'05-'06 first snowless winter on record!

[donsutherland1]

Dennis,

Unfortunately, the ENSO regional anomalies leading to the winter and historic experience of neutral ENSO winters following neutral ENSO summers suggested the likelihood of warmer than normal and drier than normal conditions in the Southwest. Even the most recent ENSO anomalies continue to suggest that the January-February period will probably see generally below normal normal precipitation (below normal in January; somewhat below normal to near normal in February).

[Stephanie]

the west uses snow for water usage the east just uses snow for play after all if its not snow its mostly rain in the east

Well... the west is a large desert, with the exception of the central valley in California, and the Pacific North West.

Heck, when explorers first started naming things in North America, wasn't the area from Minnesota thru Montana labeled the Great American Desert at first?

Just sayin...

Not ALL areas are desert. Rocky Mountains, Wasatch, Cascades, Sangre de Cristo - they're all located out west yet start their snow pack in the fall. The main source for water is that snow pack and any monsoon moisture that they do receive during the summer.

[azsnowman]

Well......with Christmas over for the biggest part and a snowless winter in the forecast, "Come on Spring!" I have offically written off, it's over before it began Hornets are out, bees are out, "ANTS" are out (THAT should tell you WINTER is OVER when the ants come back out) skunks are out from their winter hibernation......

http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/fgz

IN THE SHORTER TERM...NEAR RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES CAN BE EXPECTED ALONG AND SOUTH OF THE MOGOLLON RIM...AS WELL AS HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF NORTHEAST AZ. ON MONDAY...INCREASED MIXING WITH A STILL WARM AIRMASS WILL BRING MORE NEAR RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES TO EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE LITTLE COLORADO RIVER VALLEY IN NAVAJO AND APACHE COUNTIES.

[azsnowman]

Dennis,

Unfortunately, the ENSO regional anomalies leading to the winter and historic experience of neutral ENSO winters following neutral ENSO summers suggested the likelihood of warmer than normal and drier than normal conditions in the Southwest. Even the most recent ENSO anomalies continue to suggest that the January-February period will probably see generally below normal normal precipitation (below normal in January; somewhat below normal to near normal in February).

Thanks for the feedback Don....funny thing however, when they say below normal, does that mean NO PRECIP?!?! Our *normal* snowfall for January is 35-45" and Feb. is the wettest *normally* with 50"

Dennis

[azsnowman]

It's simply AMAZING.........with 4 more days left in 2005 and NO SNOW in the forecast, December will ALSO go down in the record books as being the driest, warmest Dec. in history I received a "Drought busting" .03" of moisture for the entire month, I mean .03"........no one and I do mean NO ONE has ever seen a December like this! Who says Global Warming doesn't exist?

Dennis