9" of snow falls in Flagstaff, Arizona - a record for October 28

How do you spell "The Day After Tomorrow?"

I mean, why was Gordon Connelley (above) shoveling snow Thursday in front of the Pita Pit in downtown Flagstaff?

Since when do people go skiing in Flagstaff in October?

Here's Friday's Arizona Republic story, by Mark Shaffer, about this harbinger of things to come.
____________________

Flagstaff Blanketed in White

Nordic trails to open; Snowball slopes closed

Two weeks ago, many around this mountain city snickered when the National Weather Service conducted a conference about winter weather.

Since the drought began nearly a decade ago, snow has been pretty much an afterthought in upland Arizona.

But Thursday's 9-inch snowstorm in Flagstaff, following last week's 6-inch snowfall, guarantees that the city will have its snowiest October in 30 years, since a record 24.7 inches fell in 1974, said Mike Staudenmaier, a weather service spokesman.

The snow means cross-country ski trails at the Flagstaff Nordic Center will open Saturday.

But the Arizona Snowbowl remains closed despite 35 inches of snow in its upper reaches during the past week.

Snowbowl General Manager J.R. Murray said the phone lines were overloaded with skiers hoping to learn that the ski area was about to open.

"If we had snowmaking, we could probably be open in two weeks, using what we have here as a base," Murray said.

"But we are still very early in the season and probably 30 days away from cold nights. We don't have enough to open, but we'll be doing everything we can to save this."

Murray hopes to open slopes by Thanksgiving, but said snowfall amounts allow that about once every five years.

Some California resorts have opened to skiers following copious amounts of snow and cold nights.

The Pacific storm that brought snow to northern Arizona brought light rain to the Valley, causing some gridlock and traffic accidents.

Most areas around the Valley recorded less than half an inch of rain.

The Weather Service is forecasting sunny skies today through the weekend, with a slight warming trend.

The system swelled creeks and streams in Prescott, which received between 3 and 4 inches of rain, closing low-water crossings in the city and pushing fast-moving water to the top of the banks of waterways like Granite Creek.

"It rained for like 18 hours straight and the creeks have been flowing like crazy," said J.J. McCormack, a spokeswoman for the city of Prescott.

"There's a lot of snow up in the Bradshaw Mountains, and it dusted the top of Thumb Butte as well."

Sgt. Gerry Blair of the Flagstaff police said Thursday that city didn't have an abnormal number of accidents, but that icy roads created havoc in some areas.

Sgt. Rod Wigman of the state Department of Public Safety said that 15 accidents were called into DPS, including two that involved tractor-trailers on northern Arizona's interstates.

Because of the predicted warming trend, no closures or icy roads are expected to hamper travelers headed north this weekend.