HikeArizona.COM

The endless chatter of weather.

@big_load
We need you on HAZ to remind us of why we would never live there in a million years!

A couple days ago the lakes all had plenty of open water. Today people are ice fishing.

@big_load
And now we are told that you East Coast Unfortunates will be experiencing a "bomb cyclone" ??!! (Whatever that is...) When I first read that weather description I had to check the calendar to make sure it isn't April Fool's Day. Anyway, They are saying you're going to get a Very Big Storm. So, stay home, please, and feed the bears. I will think about you kindly, while I'm basking in 75 degree sunshine here in Needles.

@azbackpackr

Apart from the cold, the forecast isn't too bad for nearby areas. Worst case is 6-7 inches of snow, which is normal once or twice a week this time of year. I'm more worried about whether the pipes will freeze. Nothing around here is designed for it to be this cold for more than a day or two at a time. After a couple weeks, pipes start freezing in the ground because they're not buried deep enough, and I have one pipe in an exterior wall that likes to freeze if I don't let the faucet drip a bit.

@big_load
I used to have that problem in Eagar, and it got worse the longer I lived there. I'm not sure why it got worse, except the house was falling apart around my ears. I was in coastal North Carolina for Christmas, and for the most part the weather was very mild, but they are supposed to get really cold this week, with some snow.

In any case, I would want a woodstove, because at any time the power could go out, and then what? I hope you have a wood heater or fireplace.

azbackpackr wrote:I used to have that problem in Eagar

I noticed a few times how cold it gets there. It's definitely not on Mrs. big_load's list of acceptable places to live. Apart from that, she's ready to move west whenever I am.

azbackpackr wrote:I hope you have a wood heater or fireplace.

The closest thing we have is a propane heater and a carbon monoxide detector. We keep a couple propane tanks on hand, enough to go for a day or two at non-miserable temperatures. We also have some kerosene lamps. We were lucky not to have a multi-day outage last winter, so we're about due.

azbackpackr wrote:"bomb cyclone" ??!! (Whatever that is...)

It’s called “clickbait”

big_load wrote:propane heater

Olympian Wave, by any chance? I'm thinking about getting one of those for my RV. They are super efficient.

http://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/qpf/p168i.gif?1431007963

Finally! At least California will get something.

When will we?

The models are definitely in the first stages of falsely predicting that there's a chance of rain in Arizona by the middle of next week. Thankfully I can continue to hang my laundry outside to dry since the actual weather has consistently underproduced what the models have called for all season. But hey, we can hope and dream, right?

Well, we will see what California and Arizona get, next week, but Flagstaff is currently still having a dry winter with no measurable snow. Today they are tied with the old spot of #3, and will have a new #3 tomorrow. Might tie for spot #2 if they get to the 7th. Looks like they won't get a new #1 unless this year is seriously bad, as the current #1 spot is in middle January, and goes back to 2006. 2006 is not really a winter worth repeating, and all the top 3 spots have seriously below normal snowfall and so I assume precipitation.

For those that think this way, a drier winter does anecdotally seems to suggest a wetter than normal monsoon season, and sometimes it starts earlier.

The winter remains to be seen, but I think SoCal getting rain and snow is at least a good thing. Sierra, too, as well as the Rockies.

Tonight should be the last night of lows in the -5 to 5F range in NW NJ, which we've been hitting since before Christmas. Unfortunately, the warmup is occurring so it can snow. A couple more inches would be enough to ski on, but it will turn warm enough to wreck the snow on Tuesday. That's weather for you. Mrs. big_load quotes me the Phoenix temperature at least twice a day.

@big_load Mom reported -22C on the thermometer this morning. She didn’t stick around for it to cycle through the F reading (does it matter?!) — -7F for those who care — but apparently today was balmy compared to the past couple days due to finally calm winds. When it’s this cold they have to run space heaters in the bathrooms to keep the pipes from freezing.

And yet, here I am, wishing it would snow.

Rain last night and this morning in Apache Junction amounted to 4 tenths of an inch.

Winter 2017-2018 occurred on January 9, 2018 with a recorded total seasonal rainfall of 0.21" at PHX.

Warmer springtime weather and fire season has now begun.

@chumley
funny, sad and true

I got a solid half inch at my house in North Phoenix, first real rain since august for me. Gotta take what we can get. No more precipitation on the 10 day forecast though, sure hope this isn't it...

About a third of an inch here in Needles, if I am reading the 3 day history correctly. Seemed like more to me.

Pretty good rain over a lot of the valley. Perhaps it will green up some of the desert around here? At least it should keep the dust down for a day or two.

Not much snow, but it is keeping the lines down, though.....