Up to 8 inches of snow, high winds expected in northern Arizona beginning Sunday

The highlands of northern Arizona will be under a winter storm watch beginning Sunday evening. The National Weather Service expects the area to receive heavy snowfall and high wind gusts.

The watch is in effect from Sunday evening through Monday afternoon for areas of northern and central Arizona above 5,000 feet, which includes Flagstaff, Williams, Prescott and Show Low and the Grand Canyon.

Flagstaff is expected to receive between 6 and 8 inches of snow, with the heaviest snowfall expected Sunday night into Monday, with winds from the south gusting as high as 36 mph. Highs in Flagstaff will range from the low 30s to the mid-40s, while lows range from the low teens to the low 20s.

Further north, near Grand Canyon's North Rim, snow could pile up to 12 inches with 33 mph wind gusts Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.

The risk of a severe weather situation is major on Monday, and blowing snow may cause low visibility and unsafe travel conditions, the National Weather Service said.

Chance of freezing temperatures, rain on tap for Phoenix this weekend

Risk levels drop to moderate on Tuesday and minor on Wednesday, but Wednesday morning may bring single-digit low temperatures. The weather service warned that people and pets have a high risk of hypothermia and frostbite the entire week.

The weather service's Flagstaff office encouraged drivers to pack an emergency kit for their vehicles in case their travel is affected, to check road conditions in the area at AZ511.com, and to monitor the weather forecast at weather.gov/FGZ.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Forecast: 8 inches of snow, high winds expected in northern Arizona