HikeArizona.COM

The endless chatter of weather.

4F this morning in Denver, with more snow. The snow that falls in these temps is much better for driving than warmer snow.

I think dry roads on an 80 degree day are superior for driving. I am disappointed to learn the high for Sunday is forecast to be 70. 70!

I love warm snow. We're gonna have to add that to the label database. I wonder if I can find a definition for it on wiki?

I'm in the airport in Idaho Falls right now. It was a nice visit, but I sure can't wait to get out of this icebox! This whole state reminds me of Eagar on steroids. I could never live here. It's 16 degrees outside, with a 50% chance of snow by midday, but I'll be in Vegas and on my way home to the Colorado River by then!

It was -8 when the boiler decided to shut down and not relight for my wife. Good thing I bought 320lbs of pellets the other day for the back up.

azbackpackr wrote:I'm in the airport in Idaho Falls right now. It was a nice visit, but I sure can't wait to get out of this icebox! This whole state reminds me of Eagar on steroids. I could never live here. It's 16 degrees outside, with a 50% chance of snow by midday, but I'll be in Vegas and on my way home to the Colorado River by then!

Idaho Falls is really cold, the joke about the place is that the only time the wind stops is to change directions. So not only cold, but always a brisk wind to top it off. Remember driving over the pass between IF and Jackson WY the week after Memorial Day. There were still 10+ foot snowbanks on top of the pass and the information center at the trailhead was buried under snow.

MtnBart01 wrote:It was -8 when the boiler decided to shut down and not relight for my wife. Good thing I bought 320lbs of pellets the other day for the back up.

I'd be pretty backed up, too, if I ate 320 pounds of pellets!

We started with a nice, warm day in NJ yesterday, but ended with a couple surprise inches of (warm) snow. Now I'm on my way to AZ.

big_load wrote:We started with a nice, warm day in NJ yesterday, but ended with a couple surprise inches of (warm) snow. Now I'm on my way to AZ.

And if you lived in Minnesota you would buy a one way ticket and NEVER RETURN!

Jim_H wrote:

MtnBart01 wrote:It was -8 when the boiler decided to shut down and not relight for my wife. Good thing I bought 320lbs of pellets the other day for the back up.

I'd be pretty backed up, too, if I ate 320 pounds of pellets!

I think think the expression you're looking for is "stove up".

Had to cancel myself off a 4-day kayak trip down Lake Mojave because of the roaring wind. I don't know whether or not the other paddlers cancelled. But I am not going out on that lake in 50 mph gusts, with sustained wind above 30 mph. It's crazy out there! My friend tried to tell me it would not be as bad up at Willow Beach, but I had to disagree with her. Temperature here on the river in Needles has dropped a lot, too--it's chilly! I feel like I'm back in Idaho where I was last week! At 1 a.m. it was 63 degrees, and now at 8 a.m. CA time it's 52.

I know! I long for 85 and 90, or at very least 75 to 80. It wasn't all that cold in the Canyon last week, but the wind was fierce. Also, the sun is noticeably lower, and the days are very short now. At least we only have about a month more of waning. Today, solar noon in Tucson has the sun at an angle of 38.8 degrees, which is the same as January 25th. That is for 32.2 degrees north, so you can add or subtract degrees from that, depending on if you move north or south. Either way, I'm having a hard time realizing it is as late as it is, becuase it feels like 9 AM when it is noon.

There have been a couple of nights of single digits at the Grand Canyon, and Flag reported 11 last night. COLD!!! How long until snow? Not on the Peaks, but on the Sky Islands? Real snow, 1 foot+.

Jim_H wrote:How long until snow?

16 days. 9 hours. 23 minutes.

December 5th at 7:43am? Sounds good.

Set an alarm and report back to us, Jim.

If the QPF maps have any accuracy at all, it looks like California is about to get a healthy dose of drought relief. Up to 3 feet of snow in the Sierra, and even a couple of feet down south in the San Jacintos. 3-5" of rain at the lower elevations, plus a healthy inch of rain in the central valley. Much needed.

Looks like most of the moisture will be contained by the mountains but some energy will make it's way to Arizona for some good chances of rain showers for the middle of the week.

chumley wrote:Looks like most of the moisture will be contained by the mountains but some energy will make it's way to Arizona for some good chances of rain showers for the middle of the week.

Hooray! I don't think Jim will like this news though.

PhilMW wrote:Hooray! I don't think Jim will like this news though.

Jim dosen't like ANY news.

Happy First Day of Winter!


(Meteorological Winter begins December 1. Astronomical Winter begins some other time but since winter is a meteorological season, let's go with the meteorological definition, ok?)

@The EagleHe likes the post above this one!