HikeArizona.COM

The endless chatter of weather.

I'm not sure how I feel about that. I actually liked that this summer has been reasonably cool so far. No 118 or 119 this year. 116 or 117 tomorrow sounds hot compared to the low 100s and even high 90s Phoenix was having for a while. After my week in Utah, hiking Piestewa today before noon was torture.

Mostly it was the temperature, but some of it may be the pollution, too. I know there is a separate thread for that somewhere, and this can be broken out by moderators if need be, but since returning home Saturday, I feel like I have asthma and my chest feels tight. Is it valley ozone or some other pollution or irritant? My apartment smelled like vinyl from the window shades and my place being sealed up with the temperature around 88 while I was away, so maybe it is a reaction to the that? I don't know. What I do know, is that when I was in Utah and not at 10,500' at Cedar Breaks, or over 11,300' on Brian Head or 11,522' on Mount Ellen, I felt great and I my chest felt like I could take nice deep, unrestricted breathes. For 3 days now I feel like a vice is on my upper airway. It's really weird.

Edited to add that I was getting sick with some sort of viral or flu like respiratory illness and it just wasn't obvious yet. Pure coincidence for the timing, though.

After today, I have decided to skip hiking intentionally in 115+ degrees this year. Seems by my 4th or 5th (if you count Tucson) summer at low altitude, I am not tolerating or acclimating to it as well as I recall doing in the past.

Current condition here South of Safford: really scary dry lightning striking really close by!

Hail, rain, and major flooding in my neck of the woods.

@MtnBart01
Oh, so just a typical summer day in Colorado.

@Jim_H
It’s been 4-5 years since Ute Pass was closed for 5 straight hours. Pretty interesting footage of Green Mountain Falls flooding on their FB page. It’s hard to believe you can generally jump across Fountain Creek in most spots, but yes typical weather just on steroids yesterday. We needed the rain and I’m sure the fire 3 miles from my wife’s parents’ house is probably out at this point. Last I saw it was 70% contained.

@MtnBart01
I'm just teasing, since I don't like Colorado weather.

Today was the 3rd day of an unseasonable nor'easter in NJ, with two more days predicted. Flash flood watches and warnings are in effect, but I haven't seen much high water yet.

big_load wrote:Today was the 3rd day of an unseasonable nor'easter in NJ, with two more days predicted.

After four days, they're stretching the predicted total to six. There was localized flooding today, so there could be some real impacts by Friday. I wish I could send some water to AZ.

@big_load
Send it to the upper Colorado Basin, instead. Some of it will get to the upper Gila and Salt, but the Colorado needs it more.

NWS put together a nice video of the radar from yesterday across the state. It's super-duper-neato.
[ youtube video ]

Just over an inch and a half the past 24 hrs. at my home the past 24 hrs. Missed out on the dust storm in the valley canceled the afternoon trip to Superior.

sucker punch to the skillet party on the horizon

@joebartels I love when you post the 25 day forecast as if it means anything at all! So 10 days from now there’s going to be a 40% chance of storms and winds out of the southwest at 8 mph?

I’ll be highly impressed if we see those am thunderstorms that are predicted just a few days from now!

@chumley
yeah 7mph tops

now back to visions of cartoons dancing in a hot skillet with large forks

@joebartels
Please leave the forecasting to the professionals, like @chumley.

@The_Eagle
[ youtube video ]

There are a lot of managed and suppression fires around the state. With any luck, this most excellent extended monsoon break ends as forecast and clean air from the SE along with storms returns to the area,, freshening the air. I want to hike something challenging out of town this weekend, and that is a lot nicer with clean air.

joebartels wrote: ↑Aug 07 2018 7:27 am sucker punch to the skillet party on the horizon

Does that say 0% chance of rain today? (P.S. It's raining). How can it be accurate 15 days out if it's not accurate within 15 hours!?

@chumley no rain here; though in North Phx.

Is this where I post to tell everyone it’s raining at my house? Kinda knew to this weather thread thing