I’ve lived here for nearly a decade, but I have never seen it snow in the Tucson valley, right here, just outside my door.
Real snow. Big fat fluffy flakes of snow. The kind you can catch on your tongue.
Geordie was excited about it too, and he inspired me to make this little video. Enjoy!
Diotima's Ladder 
Geordie ha’-pee in the snow. 🙂
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How often do you guys get snow? In south Louisiana, it’s a once a decade event, and, because we don’t know how to handle it or have the infrastructure for it, it usually leads to roads, schools, and businesses being closed.
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That is a great question. Until yesterday I would’ve said never, at least not a “real” snow, not here in “the valley”. Really, it’s spotty and rare. In fact, the day before yesterday I was making snarky remarks throughout the weather report because it seemed to me that whenever they predict snow, a few flakes fall on the other side of town and everyone makes a big deal of it. But yesterday was unusual because the whole valley got snow, real snow. It was such a big deal locally that I thought we might get national coverage, but no. Funny, it all melted by afternoon, except for a sorry-looking snowman I saw on my walk this morning.
The complicating factor is that Tucson is surrounded by mountain ranges, and even the smaller ones get snow sometimes. Not far from here I have the Tucson Mtns practically in my front yard, and those get snow even if we never see a single flake down here. Plus, in the Catalinas, which is what I see out my backyard, Mt. Lemmon gets snow regularly. They say going up there is like driving to Canada, since the elevation causes a drastic change in scenery and plant life. It feels a lot like Flagstaff. People actually ski up there, or so I hear…I don’t ski.
Same thing here with infrastructure, as you can imagine. It was the same thing in Oklahoma City too—a total disaster there, with all the ice and highways. But I had no idea it was so rare in Louisiana.
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Los Angeles made the news with their snow. It’s annoying sometimes how big cities dominate these sorts of things.
Snow is actually reasonably common in north Louisiana, but in the Baton Rouge / New Orleans areas it’s a rare thing. Given that it’s common in north Louisiana, I would have thought it’d be common in Oklahoma. Makes me wonder what about the landscape causes those variations.
I forgot to mention how striking the scenery is in your video. I sometimes think of everything in Arizona as desert. Obviously that isn’t accurate. There was a lot more greenery than I would have imagined.
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I would say snow is common in OK, but it’s not usually the kind of snow that makes for a winter wonderland. Compared to here, it’s pretty wintry. But when I think of Oklahoma winters, I think of cars hitting black ice and crashing. There just aren’t many resources there for dealing with the ice.
I live in the Sonoran desert, which is incredibly lush for a desert. And unique. I think people are often surprised by it, and by the varied climates in AZ.
You know, I’ve never been to New Orleans, and if I’ve been to Louisiana, it was probably one of those road trips I was too young to remember. What is your favorite place/thing to do in the state?
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I’m a hopeless homebody, so I’m a terrible person to describe local attractions. I like the Audobon zoo and the aquarium in New Orleans and walking around a park called Tunica Hills on the Louisiana / Mississippi border, neither of which holds up with parks and zoos out west.
I think the best thing about Louisiana is the food (gumbo, boudin, crawfish, jambalaya, etc). (Not that I don’t enjoy food in other regions.)
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My flamenco instructor just came back from New Orleans—she missed the snow, but she said she enjoyed a neighborhood Mardi Gras parade. I didn’t realize the festivities started so early. But I’m with you, I’d be more interested in the food. I could get really into that. On my first trip to Greece, I went around eating nothing but moussaka just to try all the variations within that single dish.
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You’ve instantly given me a craving for moussaka. Now I’m going to have to eat Greek and Lebanese for lunch tomorrow!
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Enjoy! Yamas!
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Pretty! I do love it when it’s those big soft flakes. Like getting hit in the face with tiny cold washcloths.
It’s been a bit more intense around here in Minnesota! Record snowfall for February, in fact, and that polar vortex stuff is nasty. A lot less fun to go out in.
Drop by and see some pictures of dog-sitting with Bentley!
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I’ve been hearing A LOT about Minnesota weather. Nasty indeed. Unfathomable. We complain when it dips below sixty, hell, seventy. 🙂
I’ll check out pictures. Can’t resist dog-pics!
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Tuscon is the new Swiss Alps. 🙂
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