Hailstorm hits Valley

March 08, 2013

Hail Pea sized hail from a strong early afternoon thunderstorm in the East Valley. (Photo by Carol Harvey - KJZZ)

Pea- and nickel-sized hail pounded parts of the Valley Friday afternoon. The late-winter storm is also bringing snow to Northern Arizona. The National Weather Services expects most of the rain to move out of the Phoenix area by Friday evening. Forecaster Jessica Notle said all the moisture came from a large low-pressure system moving east from the Pacific Ocean.

"We can expect anywhere from three-tenths to four tenths of an inch, up to over an inch, maybe in some of the higher terrain like the foothills north and east of town," Nolte said.

She added the storm hit the East Valley the hardest. Some areas recorded three-quarters of an inch of rain before noon.

Of, course all this rain in Phoenix means snow in Northern Arizona. The weather service has Flagstaff under a winter storm warning through Saturday. The city could see seven inches of snow overnight.