One day after one of the largest snowstorms to hit the Verde Valley in years, municipalities are working to get roads and other functions back on track. With up to 8 inches in some places of the Verde Valley and nearly a foot in Sedona and along the Mogollon Rim, the storm knocked out many services throughout the area, which are only now being restored to normal.
According to the National Weather Service Flagstaff office, 8 inches fell on Cottonwood Thursday, along with 2 hitting Camp Verde. NWS meteorologist Jonathan Suk said that much of Thursday’s snow melted by the end of the day, but an additional 5 inches fell in Cottonwood Thursday night into Friday morning. Two more inches fell on Camp Verde.
“We’re going to be seeing some light snow showers throughout the day today but it shouldn’t really accumulate to too much,” Suk said.
Local governments in Cottonwood and Clarkdale were closed for both Thursday and Friday.
Camp Verde, which received less snowfall, continued operations as normal, aside from the library being closed. Verde Lynx closed down services at 3:45 p.m. on Thursday and kept them closed for the remainder of the day.
Administrators say that roads are mostly clear Friday morning, but warn that they remain dangerous with residual ice and freezing water on them. Snow clearing efforts were complicated by the lack of proper snow equipment, requiring the use of other municipal vehicles not specifically designed for snow clearing.
“There are no major road closures, roads are icy but [State Route] 179 is very slow going,” Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office Media Relations Coordinator Dwight D’Evelyn wrote in an email. “Forest Road 618, east of Beaver Creek, is closed due to a stuck tractor trailer rig.”
“The city’s grader has been outfitted with a rubber shoe to perform snow removal,” Sandra Salas, assistant to the Cottonwood city manager, wrote in an email.
This piece of equipment is being utilized at the airport for clearing the runway. On city streets, the Public Works crews are performing snow clearing efforts with the push broom. This is proving to be a very effective tool since the snow is rather wet and melting pretty quickly.”
“Current snow removal efforts are being focused in the vicinity of the Verde Valley Medical Center” and are occurring along Mingus Avenue, Sixth Street from Mingus Ave to State Route 89A, Willard Street from Mingus Avenue to State Route 89A, Candy Lane from Mingus Ave to State Route 89A, Main Street from Cactus to State Route 89A and 10th Street from Main Street to Mingus Avenue Salas stated midday on Thursday. “Our efforts will shift to other routes in the city once the storm diminishes.”
“The main roads in Clarkdale are clear,” Clarkdale Town Manager Gayle Mabery wrote in an email. “Our crews were out all night with the equipment we have [we don’t have snow plows in Clarkdale]. Our biggest concern now is tomorrow morning as the roads are slushy now, but the forecast calls for 18-degree temps tomorrow morning. Black ice will likely be a real issue throughout the Verde Valley. Motorists and residents need to be alert for that and continue to stay off roads if possible.”
Schools throughout the Verde Valley were closed for both Thursday and Friday. Two snow days in a row is a rare occurrence in the Verde Valley, with many school administrators and teachers saying they had never seen it before.
“In ’67, we were out for a week I, think,” said Rhonda Austin, SAIS coordinator for Camp Verde Unified School District. “I just remember being happy not going to school. We used to close for rain days because the buses couldn’t make it down Salt Mine or Middle Verde. Since I’ve worked here, I think we’ve closed once for weather.”
“In my years at Mingus as a student [1976-1979] and as a staff member since 1987, I don’t remember two consecutive snow days,” former Mingus chemistry teacher Mike Westcott wrote. “Excluding today and tomorrow, I don’t recall more than 4 to 5 total snow days in that period, and a couple of those may have been late-start schedules.”
According to Tricia Winters, assistant to the superintendent at Cottonwood-Oak Creek School District, the last time COCSD was closed for snow was in the early 1980s.
Rudy Sandoval, a longtime physical education teacher at Clarkdale-Jerome School, said that he does not remember ever having a snow day since the school was built in the mid-1980s.
The Verde Valley Homeless Coalition drop-in center at 14 S. Main St. in Cottonwood opened its doors to allow overnight stays for those hoping to escape the storm and quickly filled up.
Angie Lozano, of Angie’s House, said that while the nonprofit’s homeless shelter reached capacity, the men and women’s homes were opened up for those seeking refuge and had plenty of space. Lozano asked locals interested in helping to donate prepared meals and sleeping bags.
Jon Hecht can be reached at 282-7795 or email jhecht@larsonnewspapers.com.
