The first significant snow storm of the season hit the Verde Valley on Monday, Jan. 25, continuing into Tuesday. I-17 closed in both directions north of State Route 179, as did State Route 89A north of Sedona, making it nearly impossible to reach Flagstaff from the Verde Valley. State Route 89A also closed down between Clarkdale and Jerome.
In total, Verde Valley communities varied in snow accumulation between Sedona, which received 6-8 inches of snow, and Camp Verde, which received 2-3. While the valley received its fair share of snow, it was dwarfed by Flagstaff, which received 15-25 inches.
A man pulls over to clear his windshield on Cooks Hill. Photo by David Jolkovski/Larson Newspapers
All of the school districts in the Verde Valley closed down for in-person learning on Tuesday, Jan. 26, though Mingus Union High School District had already been in remote-learning due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and therefore did not close. Camp Verde High School cancelled its administration of the PSATs on Tuesday.
Snowmelt forms red rock arteries and capillaries against the white snow between Sedona and the Village of Oak Creek. Photo by David Jolkovski/Larson Newspapers
Clarkdale-Jerome School District and Cottonwood-Oak Creek School District had each only been open for a week for in-person learning, having opened up on Tuesday, Jan. 19 after teacher vaccinations. Cottonwood-Oak Creek School District was able to make the decision Monday afternoon and therefor give students take-home packets for a day of remote-learning on Tuesday.
This is the first time that schools in the Verde Valley have been closed due to snow since February 2019, when they were closed for two days in a row due to a massive storm that accumulated up to 8 inches in the lower Verde Valley.
This storm remained much smaller, leaving municipal governments open and operating mostly normally in Cottonwood and Camp Verde, though Sedona and Clarkdale closed city government buildings. Both Sedona and Clarkdale are having their government meetings via Zoom on Tuesday.
Cottonwood Area Transit and the Verde LYNX were closed for Tuesday, though they anticipate a return to normal operations Wednesday morning.
Snowfall totals from the National Weather Service
Location, Total Snowfall in inches
…Yavapai County…
Bagdad 5 inches
Camp Verde 2-3 inches
Chino Valley 12-14 inches
Cleator 4 inches
Cottonwood 2 inches
Dewey-Humboldt 10-12 inches
Paulden 10 inches
Prescott 12-20 inches
Prescott Valley 10-14 inches
Sedona 6-8 inches
…Coconino County…
Bellemont 18.8 inches
Doney Park 7-9 inches
Flagstaff 12-20 inches
Forest Lakes 18-24 inches
Kachina Village 29 inches
Munds Park 24 inches
Parks 20-26 inches
Tusayan 5-6 inches
Williams 15-25 inches
…Apache County…
Chinle 2 inches
Concho 4-5 inches
Del Muerto 4 inches
Lukachukai 3-4 inches
Rock Point 2 inches
Round Rock 2 inches
St. Johns 2-3 inches
Tsaile 3 inches
Window Rock 5-9 inches
…Gila County…
Christopher Creek 21 inches
Payson 15-20 inches
Pine-Strawberry 18-24 inches
…Navajo County…
Heber-Overgaard 8-12 inches
Hotevilla-Bacavi 6 inches
Kayenta 1 inches
Pinetop-Lakeside 15-25 inches
Show Low 12-18 inches
Winslow 2 inches
