Atmosphere Comparison

[Jim]

The endless chatter of weather.

[SkyIslander18]

I heard cicadas on most of my hike today and also, some of the desert sage bushes in my yard bloomed today which they usually do just before the rains come.

[Jim]

Ah, the sounds of summer......when you can actually hear them.

[joebartels]

Ridiculously loud yesterday in the afternoon on the northern stretch of the AZT #34, they muffled the wind noise out. They like to hang around junipers.

[Jim]

The Flagstaff forecast is for some warm temps and high winds for the week until a pattern shift that may be the start of the 2011 wet season. Looks like winds will run into the rain, this year.

FRIDAY...A VERY LARGE SUBTROPICAL HIGH WILL EXTEND FROM THE WESTERN
OHIO RIVER VALLEY TO EASTERN ARIZONA. THIS PATTERN WILL BEGIN A
PERSISTENT AND VERY MOIST SOUTHEAST FLOW PATTERN. THE SOUTHEAST FLOW
WILL BE TAPPING INTO HIGH ALMOST 2" PW AIR FROM THE REMNANT OF A
TROPICAL SYSTEM COMING ACROSS CENTRAL MEXICO.

SATURDAY INTO MONDAY...THE FOUR CORNERS SUBTROPICAL HIGH SETS UP AND
BECOMES ESTABLISHED. EXPECT LIGHTER WINDS...DEEPENING AND INCREASING
MOISTURE ACROSS THE REGION ALONG WITH AN INCREASE IN AFTERNOON AND
EVENING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. TEMPERATURES WILL RUN AT OR
SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL.

[chumley]

Yup. I'm ready for a summer trip to the Arctic.

[azbackpackr]

Forecast for White Mountains is almost identical to Flag's. 10% chance of thundershowers over the next 4 or 5 days.

[azbackpackr]

It POURED in Eagar yesterday afternoon for a short time! It looked to be raining all over the place. I was riding my bike when it started. It sure felt great!

[big_load]

Good! I hope there's plenty more.

[chumley]

I looked at the radar loop in the White Mountains yesterday afternoon, and there were several potent cells, but they were moving very quickly due north. Looks like many areas got a very brief downpour. I can't imagine anywhere received more than .1"

It's a welcome change though and I hope more is on the way. The fire areas could use steady light rain, rather than flood-producing downpours, but that seems a little unlikely.

[SkyIslander18]

Thunder, lightning & a 5 minute soak just hit Safford

[Jim]

It was weird: big clouds, some thunder and light rain at the Canyon this afternoon. However, in Flagstaff the humidity is noticeably higher than a few days ago, but the wind is still quite high as well. Strange, becuase monsoon season is usually our only calm season. The rain seems to have a little to do with the California low, and isn't just monsoon activity.

[RedRoxx44]

Thunder, lightning and rain rain rain!!! My roof is leaking and I have a wet dog but I don't care---this is great!!!

[rwstorm]

Got a great surprise storm in SW Tucson early this morning. 0.84 inch rain, some 1/3 inch dia hail, lots of wickedly good close lightning, and a wind gust of 47 mph. All this in about an hour ending at 415 AM. My kind of storm!

This was the first measurable rain at my house since April 9th. My total for 2011 was .81 inch through yesterday, so in an hour this morning, I more than doubled that!

[Jim]

http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/twc/climate/wxs ... ne2011.php
Yup, Tucson ended the number of consecutive days without rain. Though at 2/100ths officially at the airport that is hardly and impressive figure. Nice to see some rain coming in down there. It was 81 days and the 4th longest recorded stretch.

[writelots]

It was 81 days and the 4th longest recorded stretch.

At my weather meter, it's been more than 5 months since the last measurable rain. That would be 150 days, or somewhere around there. I've never been so thrilled to see the water come from the sky.

Yesterday morning I was out harvesting desert fruits with Sirena, and we did a little traditional rain dance by eating the first fruit and leaving the shell on the ground, face up, to call for the monsoons. It's always fun when the universe hears your prayers!

[rwstorm]

At my weather meter, it's been more than 5 months since the last measurable rain.

Got to take issue with that Wendy. We had measurable rain in February, March and April (citywide in some cases). ;)

[chumley]

Today, July 4, 2011 will be the first day of the 2011 monsoon according to the "old" dewpoint metric for both Phoenix and Tucson. (three consecutive days with average surface dewpoint of 55 for phx and 54 for tuc). That's just about a week early from the historical average start date.

Flagstaff doesn't keep track of the monsoon via dewpoints, but the readings were way below normal for June, and only June 30, July 2, and 3 were finally above average, signaling increased moisture. I hope the season brings plenty of rain. The whole state is in a rainfall deficit for both the precipitation year and the calendar year.

---
edit: the start date would actually be July 2, since July 4 is the 3rd consecutive day, the former official start was always the first of the three days.

[azbackpackr]

It poured rain in the nighttime last night in Eagar and Springerville! I guess it did that because I had left laundry on the clothesline, the power mower and garden tools not put away, etc.

[PaleoRob]

Spat rain this afternoon. Nothing heavy. Very humid.

[PatrickL]

Pretty awesome dust storm plowing over Phoenix. Why can't we get that cool stuff in Buckeye?