Kids Revel In Rare Arizona Snowstorm

Parts Of State Got A Foot Of Snow As Winter Batters Plains And Southwest

(CBS/AP)  Parts of northern Arizona received more than a foot of snow, and children as far south as Tucson got a rare chance to play in the white stuff as one of the strongest winter storms of the year moved through the state.

Sunday's storm came amid a wave of winter storms that have brought snow, ice and strong winds to the Plains region, but also to the Southwest, including Arizona, Texas and New Mexico.

"The Great Plains will be sunny today after this weekend's latest snowstorm, but the trend will be that of warmer temperatures," says CBS News meteorologist George Cullen. "By tomorrow, readings should get into the 40s across much of Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska.

"Elsewhere, it'll be snowy across New Mexico today, but dry and milder from Arizona to Southern California," Cullen added.

The harsh, frigid conditions were blamed for 11 traffic fatalities in the Plains over the weekend.

In Colorado, searchers were looking for a snowshoer reported missing after he failed to return from a solo outing.

Although the heaviest snowfall in Arizona on Sunday was in the north, snow also fell in downtown Phoenix and Tucson, which received up to 1½ inches, according to the National Weather Service.

Danita D'Water said there were huge snowflakes in her neighborhood in far northeast Phoenix.

"The children are running up and down the street, riding their scooters in the snow," she said. "The kids are pretty excited, but the adults were out taking pictures."

Glenn Jones, who lives on a small farm in Marana northwest of Tucson, said he was cold and wet and would be glad when it warms up again.

"I had chores to do today, animals to feed, to get ready for the week," he said. "I don't like to work in it. It's too cold. That's the reason I moved here — to get out of it."

Several inches of snow fell and strong winds created whiteout conditions on Colorado's eastern plains.

Rescue teams on snowmobiles, on foot and in aircraft searched Monday for Mel Einklage, 46, who hadn't been seen since he went snowshoeing southwest of Denver Saturday. Jefferson County sheriff's officials said Einklage was an inexperienced snowshoer who wasn't familiar with the area.

Officials closed a long stretch of Interstate 70, from near Denver International Airport almost to the Kansas state line because of high winds, blowing snow, poor visibility and ice.

The Kansas Department of Transportation reopened its portion of I-70 Monday morning, after closing westbound lanes late Sunday night at Colby.

Snow and icy roads caused accidents that shut down southbound Interstate 25 near Fort Collins, Colo., for two hours Sunday morning. State Patrol Master Trooper Ron Watkins said no injuries were reported.

Southern New Mexico picked up nine inches on snow on Sunday and Monday, closing 145 miles of the Interstate 25, the state's major north-south highway. "The semi-trucks are having a hard time," State Police Lt. Rick Anglada said, noting that three tractor-trailers had jackknifed on I-25 and 10 to 15 rigs had pulled off the roadway.

A plane with 104 people on board skidded off a runway in snowy weather Sunday after the Northwest Airlines crew aborted the flight as it began accelerating for takeoff, airline officials said.

No serious injuries were reported in the late-morning incident. One passenger complained of a sore back and was to be examined, said airline spokeswoman Jennifer Bagdade.

The crew of Flight 1726 bound from Milwaukee to Detroit "opted to discontinue its takeoff due to an engine problem," the airline said in a statement. The plane came to a stop off the runway surface, the statement said.

"People were not screaming, they were pretty calm," said passenger Jeanne Hewitt. "Flight attendants were good and I think the captain's words triggered the emergency procedures."

In Oklahoma, where an ice storm disrupted power to as many as 125,000 homes and businesses more than a week ago, about 25,000 electrical customers remained without power late Sunday — mostly in the eastern part of the state.

Hundreds of utility linemen worked through the night in hopes of fully restoring power by Monday or Tuesday, authorities said.

Warmer temperatures in the state led to melting ice and snow that have turned roads into slushy rivers, yards into quagmires and streams into rushing torrents.

A pickup truck carrying radioactive materials used in pipeline scanning equipment was swept from a bridge and disappeared in a swollen creek in Pittsburg County, said Undersheriff Richard Sexton.

The truck's two occupants escaped unharmed, but efforts to locate the truck and its radioactive cargo were suspended after dark.

"The radioactive materials are still in the truck, and that's what we're worried about," Sexton said.

In Missouri, more than 45,000 people remained in the dark from the same storm.

Winter weather has also hit hard on the East Coast, bringing snow, sleet and freezing rain to Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Maryland and making roads treacherous. An accident on Interstate 81 in Virginia killed one person and injured five, authorities said.

[globalfan]

It's understandable for you to think that global warming is all about the planet getting warmer because of its name but your WRONG!!!!!!!

One of the main sources that determine weather conditions is the OCEAN!Its all based on a balance of FRESH and SALT water which is very sensitive.Its also based on the tempeture of warm water,if its too high it would bring hurricanes and thypoons!

The ice at the north and suoth pole is frozen FRESH water (which you should already know) and its melting very very fast,too fast for it to be a natural occurence.The effect of this can bring an ice age(PLEASE DON'T STOP READING!)in the northern hemisphere.It will also cause huge hurricanes,typhoons and floods that will make all coastal lands disappear!Their will also be huge storms!!!!!BLIZZARDS with wind that will freeze oceans and living organisms.Snow as high as five average two-story houses in northern land.Tornado frenzies in the west.Huge droughts in places that normally get lots of rain,such as rain forests in south america.Too much rain in areas that normally don't get it like deserts in africa all at once that will cause massive flooding of animal habitats.

The movie THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW is a very true movie,all those events will happen way before the earth starts to turn into the next mars.

If we don't change it will be ur kids,grandkids and great grand kids who will pay the ultimate price!

[pakaal]

"Red giant" phase? You're right, we will probably be in serious trouble in five billion years or so, should we still be around. Thanks for the heads-up though.

In the meantime, we DO have a disastrous problem with human-influenced climate change, and the few remaining naysayers - although more stridently vocal in their dwindling numbers - will eventually have to accede that we're responsible for the worsening conditions here. Fortunately we don't have to worry about the fringe elements; they can sit around saying it isn't happening all they want to. The rest of us will be too busy taking measures to save ourselves to listen.

[ncolsens]

Well things are only going to get worse and this so called man made global warming is BS..The Sun is midway through its stable hydrogen burning phase known as the main sequence. But when the Sun enters the red giant phase in around 5 billion years things are going to get a lot rougher in the Earth-Moon system.

Read more here:
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/070122_temporary_moon.html

We are just seeing the begining of things to come

[three-o-six]

It is colder because of global warming?? -- I think God is punishing us for electing Demacrats

[wolf563]

this is only the begining of the bad weather for the U.S.A. as the year progresses the storms will increase in numbers and stength . GLOBAL WARMING IS HERE !!!!!!!!!!