Dry Up North

[azphil]

I went up to Secret Mountain for an overnite backpack last Wednesday and Thursday. I couldn't believe how dry everything was up there. The prickly pear were like green tortillas. Over the weekend I heard that the Snow Bowl and other Northern Arizona ski areas have been open for a total of less than a week so far this year.

Has anyone seen the northern part of the state this dry before? I hope we get some snow so we will then get some runoff to make some of the hikes a little more enjoyable....and provide a little water along some of the trails also.

Phil

[Pellegrino]

All I need to do is look at my skin to realize how dry its been. Its yukky. I have seen it this dry in the past, but lets keep hoping for a rainy spring. Did you hear their considering making snow for Snowbowl out of recycled sewer water? Its an experiment their trying with quite a bit of controversy. Native Americans not to happy about it. Said it was like urinating on their sacred site. Anyhow, planning on doing Humphries (sp?) this summer.

[BoyNhisDog]

It's been a strange weather pattern for sure. If we don't get some good rain soon things will really dry up bad.

Last year was the best wildflower bloom in decades and now this.

[ck_1]

I was in Sedona on Saturday, the creek was flowing under the bridge before the Y, and there were waterpockets on the Cathedral Rock trail...

recycled sewer water...I like it from an environmental/reduce,reuse,recycle standpoint, but the Native American's have a strong point. Interesting idea, certain to result in heated discussions.

[azphil]

I've just never seen it as dry at that elevation before. The plant life were just really dry which will put the whole area at a greater level of fire risk. I've been through a few of Arizona's droughts before in Tucson and it's always a drought in the valley here in the Phoenix area but this was new to me.

I can understand using recycled sewer water for me as; long as it's cleaned up I'll drink it. I must agree however with the Native American point of view. Some things need to be kept sacred......and they seem to be more adept at keeping things sacred then some of the rest of the population.

We'll see what Mother Nature has in store for us, just hope for the best and perhaps even re-read 'Cadillac Desert'.

Phil

[montezumawell]

:x We live at 3,500 feet directly adjacent to Montezuma Well National Monument. The high PH soil here is complete and TOTAL dust! The ancestral pasture in front of our home is a tinderbox waiting for a match. The places we hike now are quickly becoming fire hazards. It's weird and it's spooky. HOWEVER!!!! This ain't the first time this has happened. It was like this in the winter of 1987-88. People then were wearing TEVAS without socks in FLAGSTAFF!!!!! in January and February. Everyone wrote off the winter. What winter, they said? HA! HA! Winter came back with a vengeance in March. March is historically the wettest month in the High Country. Just ask SRP. They are all holding hands and chanting, 'COME ON MARCH.' Back in 1988, March didn't cut loose until late in the month but it was a real dousey. Then it continued well into April. I will never forget being in Seligman on late April with SNOW in Seligman! That's a tough act to follow, for sure! They had this gig where some scruffy cowboys where making bisquits and garvy as part of some Route 66 deal going on there. I will never forget those cowboys griping about the snow around their fire pit. Awesome stuff for an April in Arizona in Seligman! So, the moral of the story is, to paraphrase some sports guy, 'It ain't over 'til it's over.' (We had some great runs on fthe Verde River that year, too! In April, no less!!!!) If the past is any indication of the future, people will be griping about TOO MUCH WATER before this season ends. Pendulums DO swing! In the meantime, you have an unprecedented opportunity to hike in places which are normally knee deep in snow while wearing minimal clothing and not freezing your bootie off. That part of this 'drought' is a LOT of fun!!!!

[BoyNhisDog]

Well they say that this has been the driest fall and winter in 107 years of record keeping. Flag was dry as a bone. The desert around Bullhead City usually is dry but now it is drier than ever.

I was hiking just south of the Laughlin strip last week and this is one of the views. My back is too the Colorado River which is only a few yards behind me.

Dry, Dry Desert Canyons and Hills

[azphil]

Nice Photograph. Bad news. So it is the driest it's been in 107 years.....I need to ask my mother-in........never mind.
Where's the smart money going? Rain this summer or not?
I really believe that a dry winter means a dry summer but I hope I'm wrong.

Are there any parts of the state that aren't taking a hit with the drought?

Phil

[montezumawell]

One of the first cliches I learned in my first summer in Arizona in 1967 was, 'There's only two kinds of people who predict Arizona weather: newcomers and fools.' Not much has changed in the world of cliches and I still hear people use that shopworn slogan. Trouble is, is that it's mostly true. So, anyway, what does it matter? This is a desert, afterall. All these plants and animals somehow have survived and reproduced through many droughts far worse than this one. Basically, it's mostly academic and a great trail topic. Now, mind you, I AM NOT predicting weather. Just passing along a few observations.

March is typically the wettest of the winter months. August is normally the wettest of the summer months. So, there's 11 days left in March and nothing much on the horizon to indicate any gully washers. Once April rolls around, odds of significant precipitation drop pretty dramatically and, of course, we all know what happens in May and June. Whether we get a timely and generous monsoon is seldom truly predictable this far in advance. Flip a coin and you've got a 50% chance of being a weather genius.

Our next 'window' for optimism is a long way off. Like next fall and winter. There's been a lot of talk in climate circles (not to be confused with crop circles) about The Return of El Nino. This hollywood-esque sounding title is currently the focus for a lot of debate. If El Nino does return, there would appear to be somewhat elevated odds of a wet fall and winter. No guarantees and, remember, I AM NOT predicting weather!
So, if you're really into learning the lingo, get up to speed on the various gov't and univ. El Nino sites, start watching Pacific Ocean surface temperatures for yourself and be the first on your trail to know the facts as they unfold. There's not a darn thing you can do about it one way or another, but it sure makes for fun conversation and, besides, you will learn a lot of arcane climatology stuff you never dreamed you'd want to know. Have fun and 'visualize precipitation.'

J&S in RR