Rare snow surprises Ariz. residents; body found as Colo. Crews search for snowshoer

Monday, January 22nd 2007, 8:10 pm

By: News On 6

PHOENIX (AP) -- A rare snowstorm that surprised Arizona with more than a foot of snow in parts left the state Monday, giving children as far south as Tucson a chance to play in the snow.

One of the strongest of the winter, Sunday's storm came as part of a wave of storms that brought snow, ice and strong winds to the Plains region, and also to the Southwest, including Texas and New Mexico.

The harsh, frigid conditions were blamed for at least 11 traffic fatalities in the Plains over the weekend. In Colorado, crews looking for a missing snowshoer found a body in a creek southwest of Denver on Monday, but authorities had not determined whether it was the missing man.

In Arizona, more than a foot of snow fell in Forest Lakes, Pinetop and at the Sunrise Ski Resort, among other places in the northern part of the state. Between 1 and 3 inches fell in Flagstaff, said Robert Bohlin, meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

Southern New Mexico picked up 9 inches on snow on Sunday and Monday.

Some public schools in the southern and western parts of the state closed Monday. Dense fog and icy roads created hazardous driving conditions Monday morning in the Tucson area.

Phoenix, which got a dusting the day before, largely returned to normal on Monday, and residents appeared happy with the unexpected precipitation.

"I love it," said Sandy LaCava, general manager of the Eclectic Cafe. "It was so quiet."

In Colorado, where strong winds created whiteout conditions on the state's eastern plains, dozens of schools opened late or were closed Monday.

Few details were released about the body found near Chatfield Reservoir, which was near the area where Mel Dinklage, 46, went snowshoeing alone on Saturday. Jefferson County sheriff's officials said Dinklage was an inexperienced snowshoer who wasn't familiar with the area.

In Oklahoma, where an ice storm disrupted power to as many as 125,000 homes and businesses more than a week ago, about 17,000 customers remained without power early Monday.

In Missouri, more than 45,000 people remained in the dark from the same storm as of Sunday.