Jim Meyer, the senior meteorologist at the Tucson office of the National Weather Service, says the first snow showers are already starting in the Rincon and Catalina mountains, where some areas could see as much as 2 feet of snow before the winter storm moves out of the area.

“Right now, we’ve got a blizzard warning in the mountains,” said Meyers, adding that white-out conditions are expected for higher elevations.

The storm will drop snow at elevations about 5,000 feet through tonight, said Meyer. The warmest temperatures tomorrow, Thursday, Dec. 30, will be at about 10 a.m., topping out at an estimated 48 degrees. Temperatures will drop the rest of the day, eventually dipping down to the 30s.

“In the valley (snow) could fall as low as 2,200 feet, which means we could have snowflakes in Tucson,” said Meyer. “Above 2,800 to 3,000 feet, you’ll see about 2 inches of snow."

The storm is expected to keep Tucson in a cold freeze through Friday morning, when precipitation and low temperatures could cause dangerous driving conditions, said Meyer.