HikeArizona.COM

The endless chatter of weather.

OK, now the rain is getting more serious at my house. Up to a quarter inch for the day so far.

rwstorm wrote:OK, now the rain is getting more serious at my house. Up to a quarter inch for the day so far.

Just everyone be patient. This storm is just like that. Shows up, doesn't do much, stops. Gets busy again, stops. Gets real busy again, stops again. This goes on for three days. My area got over three inches so far, so it's a good one. Nice and slow-moving.

Remember...weather guessers rush in where even fools fear to tread! (I would know) Dang, where the heck did I put my Old Farmer's Almanac? Never can find it when I need it.

We've got blowing wind, overcast, and huge dust plumes off the desert, especially White Sands NM. Massive brown out to the north. Glad I didn't do the Dog Canyon hike, or decide to go north today. I'd love some rain and snow tonight, and maybe a few inches down to 7,000'. Lots of dying trees on Ortega, again.

"Rincon", http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/mesowest/getobe ... VA3&num=48 which must be on Rincon Mountain, or at least in the range, reports over 8/10ths of an inch, from what appears to be heavy thunderstorm type rain. Maybe it is snow, but at 34 degrees, it probably isn't. I recall more than a few wet snows slightly above 32 in Flag, so it could be snow. Flagstaff is up to almost 1.2 inches of liquid, with a change over to snow, so the last 3/10th were snow.

@Jim_H
Some of the rain will work its way over to you I'm sure, but alas, there is no escaping the spring winds, dust, and sand over that way the next few months. But you already knew that.

I'm accepting of the dust here, as it is still far better than the low level blowing dirt I had in Kayenta. I literally had 6 inches of yard blown away, plants, completely dug out and blown away, and there was an area by the road, about 10 feet wide, 30 to 40 feet long, and up to 3 feet deep, that was dug out and you guessed it: blown away. I forget now, but I seem to recall that all being from 1 storm, but the exact date I now forget. That actually wasn't the worst for wind, it just did the most damage. The Memorial day storm was the worst as that had hurricane strength winds that made it hard to sleep, and it broke my old car door frame. Memories,...of the way we used to be,...

We get more of a high haze, that works it's way down. I have what looks like cocaine powder sprinkled on my BBQ and patio out back, from the haze 2 days ago. It formed in little lines all over. Very obvious it is all gypsum from White Sands NM, or Lake Lucerne. Very odd. Still, my house has never been rocked by winds and dust, and I have never come home to find a dust plume blown into my house between the cracks in the door with rain following it making a 1 inch thick, 3 foot by 5 foot fan of mud in my kitchen. That was insane!

I really hope some places get something. We haven't had anything significant since the winter solstice. Lots of trees are dying on Ortega and the A Trail, as temps have warmed and spring is progressing. Still some small to medium patches of snow around Cloudcroft, as seen on my scenic drive last week. Really, we need at least a good foot of snow above 7500'.

BTW, the "Rincon" site I mentioned before, appears to be 1 KM south-southwest of Mica Mountain, in the Rincons.

Jim_H wrote: I literally had 6 inches of yard blown away, plants, completely dug out and blown away, and there was an area by the road, about 10 feet wide, 30 to 40 feet long, and up to 3 feet deep, that was dug out and you guessed it: blown away.

I remember that epic rant. See, things aren't so bad they can't get better (positive spin applied). ;)

Ok so now we're cooking with gas

Why, I don't know what you speak of.

More good news, the Sanges and mountains of Northern New Mexico appear to be going to get a decent snow event. More spring runoff for the Rio Grande.

Jim_H wrote:More spring runoff for the Rio Grande.

And if any river needs some help, that one does.

Inversion this morning in the Springs with freezing fog turning all the trees white. < 50' visibility in the pass. A little snow and now the fog is moving up the pass. Temps dropping and the fog is depositing ice on all of our trees.

Some news network that someone else was watching said we got almost an inch here in Buckeye.

Looks like a little Line Echo Wave Pattern near the northern end of the Gulf of California right now. Interesting weather. We sure needed some!

Hang in there folks, this is just the beginning. I am here in N. San Diego County, where we've had from 3 to 8 inches nearby. Okay, so. Not much but a little drizzle here today. But. Stay tuned. My DIL talked to her brother in Seal Beach about an hour ago and he said it was POURING there. So, it's on its way here now, I presume. And, very eventually, to Arizona. It's a very slow-moving storm, fits and starts, fits and starts, then some real rain. Then more fits and starts and fits and starts. Then more real rain.

Hang in there!

Whether there will be enough left for Jim's territory, who knows?

@azbackpackr
Latest radar imagery shows a band of heavy rain headed your way (no doubt associated with that Seal Beach action). Be glad you are on high ground! Things should be great for us out in the desert next week!

rwstorm wrote:@azbackpackr
Latest radar imagery shows a band of heavy rain headed your way (no doubt associated with that Seal Beach action). Be glad you are on high ground! Things should be great for us out in the desert next week!

Love it! Rain has picked up a bit here. Interesting to know it is still coming on!

Okay, Zonies, here's your data page, check out Oak Creek, for one. Very exciting!
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/az/nwis/current/?type=flow

So does anyone know what the conditions are in the Supes?

@Widowmaker
It's been raining here in Apache Junction for about an hour. Nice and steady. Wish I was walking around the Needle tonight!

viewtopic.php?f=47&t=4061&p=94278&hilit ... out#p94278

Right now the totals near the supes are not as impressive as the northeast valley. But it could be better farther in. There are very few gauges out there so it's tougher to know for sure.

But assuming this current plume of moisture keeps going as it drifts east, the supes should get a good soaking overnight.

Pretty sizable and powerful downpour in AJ about 30 mins ago. Powerful enough to wash all the previous 3 months of trail dust off the X-terra. Planning on heading out to the Supes tomorrow so see y'all out there!