Rain

[Dschur]

So far in Payson today we have received just about 1/2 an inch of Rain!!!! Let it rain!!! \:D/

[chumley]

OK, so here's my follow-up from my tree-cutting: 4Peaks was socked in this morning and dark on the way home, but there should have been a few inches of snow above 5500-6000 feet.

The Beeline from the 4Peaks turnoff all the way past Rye was amazing. The runoff from both sides of the road was impressive. Every single wash or crack/crevice that doesn't even qualify as a wash was flowing. I saw more waterfalls than I've seen this side of Norway. Especially on the east side between Barnhardt TH and Mt. Ord. (Sorry, no pictures, I was driving and didn't feel motivated enough to stop). A couple of inches of snow coated Mt. Ord and Mt. Peeley and the higher elevations of the Mad-as-hells.

Payson seemed to be all rain, but it was snowing by Diamond Point Shadows (Fresh Lobster, anyone?) at 5100 ft, and there was 2-3 inches in the Kohl's Ranch/Christopher Creek area. By the top of the Rim, there was 6-8 inches of new snow and Hwy 260 was closed at the Rim Road due to flooding caused by a sink hole on the highway between there and the Young Road. Apparently that's been fixed.

The Rim Road was open, but was an absolute mess. Note to self: Big trucks and big tires mean small everything else (in this case, brains). Dozens of people managed to get stuck, and I donated a shovel and tow rope to some of the needy. I also decided it was not worth my effort to make it to some of the more pristine tree-cutting areas. (The ones with trees that actually resemble a Christmas tree ... I'm sorry, but Pinyon does not qualify). Wouldn't have been too much trouble if not for all the other vehicles on the road.

So, after turning around in an area a couple of trucks were stuck and a line of 15 or so were waiting to get by, I headed back toward Woods Canyon Lake and did what seemed like a 15 mile hike, but was probably only about 2. The snow ranged from 6-16 inches deep (where it hadn't melted from last weekend) and was like walking in wet concrete as it was melting from the ground up. With this week's forecasted cold weather, that should freeze solid and probably not melt until spring. There was lots of water flowing and it was tough to find a good-looking tree since everything was coated in snow and looked awesome. Too bad it can't look like that in the living room!

Sorry for the lengthy post. It's like a hike log, except it was less hike and more adventure. But hiking in deep snow burned some thigh muscles I didn't realize I had!

I posted some pictures on my picasa if you're interested. http://picasaweb.google.com/chumleyaz/C ... yEUzXhSlL4

[cathymocha]

Loved the adventure and the Christmastree cutting photos...good times.

[Crzy4AZ]

I posted some pictures on my picasa if you're interested. http://picasaweb.google.com/chumleyaz/C ... yEUzXhSlL4

Cool pictures - - love the snow on nose close-up! : rein :

[Dschur]

My view of 4peaks is obscured this morning, but there's a fresh blanket of thick wet snow covering every surface as low as Christopher Creek. Doesn't look like it in Payson though. (dschur?)

I'm headed up to cut a tree today and will let you know how it goes up there!

Sorry didn't see this before you left but I was on my way down to PHX to Christmas shop! It was awesome seeing all that water running in all the creeks and the waterfalls where there is normally none! The Verde also so flowing that it was all little channels all around. Couldn't tell where the rest of the river was with all the extra water running. The rim is cool when the sun shines on it now. And there is snow all down to the bottom of the rim. No snow stuck in Payson this weekend. We got about 1.5 inches of rain out of this storm. Added to the 3.6 last weekend and we are up to over 5 inches at our house.

[te_wa]

resurrected~

hows the weather looking up there, Dawn?
we have a trip planned @ 6K' this weekend. Mazatzal divide trail is likely getting some snow as i type, this is good news for hiking but maybe the road condtions will not be so fair. Hmmpphh!

[Dschur]

Will be able to tell you more when I get home... The ABC15 website says we have had about .5 inches of rain so far....But will see what it is doing later....The weather service on KMOG said the snow level was to be at 5500 ft tonight and heaviest moisture just south and south west of the rim...

[azbackpackr]

Please please please let us have a snow day in Flagstaff! I could get a lot done on my homework if I didn't have to go to work! They cancelled my activity run this afternoon (I drive the school bus, and one of my routes goes almost to Leupp, taking kids home from after school sports.) It has been snowing like crazy all day but not sticking on the roadways at all, since it has been too warm. But now that it is getting later it is getting colder. I hope it keeps coming down and piles up! My daughter-in-law in Calif said that it was POURING there in Oceanside around lunchtime today.

[Dschur]

Had a dusting of snow on the ground last night and there was snow half way down the Mazzies on the Beeline side. Looked really pretty there today with all the hazy knocked out.... Looks like a nice amount of snow... but should melt off fast we had .5-.75 inches of rain in Payson yesterday...

[te_wa]

thanks for the update~! mike

[outdoor_lover]

Ok, anybody live up in the Cave Creek/Carefree area? Did you guys get any rain at all from the system this week???

[chumley]

I don't believe I can ever recall a "storm" in the valley like we've had today. (Cue photographic weather memory HAZ member to reply here)

A PNW-like mist all day long. I had a "trace" of rain every hour of the day, and yet the total is still in the low to mid zeros!

[Nighthiker]

Fog this morning in Payson. Light rain off and on most of the day. Unable to advise of total rainfall, trees squirrels rehearsing for a new Geico commercial destroyed my rain gauge.

[chumley]

The forecast calls for four straight days of rain.

In reality, I wonder how many hours of those 96 will record measurable rainfall? I'll guess ... 20.

[RedRoxx44]

I know--- spray for the weeds today or wait till next week -- the plus is I think with the rain and rather mild yet warm temps the wildflower season might be with us for a while longer!!

[CannondaleKid]

@RedRoxx44
Spray now and it will rain hard enough to wash it all away, don't spray and it won't rain... at least that's how it seems to work for us.

[chumley]

@CannondaleKid
What kind of death drugs do you spray with? Mine are good to go 30 minutes after application. I actually turn on the sprinklers because it helps the damn things drink up all the tasty goodness I just fed them!

[CannondaleKid]

@chumley
Just being a bit facetious... I meant it more-or-less in the vein of the car washing syndrome, as in wash your car and it will rain, don't and it won't.

[ALMAL]

@CannondaleKid @chumley
Been out of town all week in Georgia, how much did we get?

[DixieFlyer]

@ALMAL
my rain gauge has recorded 2.5 inches of rain over the last 4 days

[Nobody01]

3.35" here in Laveen since Tuesday. Good gully warsher...