Phoenix Eyes New Zero Precip. Record

As usual for this season so far, the promised trough is deamplifying as it hits the west coast. No big rain event for southern California, and nary a drop for Arizona. Desert dewpoints are still in the teens this morning.

The next chance is in about a week if you choose to believe how the models are handling the pattern. I don't much. I'm placing my bets on further retrograde of the long wave off the Pacific Coast and a moderate March death ridge coming with some increase in the meridional flow component. Let's get it out of the way now -- I say!
 
Looks like the dry spell in Phoenix will finally come to an end this weeknd. WFO PHX is expecting up to .50 inches this weekend in the greater PHX area. Winter storm watches have been posted for Southern Gila county and tonto national forest where 6-12 inches of snow are forecast! Maybe the Arizona Snowbowl will be able to open after this storm? HPC has a 2.2 inch liquid equivalent bullseye just north of PHX for the cumulative period of Friday-Wed.

Here in New Mexico we are still high and dry. Normal snowfall is 60 inches in town.....we've only receieved a TRACE!! They are expecting the worst fire season since 1898! There not much left to burn in Los Alamos however.
Trees are dying everywhere.
 
Royal Norman (chief met, 3TV Phx) said that this is going to be "a dangerous storm". I like the sound of that. I think he is mostly referring to the cold wind and rain, and also the snow coming for the Mogollon Rim. There is already a lot of wind and clouds developing. Bring it on!
 
Bring it on is right! I keep wondering where the moisture for tomorrow's big storm is going to come from. Dp is 35 in San Francisco, 41 in San Diego, and single digits (!) coming off the uplands of NV and northwest AZ. The nearest subtropical connection is south of Baja.
 
Nice cold storm...getting some nice rain here in So Cal. Some thunderstorm are around too...im hoping for some waterspouts. Snow levels have been very low with snow in most deserts and down to some of the lower valley areas.
 
In Lubbock, Texas we have officially crossed the threshold of 150 days without any significant (.25 inch or more) precipitation!! :shock: I am now experiencing Day 3 of 5 days of sand blowing forecast currently.
 
Heh. Right now there's a mini-supercell moving right and approaching Ajo in southwest AZ. Little flying-V and all with a visible overshoot on the satellite.... And, of course, the PHX radar stopped updating :roll:
 
Yeah this is quite a cold-core system. I don't recall seeing -38C 500mb temps in the lower 48 in recent memory.

upaCNTR_500.gif
 
I remember rain! I was unsure of it at first but it all came back to me! Water, falling from the sky: so simple and elegant!

Official rainless record: 143 days.

Incredibly, there is a Heavy Snow Warning in effect for northern Maricopa County, including the metro Phoenix area. Accumulation of 2-6 inches is possible between 2 and 3,000 ft (with more than a foot possible at 4,000!). This is amazing. It's possible that the morning will reveal a small snowcap on the interior mountains (and of course on the Four Peaks) and I have never seen that.

Craziness.
 
Finally, the first real rain of the year. (It actually made puddles!)
The storm total is probably around half an inch in Tucson proper. The Catalina Mountains had rain all day Sat., and light snow overnight.

snow.jpg


Still, this is nothing more than a 'feelgood' storm. The precip will do little for the parched desert and withering city shrubbery. Maybe a few grasses will sprout and provide a nibble of food for the desert critters. I doubt this is enough to give us any sort of wildflower bloom this year.
Scenes like this are not gonna happen this year....

desert1.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Susan Strom
  • Sticky
FAQ: Chasing the Southwestern Monsoon
8 9 10 11 12
Replies
176
Views
118K
James Taylor
James Taylor
Back
Top