HikeArizona.COM

The endless chatter of weather.

@big_load
I prefer to think of it meteorologically -- already three weeks into winter. Evenings here in the valley have been getting longer for two weeks already. And mornings will continue to get shorter until the second week of January. Since astronomy isn't really my thing, solstices and equinoxes are just another day.

@big_load
First noticeably longer day is Saturday the 25th! Well, so those who measure the sun say. I don't normally notice until later January.

@big_load
Yes, but until January 23, in my region (near Bullhead City, AZ) the sun does not rise earlier, and in fact, until January 25th it actually rises later than it does on the solstice. This is annoying, and I think we should do something about it! I personally don't care when it sets! To me, the days are only getting longer when the sun starts rising much earlier. All through January it's miserable: just before 8 a.m. Not until March 7 does it start to rise before 7 a.m.

Someone once tried to explain to me in astronomical terms why this happens, but I'm no astronomer, so it didn't sink in.

Interesting pattern setting up. Five to Ten FEET of snow forecast for the Sierra by the end of the weekend. The rim country of Arizona looking to get 2-3 inches of mostly rain, as the storm seems to be warm enough to keep snow levels mostly above 7,000. It's been trending wetter and colder with recent models though, so even the valley might get a nice rain event, and higher elevations may end up with more snow than rain. The forecast uncertainty this close is notable and will hopefully make for an interesting weekend. I prefer the snow, but winter storms in any form are good for our watersheds.

FIngers crossed for some AZ precipitation!

I canceled my trip I had planned to Tule Well out on the Cabeza Prieta NWR, but I am happy to get rain in the desert. Looking less likely I will visit that area over New Year, but if it gets a good amount of rain the Bursera should have leaved out and be pleasant. Should be water in the tanks, too.

One and a half inches in my flooded backyard at Queen Creek, AZ (Germann & Power Road).

My wife checked our rain gauge during a quick break in the rain. 2.75". We're in Phoenix's Deer Valley. I used an umbrella for most all of my nine mile hike on the BCT today. At least it's not that cold out.

As of 4:00 PM, I have exactly 2.0 inches in my rain gauge in Fountain Hills

We got 2.5" of snow last night in NW NJ, and it was cold enough to mostly stick around. We'll get freezing rain tonight, so it's hard to say what will be left by morning.

@big_load
We hope you don't have to travel tomorrow on ice covered roads?

SuperstitionGuy wrote: ↑Dec 24 2021 4:50 pm @big_load
We hope you don't have to travel tomorrow on ice covered roads?

Fortunately I can just stay put if I please. It's my goal to never drive in on snowy or icy roads again.

https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/qpf/p120i.gif?1632578447 5 Days
https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/qpf/p168i.gif?1632578447 7 days

The above are the links to the graphics, as they will evolve over the next 5 to 7 days, and below are the current images. While there are storm chance starting tomorrow through to the end of the week, it looks like late next week and into the New Year there may be a very substantial winter storm, hopefully one which features lower snow levels. Thus far, at least for Mount Lemmon, I think everything has been rain. Can't say about other Sky Islands, though I doubt they are much different.

Over the span of 7 hours this afternoon, the higher-elevation NWS snowfall estimates have dropped a good percentage from the original forecast. Is it a trend that will continue? Or will the rim areas above 7000 feet really see over a foot of snow in the next 36 hours?

The Central Sierra Snow Lab is reporting its snowiest December ever, with 4 feet in the last two days, and 10 feet in the last week. Good stretches of the crest have received over 200" of snowfall this month. I-80 and other highway crossings have been closed since Saturday.
https://cssl.berkeley.edu/

Very nice to see California getting some real moisture.

Snowslide Canyon on the SF Peaks shows 36in of accumulated snow and more on the way in the next 24 hours.

So far, after last evening's light rain, this is the sunniest storm I have seen in while. Tucson NWS still calls for rain and snow. I guess. At this point, I am not overly optimist about snowshoeing anytime soon.

NWS is forecasting a 100% chance of less than .10 inches of rain in Phoenix this afternoon. A significant chance for insignificant moisture.

@tdwood
There was a 90%-100% chance yesterday and today in the NE valley, and I have yet to see a drop so far

@DixieFlyer
We've enjoyed receiving your rain here in Tucson! Got a lot of wind, too! It has been raining/drizzling off and on for over 24 hours.

I just returned from two months in Florida. I was very homesick and looking forward to the dry desert, haha!