Parts of Arizona high country getting late taste of winter

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP/KSAZ) - Parts of northern and eastern Arizona are getting a late taste of winter weather with snow and rain making for slick roadways Tuesday morning.

There's snow on the ground at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and along sections of Interstate 40 near Ash Fork, while other routes in the region are wet from rain or snow that's already melted.

A winter weather advisory urges drivers to be prepared for snow-covered roads and limited visibility.

The National Weather Service says snow is likely at elevations of 6,000 to 6,500 feet or higher at the Grand Canyon, along the Mogollon Rim and in the white Mountains.

Forecast amounts of snow include up to 1 inch in Flagstaff and Show Low and up to 2 inches in Williams.

"Well today, it's freezing," said one woman. "Normally, it's beautiful up here this time of the year, with spring with all the flowers, but to get snow -- we were done. We were done."

The temperature drop may have dashed hopes of early summer weather in the High Country, but some say that's OK with them, as it's part of the charm of living in a higher altitude.

"I really enjoy the weather, because I was born down in the Valley, and when we came up here, it was cold. It was nice," said one person.

While the snow was far from the blankets of snow people sometimes see in the dead of winter, it is, nevertheless, a reminder that the only thing unpredictable about the weather in that part of Arizona is its unpredictability.

The Associated Press (AP) contributed to this report.