks Hill began to move around 3:45 p.m. 

At 3:56 p.m., the city announced that both lanes of State Route 89A were open westbound up the hill with one eastbound lane open. The accident between Upper and Lower red rock loop roads was cleared at 4:28 p.m. Traffic along State Route 179 was again delayed at 5:10 p.m. with a report of a southbound accident at milepost 308, just south of Sedona city limits. 

The city issued a new warning to drivers at 5:57 p.m., stating the bridge outside of city limits on State Route 179 at milepost 308 was covered in ice and closed by Arizona Department of Public Safety and warned drivers to “turn back if possible.” However, the bridge was reopened at 6:17 p.m. No further snow was reported falling after 3 p.m. and no further snow was reported in the days