Atmosphere Comparison

[Jim]

The endless chatter of weather.

[big_load]

It's the gateway to Clifton & Morenci.

Ooh, that's harsh. :stretch:

[azbackpackr]

Ok...

[Jim]

Fantastic weather the last few days, and I love today's forecast: high of 89, clear skies with light breezes up to 9 mph. It was a little hot in my room last night with no AC, and it made sleeping difficult as I woke up sweaty a few times, but this weather is a rare treat this year. Not so last summer with the absent monsoon. I'll have to enjoy the warm real summer temps while we have them, in another month the rains will probably be here. After all, we won't get lucky and have two years in a row with no rain. I can still hope for lighting!

[azbackpackr]

Sunny and hot at the Xterra triathlon in Show Low today, where I was riding sweep on the mtn biking portion, and doing first aid. Thunderclouds building up and it was cloudy all the way home with lightning over the higher hills. Then we heard it was raining at Big Lake. Right now when I went outside, it has that nice muggy feeling before a rain, and it smells good and you can hear the thunder in the distance!

[Jim]

I watched some really pretty high base thunderstorms out east yesterday and we had a new record high of 90. I don't think the storms did anything. It was a great afternoon.

[azbackpackr]

We had a few drops yesterday here in town. Today it is pretty hot, mid 90's. I am sure the locals are miserable, especially those die-hard jeans-and-cowboy boots types. I think it feels kinda nice, though.

[imike]

104 degrees down here in the valley... but a way too early monsoon pattern (false?) up on the mountain has the middays up there down in the 70's with rain and light hail. I'm camped out up there for the summer and it is nice. Drove by my old house and discovered this last winter's ten feet of snow collapsed the garage! That was a lot of snow for Cloudcroft, but exactly what the old farmers almanac had predicted... and, they are predicting 20 feet for the coming winter. Guess it is good I moved down the hill...

[joebartels]

the old farmers almanac

It's amazing how the old standby holds up through technology

[Ckzona]

http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.ph ... tType=text

I thought it was cool to see this. I don't ever remember seeing snow forcasted on the peaks in june. Check it out

[chumley]

I don't ever remember moisture of any kind forecast in June. Doesn't the humidity level need to go above 4% for it to rain (or snow)?

[Jim]

A cold front is supposed to push down with a cut off low behind it. It will bring a little moisture and some instability for the chance of storms.

[Jim]

It is weird to have a cold front and low this late in the spring. We are forecast to only be 60 tomorrow and there is a thunderstorm moving east of town. It would be nice to get some rain, though. On the plus side my hike in Phoenix was nice.

[Jim]

I wish to state that Arizona is coming into its prime time, with the next few weeks being the BEST weather of the season, at altitude anyway. Long live the pre-monsoon high!

[azbackpackr]

I'll second that. Although it has been windy at times, with racing clouds, for the most part the past few weeks of hiking have been super!

[Jim]

It looks like the summer solstice will occur at 7:28 AM EDT, or 4:28 AM for us, on Monday the 21st. I think Joe might be up early enough to enjoy this years solar zenith.

[chumley]

Fires have relegated the weather thread. So here's back to the topic.

Starting to look like the old dew point monsoon indicator isn't going to happen until July.

Which is fine by me here in the valley. Its been a fairly pleasant early summer, and the evenings/mornings are still quite tolerable. The daytime heat hasn't been too bad (yet) so I'm not itching for the rainfall yet.

Speaking of fire and rain, I'm quite surprised that we've had a couple of fires in Flagstaff (one lightning caused, two man caused) and none in the desert (except far southeast AZ). After last winter, I would have predicted desert fires as a much higher probability than in the high-country.

Either way, when the monsoon shift finally happens, I hope it starts raining right away, and doesn't result in a couple of weeks of fire-causing dry thunderstorm "teasers".

[Jim]

It's funny. Early last week I was thinking that some rain would be great. I still wanted to have a couple more weeks of warm, dry , sunny weather before it got here and stayed, but a half inch storm would have been nice. Now, I almost wish it was monsoon season. With the closure I can't get out and do my normal thing. With the rain I can still get out and do what I want.

[Jim]

The monsoon and it's moisture may be coming next week.
http://forecast.weather.gov/product.php ... glossary=1

SYNOPSIS...A HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE IS SLOWLY BUILDING WESTWARD INTO
ARIZONA...AND SUBTROPICAL MOISTURE IS FORECAST TO MOVE INTO EASTERN
ARIZONA ON THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. EXPECT HIGH BASED CLOUDS WITH A FEW
THUNDERSTORMS NEAR THE WHITE MOUNTAINS AND CHUSKA MOUNTAINS THROUGH
FRIDAY...WITH SLIGHTLY COOLER AND DRIER WEATHER THIS WEEKEND. A
LARGE HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE WILL DEVELOP NEXT WEEK OVER THE CENTRAL
UNITED STATES WHICH COULD OPEN THE DOOR FOR A LARGER PLUME OF
MOISTURE TO MOVE INTO NORTHERN ARIZONA WITH INCREASING CHANCES FOR
THUNDERSTORMS AND SHOWERS.

It is almost July, so I guess it should be right around the corner. So long, to the very short lived in these parts, best time of year. Ah, well, September can be pretty nice and rain free, too.

[azbackpackr]

We are supposed to get scattered thundershowers today and for several days. Talk about fire weather....! That forecast of scattered thundershowers is very likely to produce dry lightning.

I am backpacking down in Bear Wallow Wilderness this weekend. I was down there another time a few years ago when a fire started near Gobbler's Point and the planes were flying over our campsite.

Not to mention the fact there already is a pretty good fire going on the east side of 191! Should be an interesting weekend!

[azbackpackr]

It's RAINING!!!!!!!!