It's a snow day all around today!
By Yuki
@yukimori (10143)
United States
February 1, 2016 11:45am CST
We knew the storm was going to be hitting us last night, and hit us it did... with lots of howling wind, blowing snow, and even a bit of the phenomenon known as "thundersnow." It wasn't epic by any stretch of the imagination, but as far as winter storms in Arizona go it was a pretty decent one.
I knew when I woke up and looked out the window that the kids would probably have a snow day, so I wasn't surprised when the district called a snow delay, then changed their minds a few hours later and cancelled all classes. What did surprise me was when I got to work and my boss announced that he was considering closing the store for a day--and an hour later decided to follow through and actually do it! 
So I got to leave two hours early, and my husband won't have to go in at all today. The sad thing is that all of us who were there would have loved to have stayed because we have so many projects in progress right now. 
So I got to leave two hours early, and my husband won't have to go in at all today. The sad thing is that all of us who were there would have loved to have stayed because we have so many projects in progress right now. 12 people like this
12 responses
@yukimori (10143)
• United States
2 Feb 16
@JudyEv Last night was the first time my kids had ever seen it. They weren't terribly impressed by it and reacted pretty much like they normally do. The toddler ran around pretending to be a thunderstorm, and the kindergartner did a bit of theatrical cowering in her bed.
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21746)
• Canada
2 Feb 16
We are still awaiting our first significant snowfall of the season. Last year at this time, everything was closed. There was so much snow.
2 people like this
@yukimori (10143)
• United States
2 Feb 16
I've never spent a winter anywhere but here in Arizona, so my idea of 'significant' amounts of snow is pretty biased by that. My relatives from New York laugh at me.
It's been years since I went to Niagara Falls... such a beautiful area! I really need to start planning a real trip up that way. My mom's idea of a Niagara Falls vacation was a day trip from Buffalo... not quite what my ideal would be.
It's been years since I went to Niagara Falls... such a beautiful area! I really need to start planning a real trip up that way. My mom's idea of a Niagara Falls vacation was a day trip from Buffalo... not quite what my ideal would be. 1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38675)
• Midland, Michigan
6 Feb 16
@yukimori I'd think it'd be much more fun to visit that area in the warmer months, though. Although if the water freezes while falling that could be amazing too, but you couldn't assume traveling in the winter would be available necessarily.
@celticeagle (159650)
• Boise, Idaho
1 Feb 16
Ugh! We had bad weather yesterday but not this bad.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (159650)
• Boise, Idaho
1 Feb 16
@yukimori ....Looking so forward to spring and the flowers and such.
1 person likes this
@TiarasOceanView (70035)
• United States
1 Feb 16
It snowed in Arizona Yuki?
I am shocked.
1 person likes this
@yukimori (10143)
• United States
1 Feb 16
It snows here in my area every year. The higher elevations can actually get several feet at a time, but where I am the norm is somewhere between 1-4 inches at a time. I think we're up to about six now, which is the most we've had at once in a few years.
About once every 10 years or so it even gets cold enough to snow a bit in Phoenix, although it never sticks down there.1 person likes this
@TiarasOceanView (70035)
• United States
1 Feb 16
@yukimori Yes I know it does not snow there much Yuki. I have a sister there who never answers the phone or text..lolz
@Marilynda1225 (80023)
• United States
1 Feb 16
I never knew it snowed in Arizona ...wow I learned something new today
1 person likes this
@yukimori (10143)
• United States
2 Feb 16
Arizona actually has a lot of diversity in biomes. We have cactus here, but we're also on the edge of a Ponderosa pine forest. A few miles north of here, there are grasslands with rolling plains, and within 20 miles it turns into juniper forest. Follow I-40 west to Route 66, and there's more plains that give way to all sorts of rocky cliffs and steep canyons, then there's the Mohave desert which is very similar to the terrain you'll find in the Phoenix area.
