Does IT Really Snow In Tucson?

According to the National Weather Service, Tucson Weather Forecast Office, 6.4 inches of snow across the metro area caused auto accidents, stranded people, dropped power lines, knocked out telephone service, closed highways and paralyzed air travel on Nov. 16, 1958. Three boy scouts were stranded in snow near Madera Canyon in the Santa Rita Mountains south of Tucson. Their bodies were not found for two weeks. There is a memorial to these boys in the Santa Rita Mountains on the Josephine Saddle Trail. The heavy snow also closed the highway to Mt. Lemmon, marooning about 35 weekend vacationers.

According to the National Weather Service, Tucson Weather Forecast Office, 6.8 inches of snow blanketed the Tucson metro area after midnight. The heavy snow snarled traffic, closed the airport, downed power lines and damaged or destroyed 3,000 trees. There's no evidence from Star archives that local schools closed. Slush on the runway forced the closure of the Tucson International Airport and cancellation of flights between 6 and 11 a.m. At the time, the airport did not own a snow plow.

A trace of snow was recorded at Tucson International Airport on Feb. 27, 2011. Up to two inches of snow fell around the city on Jan. 21, 2007. Prior to that, six-tenths of an inch of snow was recorded at Tucson International Airport on Jan. 30, 2002.

Christmas Day snow fell in Tucson in 1911, 1916, 1974 and 1987. It's been 25 years since measurable snow last fell in the Old Pueblo on Dec. 25. Tucson got 2.6 inches of snow on Christmas Day that year. That, combined with an inch of snow that fell on Christmas Eve, brought the city a total of 3.6 inches for the two-day Christmas holiday in 1987.

In 1987, Tucson experienced a record yearly snowfall, with 8.3 inches of snowfall.