A slow warming trend is set for the weekend in Arizona

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) — What a blockbuster winter storm! They are measuring the snow in feet above 6,000 feet across much of northern Arizona. Snowbowl’s 46″ of snow now has them at 322″ for the winter season so far, one of the snowiest they’ve seen in years. If you tally the winter season total (starting July 1 for Flagstaff), Pulliam Airport is the second snowiest on record with 140.1″ and the National Weather Service office located in Bellemont is the all-time snowiest at 146.7.″ That’s over 12 feet of snow. According to the Phoenix Rainfall Index from the National Weather Service, 100% of the Valley gauges received measurable rain on Wednesday evening, with the average being more than half of an inch (.61″). Sky Harbor received .65 through midnight. We are now well above our March average, and we have wiped out our yearly deficit to this date by over a quarter of an inch (+.28″). On Thursday night, look for clearing skies and cooler, with lows in the upper 30s to low 40s.

To kick off a quiet, warmer weekend, there will be plenty of sunshine Friday, but highs still will struggle to make it out of the low to mid-60s. We should see most places reach 70 degrees by Saturday and into the low 70s by Sunday and the rest of next week. Forecast highs still sit just below the seasonal average for this time of year.

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