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TUCSON - A strong winter storm continues its trek into Southern Arizona.

News 4 Meteorologist Jeff Beamish says rain & mountain snow started this morning in Northern Arizona, with scattered showers expected in Tucson this afternoon. Snow levels initially will be around 7,000 feet, but will drop to 4,000 feet tonight. Mt. Lemmon could see 1-3" of snow between tonight & early Wednesday morning, with 5-9" of snow above 7,000 feet in Graham & Greenlee Counties. For that reason, a Winter Weather Advisory is in effect above 7,000 feet from 5 pm tonight until 6 am Wednesday for Graham & Greenlee Counties. Rainfall amounts on valley floors will be around 0.10 to 0.20".

Also a big factor with this storm is gusty west winds. A Wind Advisory has been posted for Santa Cruz, Central and Eastern Pima Counties until 8 pm tonight, and until 3 am Wednesday morning for Cochise County. Wind gusts between 30-40 mph are expected in these areas.

Conditions will rapidly improve Wednesday morning across the area, but cold air is filtering in behind this system. The Tucson metro will wake up Thursday & Christmas morning to lows in the upper 20's to low 30's, with teens in portions of Cochise County.