HikeArizona.COM

The endless chatter of weather.

I take full responsibility... :guilty:

But on the snow note ... radar is showing snow in the San Juans this morning. Webcams from Telluride, Purg, Wolf Creek, Silverton, etc. not showing any proof-positive, but its the first time I've seen the "pink and blue" on the radar returns, and the freeze level was down below 12k.

This low that is moving north of us seems unusually cold and early for August. I felt like it was fall for the last 2 days.

Jim_H wrote:This low that is moving north of us seems unusually cold and early for August. I felt like it was fall for the last 2 days.

Yeah, not "first day of school" type of weather.

It was 82 in Springerville at 3:30 pm today, but the early mornings are cool, making me want to wear jeans and a sweater (UGH!). As long as it stays dry it will be nice, though. This is when all the mountain biking takes off again, after having to stop doing it due to very bad mud all summer.

I'm really liking this blast of June like weather we are having around here. It looks like a cool down with winds for the middle of the week, and the long range forecast discussion basically indicates that monsoon season is over and fall is a week away. Forecast lows late next week even have potential to bring a frost. A couple more weeks and the 45 day fall color map will probably have observations on it.
From the NWS:

FROM FRIDAY ONWARD...A DRY FALL LIKE PATTERN WILL CONTINUE WITH DRY
SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW AND TROUGHS MOVING THROUGH THE WESTERLIES
PERIODICALLY INCREASING OUR WIND SPEEDS.

Raining in Flag right now. I will be driving home in an hour or two, hope it isn't raining all the way, although I doubt it will be.

We had a good amount of rain for around half an hour by my place. The airport south of me picked up 3/10ths. From the radar, a good cell developed south of town and moved to Mt Elden and east Flag. Good for Elden, and Jake, since that area was looking so dry. It should perk up the grass in that area, at least. I know Jake likes his gramma grass to be healthy and lush.

Jim_H wrote: I know Jake likes his gramma grass to be healthy and lush.

MOO??!!

Bill Bellis (UofA grad, and PHX ABC15 meteorologist) just declared the 2010 monsoon over. Well, there's still some moisture in the Whites for Wednesday, but after that, its over.

I don't know who made him the authority (at least he's been studying weather in AZ for more than a month), but I tend to agree with his opinion from the forecasts that I've been seeing.

Changing colors are just around the corner!

Payson has had some of the trees down by the Green Valley Park turning yellow already...

The forecast for tomorrow and Friday night is for frosts on the Peaks and Elden, and possibly one in town. Summer is definetly over.

Sigh... I know I will adjust and will get into it pretty soon. Go with the flow...(the ice floe...???)

I already miss summer. I know I always want (in weather and seasons) what I can't have right now. Still, I usually love summer best. It isn't the temperatures I don't like about fall, but the waning sunlight, the shorter days, and the coming of winter. It's just depressing. Not until snow comes, the solstice, and then the increasing daylight does winter start to feel better. September and October up to the last week are OK, but from the last week of October through to mid-December is the worst. Good thing I can drive to the Canyon fast and be in warmth quickly. Other than the Peaks, or maybe Elden, the Canyon is the one really big thing that sets Flagstaff apart from the other cold high elevation towns of the plateau.

Jim_H wrote:It isn't the temperatures I don't like about fall, but the waning sunlight, the shorter days ...

I'll go along with that part of it. Daylight is so precious in November; it seems like the whole day is a race with the sun.

I agree, and also agree with Jim saying it is depressing. I have to fight off depression as the days shorten. Right now I just started school, plus I work, too, and it is hard to schedule exercise, which I desperately need. I am working on finding a slot in the day for it. Keeping those endorphins up is important. I don't think I experienced this in the desert, since when I lived down in Tucson I always looked forward to fall desert hikes, and more reasonable temps. I know I didn't experience it in Hawaii, since the seasons are not very well-defined there.

More time for night hikes.

Nighthiker wrote:More time for night hikes.

Great perspective! Love it! Darn cold up here in a couple of months for night hikes, though.

I do wish that the days were longer, but it sure is nice to drive with the windows open again, ride my bike to work, take the stairs instead of the elevator, etc.

Hot and humid are not friends to some of these things when it relates to conveying a presentable physical appearance at a professional-type job.

I would be having the same reaction to it if I still lived in Tucson. What Jim and Bigload and I are talking about is 4 season climate depression. It is not the same if you live in the desert. I know because I lived in Tucson for 13 years, and in San Diego for 25 years, and in the tropics for 8 years, and NEVER had a fall depression type reaction to shorter, cooler days. I enjoyed the fall in Tucson because it was not as hot.

The only depression I ever had in the fall (in the desert) was after Halloween, when they start putting up the Xmas stuff in the stores. When I was raising my kids I was always made to feel by my inlaws, co-workers, family members, etc, that I never would be able to measure up to their big Xmas cooking, shopping and decorating orgies. I HATE the holidays with a passion--I still do--but they don't make me suicidal any more, since I don't have kids at home, don't have to put up a tree, decorate, cook or shop. No one can threaten me any more for not wanting to "celebrate." I haven't put up a tree for 4 years and it feels really, really good.

The NWS had predicted 32 last night, but it looks like 37 may have been as low as it got. They are still calling for 33 tonight and 34 tomorrow night. We'll see. I still think the fall color is just about to start.