The area around Flagstaff gets enough snow that they're able to have skiing on the mountains there pretty much every year.
2 people like this
@paigea (35775)
• Canada
7 Feb 16
@MarshaMusselman I have skied a few different places years ago, but pretty much just ski in Albert and BC
1 person likes this
@Mike197602 (15487)
• United Kingdom
2 Feb 16
I've not seen any snow so far this winter
1 person likes this
@yukimori (10143)
• United States
2 Feb 16
What we've had hasn't lasted terribly long. A lot of what came down yesterday has already melted, but it's enough to make the dirt lot next door muddy and the creek has so much water in it that we're going to be walking the long way to the school bus stop for the next several days.
@yukimori (10143)
• United States
2 Feb 16
@Mike197602 We don't get that sort of flooding in my area. Most of what we get is flash floods from summer storms... it's compounded by the fact that people who are unfamiliar with the area have been allowed to build homes in flood plains, and I'm really surprised there haven't been more losses in that area than there have been.
We live right next to the creek, so I suspect that it's possible if we get a very heavy storm we could end up with several inches in our apartment if not more...
1 person likes this
@Mike197602 (15487)
• United Kingdom
2 Feb 16
@yukimori we don't have many problems in our area with snow...a few years ago we did but that's unusual.
What we do have a problem with is flooding and not necessarily due to the rain we get here.
We live right by the river Severn and it floods a lot
Loads of my area suffers terribly from flooding.
Loads of my area suffers terribly from flooding.1 person likes this
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
9 Feb 16
lol, it's rare we close school for snow here, and even more rare that businesses close for anything, it has to be pretty bad. We sometimes have to close for the cold though, because sometimes the buses won't start. It has to be pretty far into the negatives though for them to close school. When it was -40 here they closed the schools but not the businesses.
@crazyhorseladycx (39515)
• United States
2 Feb 16
gotta love that thundersnow, don't'cha? we're prone to gettin' such with hail sometimes thrown in jest fer good measure (jokin', awful schtuff). didn't gimme no snow outta that storm that swept through ya there'n arizona. did get high winds (50mph) 'n then finally a lil sprinklin' 'f rain. jest 'nough to make mudballs'n the windows from all the dirt that'd blown.
interestin' that'cher boss sent y'all home early with ya so much'n yer plates?
1 person likes this
@yukimori (10143)
• United States
2 Feb 16
We didn't really have a choice. He didn't want to stay, so when he left we had to, too. Silly rules about having a manager in the building at all times and such... 
I was hoping to get the display I was in the middle of setting finished, but didn't even get around to it with everything else I had to do today. I don't work again until Friday... chances are it'll probably still be unfinished when I go back in. 
I was hoping to get the display I was in the middle of setting finished, but didn't even get around to it with everything else I had to do today. I don't work again until Friday... chances are it'll probably still be unfinished when I go back in. @MarshaMusselman (38675)
• Midland, Michigan
6 Feb 16
It's too bad your boss didn't take a vote before deciding to send you all home. We never close the doors except on Christmas. We are open 24 hours otherwise, and even if not busy two people will always be there for those that don't care what the weather is like to come out shopping.
My brother lives in Phoenix, I didn't realize you lived in the states, or I may have noticed before and forgot.
I've never heard the term thundersnow, but maybe that's when there is thunder but it's snowing rather than raining outside? We had some of that a few days ago I thought it sounded like thunder, then decided it was the road crew putting down salt. THe next day my husband said it was thunder as he heard it too.
@lilnana1111 (2305)
• United States
11 Apr 16
After living in Mesa for years, we moved about 6 months ago, now we get snow, yea!!!
@yukimori (10143)
• United States
3 Feb 16
A lot of it has already melted, and the roads are completely cleared now. It's not that it was a really nasty storm (especially considering how much it snows back east with blizzards and the like) but our city isn't very good about clearing the roads in a timely manner. We probably should have opened that day.
1 person likes this
