HikeArizona.COM

The endless chatter of weather.

Could it be the earliest start of the monsoon ever (by the old dew point metric)?

Current dew points are consistent with what is normal in the last week of June.

@chumley
I think the meteorological term would be a Rogue Sooner.

just got pummeled in Fountain Hills! started with lots of wind and by the time we were done with dinner, the rain was falling hard. The temp dropped to low 80s. FABULOUS!

@tibber
I heard thunder but got no rain at my house; however, the temperature dropped. I like these mid-May monsoons!

Had a teaser a few days ago out here by Silly Mountain in AJ. The real deal came today just east of here. Maricopa County Flood Control recorded .83 at their Peralta gage, .63 at Carney Springs and .51 at Florence Junction.

thot I smelled rain before retiring last nite and then the thunder started and we got a nice dusting of rain for a bit. (Cave Creek Rd/Union Hills)

Got about 20 min of decent rain here down south. Looking at an idiotic icon from microsoft stating it is 70 degrees and light snow. Must be that climate change.

In my years in AZ, I cannot recall a weather pattern in May that approaches anything like this week. Sure, it has rained before (always welcome in May), but not from a pattern like this one.

It makes me wonder ... what will this summer bring?

The first day of hurricane season was May 15 (epac)
The first day of summer was June 1 (usa)
The first day of the monsoon is today (az)
The earliest sunrise occurred on June 10 (phx)
The latest sunset will occur on June 29 (phx)
The summer solstice is on June 21 (northern hemisphere) (22nd in far eastern time zones)

NWS models predict temps to be more likely higher than normal, and rainfall to be more likely lower than normal (az).
Some guy named Kevin with a blog and a social media page says it will definitely be wetter than normal (az).

Given the anomalous everything we've had in the recent past, I'm not placing any bets.

Fun fact: Despite my thinking that it has been delightfully pleasant and cool over the past few months, data at PHX shows that the number of days over 100 has been running just above average (1991-2020)! Rest assured, those 110s are sure to come eventually...

I just don't quite remember what seems to have been a nicer May or first part of June being this... dare I say, cool?! in many, many years. I'm surprised at the stats.

@chumley
First day of summer was June 1? Man I'm really getting old, I can remember when the first day of summer was the same as the solstice. These new fangled seasons have me all confused.

@Grimey a lot of people still go by the solstice/equinox dates as delineating the seasons which is not incorrect; just different. You'll hear it referenced quite regularly here in the US. Meteorologically speaking, seasons even here in the US have been defined at March 1, June 1, Sept 1, and Dec 1 for as long as I can remember. Since temperature and weather are typically what most people think of when it comes to the word "season" it makes sense since the astronomical dates align far less with temperature changes on Earth, as well as not always occurring on the same date every year, which makes it difficult to gather consistent scientific weather data based on seasons. But if you'd rather go with summer beginning on June 19, 20, 21, 22, or 23 -- depending on year and where you are on the planet -- that's ok too!

@chumley
I know. I said I was old, not ignorant.

@Grimey Haha. Sorry. Didn't mean for my reply to imply that! (Also I think you're well below the median age of participating members here! ).

chumley wrote:(Also I think you're well below the median age of participating members here! ).

I feel the finger pointing. GEEET OFFF MY LAWNNN.!

You have to admire the Chumster for trying to drag us into the 20th century let alone this one. But in all my 67 years here in the valley, it has been a most pleasant spring/summer.

I finally saw the first dead snake of spring in NJ, and we're already well into meteorological summer. It's the latest I can remember. It has mostly been cool and dry, but I'm worried that there just aren't as many snakes as there used to be. Now that it's starting to heat up, maybe I'll see more.

big_load wrote: I'm worried that there just aren't as many snakes as there used to be. Now that it's starting to heat up, maybe I'll see more.

If your short on snakes in New Jersey, come on out to Arizona and we will share what we have with you!

SuperstitionGuy wrote: ↑Jun 19 2023 6:53 am

big_load wrote: I'm worried that there just aren't as many snakes as there used to be. Now that it's starting to heat up, maybe I'll see more.

If your short on snakes in New Jersey, come on out to Arizona and we will share what we have with you!

I'm afraid that all the snakes missing from outside are under my bed.

You might be seeing my area on the news tonight and tomorrow. After a dry spring, it's been a rainy summer, and today most of region got 7-11+ inches of rain. The flooding is impressive, but fortunately mostly east of my county. The rangers instructed Mrs. big_load to leave her post at the Delaware Water Gap as a precaution against washouts and falling trees.