Cold night! Frost warnings in effect

On January 9, 2025By Littum

PHOENIX — Our first winter storm of the season has arrived!

Rain and snow have fallen during the day, and chances for more continue overnight, mainly across southeastern Arizona.

Wind has also been a major issue with gusts topping 40 mph across the valley today.

These strong winds have collected a lot of dust, prompting the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality to issue a Advice on high pollution today.

The Maricopa County Air Quality Department has also issued a “No burning day“. This means that burning firewood in fireplaces, stoves and outdoor fire pits is prohibited tonight.

If you have respiratory conditions, such as asthma, bronchitis or COPD, you may want to limit your time outside, or you may experience breathing difficulties or other health consequences from this pollution.

Winds will gradually decrease tonight, but will still remain gusty at times across southern and southeastern Arizona.

Tomorrow, as the wind shifts out of the north, it will again blow over northern Arizona. Wind gusts could hit 40 to 55 mph along the I-40 corridor and across northwestern Arizona near the Colorado River Valley.

Temperatures are dropping too!

Frost warnings is in effect overnight into Thursday morning and again Thursday night into Friday morning for much of southern and southeastern Arizona. This includes areas just south and east of Phoenix such as Maricopa, Casa Grande, Coolidge, Florence and the San Tan Valley.

If you live in these areas, remember to cover exposed pipes and protect sensitive plants this evening before going to bed. Bring your pets inside too.

In the Valley, overnight temperatures will drop into the mid 30s to low 40s with daytime highs Thursday and Friday in the mid 60s.

This feels like a massive cooldown to us, but it’s really just resetting temperatures to seasonal levels after a record warm start to winter.