HikeArizona.COM

The endless chatter of weather.

chumley wrote:agreeable weather models

No, they do not exist. You are going to have to be content with "Blind Date" weather patterns.

For once I am very happy it is supposed to rain and then snow over the next couple days or so up here. The Salt River is starting to come up, and should be at a much better level by the time I go on the river trip on the 23rd. Any warm storms will be appreciated by the river running crowd.

Plus I have really enjoyed getting back into cross country skiing. I went a couple of times last week. I hadn't been for a couple of years. Even if we have rain here in Round Valley it will be snow up by Slade Ranch/273 where I ski.

March is my month. I was born in March and I alway feel better in March. I was very depressed this winter. All of that is gone now. The relentless zero cold and the short days, and the constant problems with frozen pipes, $300 heating bills, etc. were starting to get to me. I used to think I'd want to live in Alaska. Not. I would like to visit there, in the summer...but I know I would not like the long dark cold winters.

My brother is up in Anchorage. He wants me to visit him, but I'm never going up there. I have never wanted to go to Alaska. Not for me, at all. My mom visited him, his wife and baby in December. Not a time of year to visit the great dark north.

I'm happy about this storm. Not really a March Miracle for California, but there will be some modest rain and snow in the more or less dry southern part of the state by LA. Great for Arizona, with what will hopefully be some impressive late Winter early Spring totals in a few days. Perfect timing for Ski the Lemmon and Snowbowl, for the weekend. Then, the best part: it warms up and is in the 80s in Tucson by the time I get there. Hopefully it holds for my stay. Looks like I'll be dry over here, but that is how it has been all winter. I guess monsoon season makes up for that?

Don't know if there will be another storm this winter in southeast Arizona, but either way is fine for me. Northern AZ usually has one more storm, if they want it or not. Maybe there will be more for SE AZ, which would be great for reducing fire danger, but we're just about to the best time of year; the spring dry season.

@Jim_HI really enjoyed my time in Alaska. I love the tundra, especially during wildflower season under the open skies. I like the feel of the cool air, too. The overcast and rain are less fun. Maybe it's the big sky, but something about the alpine world pleases me in much the same way as the desert.

I like Alaska also. Visited my cousin at his homestead north of Denali Park twice and spent three weeks each time. Also rode with a convoy of restored military vehicles up and back down the Alaskan Highway last August. That convoy also went up the Dempster Highway in the Yukon all the way to the Artic Circle. Great times, great people. Love the Canadians and the Alaskans.

I thought Idaho was too far north. I won't be going to Alaska anytime soon.

@Jim_H
(I like Idaho, too.)

The Snake River Plain in August, when I was there in 2010, is beautiful. I never really saw much more than that and the small strip of mountains east up against Wyoming. Still, I felt like the sun was dimmed down while there, and enjoyed getting back down to southern Utah and Bryce. Still, don't want to go back to Idaho any time soon, unless my brother traveled south and we met there as a half way point. I'd welcome a trip to the Arco area, maybe take in a peak.

Places with long winters, low sun angles for 6 months of the year, and short summers, are not for me.

Now they're saying that the Snow Level is going to drop to 3000' by Saturday morning. Superstitions are going to get some snow again....

5 AM Friday morning in Apache Junction and it is raining!

Ignore the time stamp of this posting as It still thinks I am in Kyiv, Ukraine. Dah?
Even though my PC is set for Arizona? What am I doing wrong?

7:20 AM Friday morning in Apache Junction and it has stopped raining but there is still thunder and lightening.
The washes and dry falls must be running now for a pretty drive up Apache Trail.

It's funny! The west valley has been completely dry, while there has been a steady plume of moisture dropping .25-.50" over the east valley since about 3am. I even awoke to thunder around 3:30. It looks like the Supes have gotten a good part of that moisture stream but still under 1" of rain has fallen so far.

But since the bulk of the moisture isn't supposed to arrive before this afternoon, it could turn out to be a very good storm out there. Looks like there will be a few good hours for hiking from this morning into this afternoon with little to no rain. Tomorrow morning might be perfect too! (for those of you not already planning on being out there tonight... :whistle: viewtopic.php?f=4&t=7523)

Jim_H wrote:The Snake River Plain in August, when I was there in 2010, is beautiful. I never really saw much more than that and the small strip of mountains east up against Wyoming. Still, I felt like the sun was dimmed down while there, and enjoyed getting back down to southern Utah and Bryce. Still, don't want to go back to Idaho any time soon, unless my brother traveled south and we met there as a half way point. I'd welcome a trip to the Arco area, maybe take in a peak.

Places with long winters, low sun angles for 6 months of the year, and short summers, are not for me.

Just moved back down to Arizona after living in Boise for 6 years. Really enjoyed peak bagging season up there but you can't access most of the trails to the high peaks until late June. I was still hiking through snow patches the last week of July last summer.

What's funny is there is more vegetation on the hiking trails around Phoenix than there is around most of southern Idaho. Endless miles of hiking through tall grass unless you are following a stream bed.

Will have to figure out a way to hang out in Arizona for 8 months a year and then head up to Idaho for hiking in high country in the summer. Get the best of both worlds.

8:45 AM Friday morning in Apache Junction and it is raining steady and often heavy.

This is not the time to be out and on the wrong side of a wash.

SG I'll take your word for it since you're out there, but without firsthand reports, I wouldn't be concerned about driving through washes today. There may be some light flow in some of them, but 1" of rain over 6 hours is spread out enough to not result in much flooding. A localized thunderstorm that drops 1" in under an hour would be more of a problem. (And that is still possible later this afternoon).

Thunder and lightning this AM - frightened some of my students. Windy and dark but no rain at the moment now.

Just got done Hailing in South Scottsdale....

Yay, the Salt is coming up! It's over 400 cfs right now and climbing! Woohoo!

It is trying to snow but it is kind of a slushy rain here, at least until just about one minute ago, when the sun came out!

I want to go back up to Petrified Forest on Sunday, but will await updated forecast. There is another of those ranger-led hikes going on.

The wind right now is pretty wild. Small trees have been damaged and high-velocity tumbleweeds are about.

Pretty wild out in the Junction too. Lots of wind, thunder and lightening