Atmosphere Comparison

[Jim]

The endless chatter of weather.

[azbackpackr]

Three inches of snow, and still coming down like crazy.

[azbackpackr]

Ok, off topic, but since when does Facebook go down? It is down, I have tried it on both computers. We are having a snowstorm, so at first I thought it was the whole internet, because that happens a lot. But no, just FB.

[Jim]

Just a couple of dustings of snow here. "Perfect" May weather for, well not here, thats certain.

[azbackpackr]

We ended up with four inches. It never stuck in the streets, but this morning there is still snow all over the cars and 4 inches on the lawn. The crabapple tree was in bloom, and now it has frozen snow all over it. Not good. Not that I ever use the crabapples or anything, but I keep thinking maybe I can get one of my uber-housewife neighbors to make some crabapple jelly and give me some.

[azbackpackr]

Fire weather this weekend all over the state, looks like. At least, that is what they want us to believe.

[Jim]

But, it was really nice today.

[azbackpackr]

I am done with finals and I am going mtn biking with friends in Pinetop. It is supposed to be windy, but we will be in the woods where it is somewhat sheltered. Can't wait! Will report later...

[chumley]

Fire weather this weekend all over the state, looks like. At least, that is what they want us to believe.

The wind can be a big issue if a fire gets started, but in my opinion, if there's to be a fire in the high-country, I'd much rather it happen now than a month from now. It's not that hot yet, and there's still a pretty good amount of moisture in the fuels. Fires that happen now tend to be the "beneficial" kind, not the "moonscape" kind.

With that said, its a fire weather watch. And weather is only one piece of the fire puzzle.

[Jim]

It was 17 in Bellemont last night at the NWS office and 26 here in town. I think its funny that I just got a flier from my apartment office to get free ice cream for "summer" tomorrow. According to them, "Summer is here", and we should, "beat the heat with a cold treat". I hope this mid-May weather is no indication of this summer.

[azbackpackr]

Weather is great here. It's about time. I can even plan a decent weekend.

[chumley]

Its official. The first 100-degree day at PHX as of 12:53. Nice that it'll drop back into the lower 80s by early next week!

[azbackpackr]

Nice and balmy up here, although a bit windy.

[Jim]

Wow, I didn't think it was that warm today. Its so windy it doesn't feel that warm.

[Jim]

Is it me, or does this spring seems especially lousy this year? Maybe with most people in state and on this site living at lower elevation it isn't as noticeable, but from my perspective it has been the worst one yet. Not only are temperatures below normal, with most days well below and some up to 20 below normal, but the warm days that feel like we are above normal are actually only right on normal. Most trees are not greening up around town, and the ones in my complex have virtually no leaves on them. Some lost the leaves they were growing to freezes. Then there is the wind. I remember spring winds every year I've been here, but I never remember it being this bad. Trees blowing over, parts of my apartment building blowing off, siding rattling through the night, getting buffeted by dust driving to a hike and then on a hike, I-40 being closed many, many times, and days that string into nearly a full week of fierce constant winds have made this spring windier than I ever remember it. I really hope I can get out of here before the next spring. I also hope it calms down by June, since we most likely won't have another failure of the monsoon and June is usually the only really nice month in Flagstaff.

[azbackpackr]

Well, we are always windy over here in spring. This is a colder spring than normal here, with maybe a bit more wind. Our trees are greening up, though. A lot of downed trees and branches in the woods.

[JimmyLyding]

@ Chet P. I think it's just you. It's May 23rd, and we haven't even hit 100 down here in Phoenix. Your complaints fall on deaf ears :GB: However, my allergies have never been as bad as they've been this year. Absolutely brutal!

[Jim]

@ Chet P. I think it's just you. It's May 23rd, and we haven't even hit 100 down here in Phoenix. Your complaints fall on deaf ears :GB: However, my allergies have never been as bad as they've been this year. Absolutely brutal!

Well, like I said, with most people living a low elevation a cool spring isn't noticed. I can still hope for a hot summer.

[JimmyLyding]

@ Chet P
chums! Seriously, we all know that it's going to be a long, hot summer for us desert rats. Don't forget that us lowlanders most assuredly HAVE noticed our nice spring.

[Jim]

Hey, you live in the low areas for the heat, right? Why else would you live in Phoenix, the culture, the great affordable public transportation, the agricultural bounty that the desert produces? I live in Flagstaff because I got stuck here and have been working to leave it for almost as long as I've been here. My days here are numbered, fortunately.

When I hope for a hot summer I mean it. After all, you expect a hot summer and are practically guaranteed one. Up here, we can get lucky and actually have a summer, or more than likely we can have a typical BS Flagstaff summer of cool rain and temperatures in the 70s. Last summer was awesome because it was so warm and dry, and it was far from typical since it was the second driest on record and probably in the top xx of temperatures. The summer before (2008) went from being nice for a couple of weeks in June to the lousy summer weather which is standard for these part. My first year here probably gave me a skewed view of reality that I have been trying to come to terms with every year since. In 2007 we warmed up early and started having 70s in March and then 80s in late April. May and June were awesome, and while there was wind it was nothing like later years. Sure, we hit 96 that year (which is one degree off the all time record of 97 for Flagstaff), but summer was actually around for a while and it was good. Then, in mid July the monsoon came in, and it was miserable. Overcast, cool, rainy, no lighting, just pacific northwest like rain. By the time it cleared out it was Autumn and it was getting cold.

I know it can be tough for the people who chose to live somewhere the temperatures hit 117, but crank that AC and enjoy something that people up in Arizona's arctic hardly ever get: a warm summer. Also, enjoy the lighting displays that accompany your thunderstorms, because for some reason we don't get much of that, either. I think we're too far from the heat and up lift of the Rim. The Peaks create some lighting, but it isn't much, and its nothing like I saw in Phoenix a few years back. We'll "enjoy" the negative temps for you when we get them in winter. I think the Dec-March low this year was only -6, of course that is nothing compared to the -15 we had in 2007. Boy, that really was a year.

[azbackpackr]

I love love love summer in the White Mountains, and I don't have to work this summer! Yippee!