A Massive Blizzard Blanketed Arizona In Snow In 2010 And It Will Never Be Forgotten
By Monica Spencer|Published February 17, 2017
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Monica Spencer
Author
Monica is a Diné (Navajo) freelance writer and photographer based in the Southwest. Born in Gallup and raised in Phoenix, she is Tódich'ii'nii (Bitter Water People) and Tsi'naajinii (Black Streak Wood People). Monica is a staff writer for Only In Your State, photo editor for The Mesa Legend, and previously a staff writer for The Navajo Post. You can reach her at monica.d.spencer@gmail.com.
Snow in Arizona can seem to be a bit of an anomaly. For visitors and many residents living away from the mountains and northern region, it’s an unexpected sight.
But a blizzard? That’s not exactly something we expect here in the Southwest but it does happen on occasion. The largest known blizzard took place in 1967, where eight days of almost non-stop snow where some areas saw 8-feet or more. We wrote about that one back in December (you can read more about it here) but the another massive snowstorm happened just a few years ago and still left many rural residents stranded for days.
In late January, a huge winter storm began blowing through Arizona.
This photo, taken on January 21, the same day as the emergency was declared, shows Buffalo Park in Flagstaff coated in snow. If you look closely, you can see the fence hiding underneath all that snow.
But it was the rural areas that were hit the hardest, with snow ranging between one and eight feet in depth!
With so many residents living in remote areas along dirt roads or mountainous areas, many were left stranded in their homes and having to dig their way out.
The National Guard delivered goods via helicopter in the initial days after the blizzard. Community groups also rallied together to help collect and deliver donations.
