HikeArizona.COM

The endless chatter of weather.

Yes, nice rain here down south with standing water and some wind. Took a chance and parked the Jeep outside of mom's house and the rain/wind combo did get some of the mud off. Of course if it all works out gonna be a lot more mud on it Sat/ or Sun.

@azbackpackr
I have been to Florida a gazillion times, and I'll take AZ over FL any day!

@DixieFlyer
It was my first trip there. I have a son in the USMC who moved there this past summer, to Jacksonville. I went kayaking several times and saw alligators, manatees, and lots of birds. I also saw some armadillos and otters. I saw dolphins, wood storks and turtles. Pelicans, herons, egrets and ibis. Rode my bike on several rail trails and on the sand on those long flat beaches. And it was nice seeing my family. I also went kayaking in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi (on the river!!!), Alabama and Georgia (Okefenokee Swamp!!)

Despite all this great stuff I still came away with a real dislike for the southeast. I can't describe it other than saying it felt very oppressive with all those darn trees everywhere.

I took 11 days to drive there, and 4 to drive back! So homesick!

@azbackpackr
My brother has lived in Jacksonville for the last 8 years or so; usually visit him there once every two years. For a lot of the reasons you said, it's a fun place to visit, but I don't know why he claims it's so damn great to live permanently. We grew up in coastal Virginia so are used to the trees but that humidity just tells your body to sloooooooooow down and be miserable!

@xsproutx
It was not too bad due to time of year I was there, but my son and his wife told me it's bloody awful in summer. The worst it got while I was there was when it was a rainy day, and then it would get sunny and up to 82 afterward. Pretty drippy! I found Florida and the SE really boring in many ways. Those endless corridors of trees really got to me, driving around. So boring, so oppressive. Ugh.

The best thing was paddling right past alligators! Their eyes are so big, and they are looking at you! And the manatees that would come right up to the kayak and nuzzle it! Turtles everywhere, sitting on rocks in the sun along a river. Loads of interesting birds. And armadillos--so cute! I didn't see any possums, though, except dead ones. They were sort of on my "list" of things I wanted to see. Maybe I should post my kayaking days on HAZ. Anyone interested?

I saw more wildlife in the first three weeks than most Floridians will ever see in their whole lives, at least that's what I was told.

azbackpackr wrote:It was not too bad due to time of year I was there, but my son and his wife told me it's bloody awful in summer.

My hiking buddies in Tampa are big kayakers. They're out constantly from mid-autumn until early spring. The rest of the year, they're off hiking somewhere else. (One of them was on my big Grand Canyon trip in 2019).

@big_load
I went on two paddles with members of the Florida Paddling Trails Association. I joined the group last spring when I was planning my trip, and began networking with several people back then. Was fortunate to meet them for a nice day trip on the Silver River, and on Lofton Creek.

Recap from the nerdatorium for 2021 at PHX.
After a record-dry November, La Nina didn't do what it normally does and provided a good December that brought us to within .11" of normal rainfall for the calendar year.
It was the 10th warmest year on record, and featured the warmest June and second warmest November.
More entertaining stats and info, tables and graphics here: https://www.weather.gov/psr/yearinreview2021

AZ drought conditions look better this year than last year:

We've finally turned the corner! This morning is the first since June 11 that sunrise is earlier than it was the previous day (in Phoenix). Since morning is obviously the most pleasant time of day, this is a welcome turning point, and clearly marked on all the stone calendar sundial thingys found amongst the stacked rocks of the neanderthal overhang people who called this place home before us.

chumley wrote:Since morning is obviously the most pleasant time of day

Opinons vary on that point.

big_load wrote: ↑Jan 08 2022 9:54 amOpinons vary on that point.

Not the right ones.

@chumley
Gosh! We agree on something!

Everyone's favorite extreme winter weather spot, Mt. Washington, reported winds gusting to 90mph this morning and a real temperature of 30 below zero (expected to warm to -15 for the high today). The windchill chart calculated out at 77 below.

A worker at the observatory took this photo of breakfast at sunrise.

It's a bit cool in NJ today as well, 13F when I went for my walk. There was a breeze, but the overnight gusts had died down and the sun was shining bright.

That's our winter tradeoff: if you want to see the sun, you give up the insulating overcast.

@chumley
Fun with pasta. I guess the plate froze to the table before it had a chance to blow away.

@rcorfman The photo was accompanied by text indicating that the photographer had found a spot sheltered from the wind. Presumably on the lee side of an observatory building.

rcorfman wrote:Fun with pasta

Which reminds one of an SNL delicious dish classic from 2001:
Margaret Jo McCullen: And, of course, those of you listening in northeast Minnesota already know Lynn, from her last show “Use Your Noodle”. Such a groundbreaking show, Lynn, I loved it.
Lynn Vershad: You know, Wayzana Tribune called it the “most innovative public-supported pasta-related radio cooking show since Get Ready, Get Set, Spaghetti! I really felt like I had taken pasta as far as it would go.

1mm of rain fell in a wide swath across the valley with a couple of select spots netting 2 or even 3mm!! This is the first measurable rain since the wee hours of New Year's Day, and is leaning toward being all that will be tallied in the arbitrary recording period known as "January"

@chumley
Wow, a real bunch of gully washers!

Over here in Needless, CA, so far in January 0.0508 mm has been recorded, which is 0.002 inches. So glad someone is keeping these important records!

there has only been 3 inches of snow in Flag so far this month, which is a far cry from last January:
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