HikeArizona.COM

The endless chatter of weather.

friendofThundergod wrote: That line of thinking does not always stop others from posting ;)

I wish it did!

At 188 pages of weather discussions, I do not!

It just rained lightly for 30 seconds!

I hiked in the rain and I didn't melt! Some may find that astonishing news! (See my Thumb Butte wet photos, after I post them.)

Guess I don't have to go to the store for a bag of ice.

That's hurtin' size!

Another afternoon of hail. Not enough to chill beverages. Just enough for some toddler fun.

@MtnBart01
How cute! She looks more like a Coloradan than an Arizonan.

This break from the monsoon is welcomed by me, and it is supposed to intensify later this week before storms return by the weekend. Good for the few managed fire around the state, too. I guess the humidity will return, but maybe with the possibility of an El Nino, it will be a little drier this summer and end a little earlier before a wet winter? NM, and Alamogordo with the Sacramento Mts has had another wet early July. I guess the grass and flowers will be growing tall over there later this summer.

Now, it may rain Saturday, per the forecast, but I am surprised how long this monsoon break is lasting. After the weekend, another break develops, which would be good for me and hiking, but I am surprised by this. Anyone else starting to think the monsoon could be weaker than normal? It is however, too early to tell as we won't really get a feel for the pattern until mid-August.

How do the rain totals look so far?

At my house in Payson we haven't even had an inch of rain...

Dschur wrote:At my house in Payson we haven't even had an inch of rain...

Wow, that's horrible. Flagstaff got 2.3" during the time I was there, but it looks like nothing since then.

Normal monsoon here so far. I have gotten about 2/3 inch of rain.

The other day I heard an interview, I think with local Tucson NWS area meteorologist, talking about the drier monsoon in SE AZ. This was on the NPR (and therefore not to be trusted by those in the valley), and they concluded with the idea that a developing El Nino may be to blame. Just from looking at the Tucson NWS monsoon rainfall stats to July 31, Tucson has been dry, but some areas have done well. From looking at Flagstaff, and some other places, it has been very wet. Also, New Mexico, and in particular places like the central corridor of the state, have been very wet. It appears that the Sacramento Mts, Alamogordo and the Tularosa Basin, and the plains north to Colorado, are having another wet summer. Great news for the gramma grass! For some reason, assuming it is accurate, the central Gila Wilderness is not very wet. It is just about normal, though. It is the spotty nature of the season, I guess.

As we approach the mid-way point for the summer rain season, stuff usually starts to green up. One thing I notice, is the lack of greening in the desert around me. Maybe I am expecting too much, as Flagstaff, Kayenta to Tuba City, and the Tularosa Basin, Organ Mountains, Sacramento Mountains, and plains of central New Mexico reliably received a large amount of rain in July to early August, and greened substantially. Perhaps it has been dry near me, or the Sonoran Desert doesn't do that as much? The only summer I recall where it dried as it went on, was the freak 2009 summer with the almost complete failure of the monsoon, but it was green in June due to those odd lows in May. I don't think I saw the desert that summer. That was considered to be due to the developing 2010 El Nino.

Check out the bizarre mid-summer rain totals in southern California. Mount San Jacinto, which was very dry this winter, got over 2 inches of rain today.http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/sgx/display_pro ... GX&pil=RRM

Looks like Arizona got hit pretty good today as well. Here's a shot of the Sierra Ancha that a friend took from Roosevelt Lake

Yesterday when I was at the hardware store in Williams it started really pouring outside! I had brought my umbrella in with me. But even with the umbrella it was hard to not get my work clothes wet when going to the car and trying to get inside without getting drenched. I had to sit in the car for about 10 minutes as a tremendous hailstorm happened! It finally abated a bit and I was able to drive to work. There were drifts of hail everywhere, and white patches on lawns and roofs. The streets all flood in Williams, also. (This is why the Forest Service closes Bill Williams Mountain every May and June--if it burned Williams would wash away!)

We've had beautiful rains up here in the NE Valley, this week and last. Poured for a good hour yesterday.

Jim Lyding wrote:Looks like Arizona got hit pretty good today as well. Here's a shot of the Sierra Ancha that a friend took from Roosevelt Lake

Yes, there has been quite a bit of rain in Arizona... just not spread evenly.

I was hiking out in that area until early afternoon and watched the T-storms rolling in and finished just in time. Not only did it pour Saturday in the area of the photo, but there was a gully washer out there on Friday night. I chose a spot to begin my hike from along FR71 where a torrent of water had crossed the road overnight. It worked out well because it also cleared all the brush from my anticipated route down to a wash. Walking on the damp soft ground felt so good.

As I was driving back toward Punkin Center there was heavy rain across the northern slopes of Mt Ord, which dissipated by time I was heading north on 188. But by time I reached Slate Creek on 87 the heavy showers returned, giving my Cherokee a thorough wash... about the only time it gets washed.