The famed "pineapple express" will bring drenching rain to Arizona on Valetine's Day Thursday. The pineapple express is a term referring to the weather event when subtropical moisture streams across the Pacific Ocean from Hawaii to the mainland and is often associated with El Nino. Due to the warm nature of the storm, snow levels will remain above 8500' through Friday evening, with heavy mountain snow accumulations. Rainfall will taper off Thursday night with rain totals ranging from a half inch to two inches. Melting snowpack coupled with the rain will lead to flooding concerns, and the National Weather Service has issued Flash Flood Watches for much of the region through Friday.
Thursday night a few light snow showers may fall to 6500'.
Very windy conditions are expected Friday morning behind the exiting storm, while another is on the approach. Friday night a quick moving disturbance will bring 1-3" of snow down to 4000' into early Saturday morning. Light snow showers continue through Saturday across the mountain regions.
Sunday, yet another much colder storm will likely impact the region. Sunday afternoon into Monday significant snowfall appears in the works all the way down to 3000' in elevation if not lower.
And that is not all, the latest forecast models show another major snow event later next week.
Stay tuned!
