Taste of winter sprinkles Green Valley, Santa Ritas

A winter storm dumped rain and a bit of snow on the Green Valley area Thursday night and Friday and gave way to sunshine by Saturday afternoon.

The temperatures were expected to climb back into the mid-60s with sunshine today.

The wet weather had been forecast, but since it came during the night, it surprised many when they awoke Friday. A winter storm warning was in effect for parts of Southern Arizona until 5 p.m. Saturday.

The Santa Rita Mountains east of Green Valley were cloaked by snow and were blocked from view at times by clouds and fog, a perfect winter picture.

At the foot of the mountains, Lorraine Michael, a volunteer at the Mount Hopkins visitor center, said, “There was a blanket of white” on the mountains.

“It’s just beautiful.”

Michael drove through snow for part of the ride to the observatory visitor center Friday morning.

“That’s the first time I’ve driven on snow for 26 years,” she said recalling years past when she lived in Ohio.

Mount Hopkins is 8,050 feet high, well above the 2,500-to 3,000-foot snow level reported by the Weather Service.

For safety reasons, the Border Patrol checkpoint at the Agua Linda exit on south Interstate 19 was closed for several hours Thursday night and Friday, and cars and trucks sped through with no delay. All barriers there are removed during treacherous weather.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department closed the road up Mount Lemmon north of Tucson early Friday. Only residents and only those with chains or four-wheel drive vehicles were permitted on the road.

Temperatures were expected to be in the high 60s under mostly clear skies today, and into the low to mid-70s by midweek—a perfect Southern Arizona winter forecast.

There were no major accidents attributed to the weather.

jlamb@gvnews.com | 547-9749