Atmosphere Comparison

[Jim]

The endless chatter of weather.

[Jim]

It has been variable. Elden and my friends house near the base of Elden had a lot of rain yesterday, but the Peaks don't seem to have had much. My place has had light rain, and there are places that haven't had any rain yet. It's early, and this season seems to be starting slowly. I just hope it gets going well and that we then get a break from it. I agree with using dates for the monsoon is a dumb thing. At least with traditional season start dates, they are linked to solar phenomenon like solstices and equinoxes. Meteorologists use the 1st of the month preceding a new solar season as their season start date since the weather seems to come slightly before the start of the solar season, but that depends on where you look. In Florida it was Summer in April at times, and always by late May when I lived there. Autumn came in November, and winter hardly made an appearance. In Flagstaff, Summer this year started in early June, but in every year I have lived here, Autumn started in early September, and winter started in November and lasted until April or May. I guess we get a spring, but not really.

I was told by a Meteorologist that the dew point rule was an academic tool that was never intended for public use. He was actually an arrogant prick, and seemed to be saying in that statement that the public was just too stupid to understand weather, so the dew point rule shouldn't be used as it's nuances are too much for a ignorant public to grasp. I can see them now (the public) viewing a TV report on the dew point, furrowing their brows in a vain attempt to understand the situation.

[The_Eagle]

June 15 is the dumbest arbitrary date ever.

Agreed, let's go back to the old way...

[imike]

Raining, storming (hail/sleet) daily for the last week over here in the Sacramento Mts... at 9,000'... flooding in El Paso and along the Rio Grande... clear today, beginning to cloud up here around 4pm... looks like it will be a pattern for the coming month. Ideally, I can hike in the mornings and miss the downpours.

[tahosa]

Well here it is almost the middle of July and still no big storms yet. A wee bit of rain on Sat, and just some clouds but nothing really big.

[joebartels]

Another typical year. In the 24 years I've lived in the Valley it seems there's only been a handful of truly active seasons with over 2 storms. However we're just into the heart of the beefy span. The next five weeks could hold some promise... ?

[chumley]

Statistically, I believe that the average "start" of the monsoon (dew point rule) is usually right about now, the second week of July. So its not unusual (historically) for there to not have been much in the way of storms in the deserts yet. But as Joe points out, the next two weeks ... and all of August ... will tell the story for this year.

[writelots]

Well - rain or no rain, I know it's "monsoon season" because living in my old house with nothing but an evap-cooler is once again becoming a nightmare. Well, to be a nightmare, I'd have to be sleeping, and it's too hot for that right now... Maybe it's time to pull out those old window-ac units again. I hate to do it, but it's either that or the hammock inside, and I don't think the HT would appreciate going solo every night

[azbackpackr]

Right at this moment here in Eagar, we are having a lot of thunder and lightning very close by. It is starting to rain. I love monsoon!

I have heard that it never used to be called monsoon--a news organization began using that term and it became popular. Prior to the 1950's I guess it was just called the summer rainy season or thunderstorm season.

[PaleoRob]

I have heard a similar story, but I don't know if its true or not.

[chumley]

Wow. Looks like Flag is getting pummeled with rain today. Especially on the north, northwest, west, and southwest side of town. Flash Flood warnings up with 1.5"+ reported...

[Jim]

http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories201 ... rought.jpg
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories201 ... ought.html
According to the government, its going to get drier this year, and winter might not offer much help if a La Nina develops as the government claims. If I recall correctly, the last one we had was the 2007-08 winter and while that was predicted to be a dry winter, it was actually a wet one and was slightly wetter than this past winter, which was supposed to be a wet El Nino winter, so who knows. I speak of course, only of Flagstaff with regard to winter wetness, since areas in central and southern Arizona continued to be wet after January and into March when we were dry up here.

I still find it interesting that March is traditionally Flagstaff's wettest non-monsoon month and yet as long as I have lived here it has been a very dry month. In fact, the only reason this was not a serious issue was because the two years that had a lot of snow, 2008 and 2010, had a lasting snow pack that didn't really melt until March and created the effect of a wet March. 2009 was a dry year and March was too, but the freak May rains took care of the short term winter and spring deficits so that year's dry March was unnoticeable. Oddly, 2007, was a very dry winter and spring, yet that March was the wettest I saw in Flag, with nearly half an inch of rain falling, not snow. Fortunately, that monsoon season was very wet. I don't expect to be here in March of 2011, but I wonder how that will play out, as from looking at records going back to 2005, only 1 year was anything more than very dry, and that was 2006 when the only real winter storms to effect Flag were in March. Some may remember Snow Bowl only being open for a week in March of 2006 after a series of storms dropped a few feet of snow on the area. Oddly, the last big El Nino, the 2004-2005, was very wet, far wetter than this past one, yet that March was also well below norm. However, April of 2005 was above normal, so it didn't matter.

[Jim]

Flagstaff had a heavy but compact storm blow up almost right over the airport before it grew and headed southwest out to the Rim above Sedona. Areas that got rain got a large amount, with 1.27 inches recorded at the airport. Unfortunately, I live just north of the airport and had just a light drizzle, most places around town had nothing. Oh well, at least some places got rain.

[JimmyLyding]

I bagged out of hiking up there again today due to weather-related concerns and the fact that I had a ton to do. The "to-do" list now only includes getting through this week and hiking next Fri & Sun.

[azbackpackr]

Lots of close by lightning at my house the past hour, but not much more than a drizzle.

[montezumawell]

Everybody has their own ideas about "wither the weather." When I moved to Arizona in 1979, I quickly learned than only two types of people predicted Arizona weather: "newcomers and fools." Oh, how right that phrase rings! In site of that wisdom, I haven't stopped trying to read Arizona's tea leaves in the sky. I love wondering "wither the weather!" Whether we are right or wrong doesn't really matter, Mother Nature has Her Way! We are mere witnesses out on the highway looking for adventure and whatever comes our way.

Click here for my observations on the CPC's latest drought graphic.

http://azsnowbird.blogspot.com/2010/07/ ... nsoon.html

[Nighthiker]

I have noted cicada's sing just before the arrival of the monsoon, increase in hummingbirds and have also noted the kildeer have been more numerous about the time of the arrival of the monsoon. Superstitions getting a thunderstorm right now.

[azbackpackr]

As for "whither the weather?" (yes, I fixed your spelling, since "wither" means to shrivel up and "whither" means something like "where" or "what") I look at the clouds a lot, especially in the winter time. I started out by looking first at the forecast, and then observing the clouds. Fish scales, mare's tails, etc. My goal was to be able to predict the weather, since if I am out for several days on a backpacking trip it might be nice to know if a big winter storm is coming in.

Also, I watch for change in wind direction.

In summer, though, it's a crap shoot, since once the monsoon machine gets going you can have pouring rain here in Eagar, and sunshine a mile away in Springerville... Clouds build up and rain, or they don't. Wind comes up and swirls around, etc. Only occasionally have we had summer rains up here that were fairly uniform all over the whole mountain range, but I believe that kind of rain in summer comes as a result of a hurricane in the Gulf or in the Sea of Cortez.

[writelots]

Yay! Rain at my house late last night! Over 1/2 and inch according to my gauge. Now its SUPER muggy and nasty, but I'm happy about it!

[Jeffshadows]

Yay! Rain at my house late last night! Over 1/2 and inch according to my gauge. Now its SUPER muggy and nasty, but I'm happy about it!

Yea, it finally showed up at about 0045 making one heck of a racket and knocking out the power. Oh well, beggars can't be choosers...

[azbackpackr]

Oh, power out in Tucson in August!!! YAY been there, done that!