Breakdown of frigid winter weather - Tucson News Now

Here's a breakdown of the winter weather hitting Arizona this week.

TODAY - Windy and warm. A cold front approaches the area and winds will get gusty as the cold air clashes with the warm air. Winds will blow southwest to northeast. Gusty winds in this direction mean blowing dust and dirt may reduce visibility for drivers. Clouds will also increase in coverage and thickness through the day.

TONIGHT - Rain arrives in Pima County by midnight with snow in northern Arizona. Cold air moves into the area with the rain. Snow levels will drop to around 3000' to 3500'. This means some of the foothills surrounding Tucson may see some snow overnight. However the amount of moisture to wring out of the air is minimal. Rain and snow will be spotty with better chances of snow at lower elevations in Cochise County. 1" to 4" of snow are possible on top of the mountains.  

FRIDAY - Chilly all day. Because the cold front is moving through the area from midnight until mid-morning the day could actually record a midnight high. Mild temperatures start off the morning but there is very little warming because the cold, Canadian air sweeps into the area during the day. There will be some lingering showers that will mostly be limited to the mountains. Clouds start to break apart through the day. Still blustery as the cold air takes over the area.  

SATURDAY & NEXT WEEK - Waking up Saturday temperatures are in the 20s and afternoon highs stick to the 40s. Similar temperatures are repeated into the first half of next week. Because nighttime temperatures will be below freezing for many hours freezing pipes are a danger. 

TIPS FOR PROTECTING PIPES FROM FREEZING

• Wrap insulation around pipes. You can purchase pipe insulation at a home improvement store. Or use old towels and duct take to wrap exposed pipes on the outside of the house. Also drain water out of swamp coolers.  
• Leave a faucet dripping. This keeps water moving through the pipes and reduces the chances of the water freezing. Leave the water dripping from a faucet farthest away from where the pipes enter the house. This allows water to move through pipes built into exterior walls or garage walls. This is not a perfect solution. If it is cold enough, even a little drip cannot prevent freezing on extremely cold nights.
• If your pipes do freeze, try thawing the pipes with a hairdryer. When I first moved to Arizona the exposed pipe at my home froze on the first very cold morning of the winter. I used this method to thaw the pipe before damage could occur. 
• If your pipes burst, turn off the water flow to the house. There is an easily accessible valve that can turn water off to the house generally at the point where the water enters the house or near the street where the water pipe crosses the property line. After doing this you can fix the pipe or call a plumber for help.  

PROTECT THE OTHER Ps

• Bring the pets inside. Bring the pets just into the garage will not be enough to keep them safe. The floors in most garages can get just as cold as the outside. Bringing the pets inside the house will help keep them out of harm's way
• Check on the people. It is a good idea to check on your friends, neighbors, and relatives to make sure they have all the supplies they need
• Protect the plants. On a night like tonight there are several things you can do to help your plants survive. - Water the plants before you go to bed - wet ground can actually help hold onto heat better than dry dirt. - cover bushes and plants with an old sheet - This will help to hold the heat in the ground around the plant, if the sheet is not firm against the ground the heat will escape. - if you have enclosed backyard, open a gate - The enclosed backyards will actually cool more quickly than open areas. This is because there is no air circulation. If air is circulating it cools more slowly. - Hang Christmas lights in citrus trees - Most citrus trees cannot handle very cold nights, Christmas lights give off enough heat it can keep the tree warm. - Use a fan - keeping air moving is another good way to keep plants from freezing. Farmers have huge fans in fields or helicopters flying over crops to keep the air circulating during freezing nights.