Kids sled in desert city as storm leaves behind winterlike scene

It almost looked like a snowy scene in Phoenix on Thursday afternoon after a severe thunderstorm unloaded a plethora of hail across the city.

The hailstorm took shape at 2:37 p.m. MST Thursday near the towns of Avondale and Goodyear, Arizona, located west of Phoenix. One hour later, the storm was knocking on the doorstep of downtown Phoenix, but the worst of the weather managed to pass just south of the city.

Hailstones ranging from the size of a dime to a ping pong ball pelted the area, completely covering some neighborhoods and roadways.

The severe storm led to widespread disruptions across the city with slow traffic reported on highways and over 150 flight delays at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

People took to social media to share their photos and remark upon how unusual the amount of hail was following the storm.

“Storm dumping small hail but lots of it! This will make for a less than easy commute home after work,” the National Weather Service office in Phoenix said.

“I’ve lived in Phoenix for 2 decades, I’ve never seen hail like this,” one person from the Phoenix area Tweeted.

The remnants of the hailstorm gave some children in Phoenix the rare opportunity to go sledding in a desert city, a place where the temperature seldom drops below freezing, let alone sees some snowflakes.

Tranquil weather is in the forecast into the weekend across the Phoenix area.

The next chance of rain or thunderstorms is expected to return by next week ahead of Thanksgiving as another weather system moves into the western United States.

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