Southwestern Monsoon
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- azskyman
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Southwestern Monsoon
As we close out the month of June, 2007, it's time to turn our attention to the coming monsoon (or nonsoon, as it may be) season. The remaining days of June look to be scorching dry here in the valley of the sun, but there will come a day when thunderstorms appear on the eastern horizon and began their annual migration westward.
Here's a good place to discuss your thoughts on what it may be, when it might arrive, and once it does, the impact on local and regional conditions.
Here's a good place to discuss your thoughts on what it may be, when it might arrive, and once it does, the impact on local and regional conditions.
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- azskyman
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Re: Southwestern Monsoon
Now, this apparently could put an end to the monsoon for good!! Then how could we ever have a "NONsoon season?"
Weather Service may drop 'monsoon' name
Associated Press
Jul. 10, 2007 03:30 PM
Meteorologists at the National Weather Service are considering renaming the annual weather event known as the monsoon to better reflect the dangers of the sometimes violent storms.
The high humidity and afternoon thunderstorms associated with the annual summertime flow of tropical moisture into Arizona could instead be renamed "summer thunderstorm season" and run from June through September, officials said.
Tony Haffer, meteorologist in charge of the NWS bureau in Phoenix, said the word "monsoon" may be getting in the way of warning people about potentially dangerous weather conditions.
Instead, the term "monsoon" has spawned an annual analysis of temperature and humidity and projections for the official "start" of the season.
"It's confused the average person," Haffer admitted Monday. "We want to rethink the way we're doing things."
The new thunderstorm season would be similar to the Atlantic hurricane season, designated as a stretch from June 1 to November 30.
"Of course, you can have hurricanes outside of hurricane season and, of course, you can have thunderstorms outside thunderstorm season," Haffer said. "So, it's OK."
The weather service currently declares the monsoon in play after three consecutive days with an average dew point of at least 55 degrees in Phoenix, with the first day of high humidity retroactively designated as the first day of the monsoon. In Tucson, the measure is 54 degrees. That, Haffer said, is an excellent indicator that tropical moisture has infiltrated arid Arizona.
If this week's forecast holds, Wednesday will mark the start of the 2007 monsoon.
Weather Service may drop 'monsoon' name
Associated Press
Jul. 10, 2007 03:30 PM
Meteorologists at the National Weather Service are considering renaming the annual weather event known as the monsoon to better reflect the dangers of the sometimes violent storms.
The high humidity and afternoon thunderstorms associated with the annual summertime flow of tropical moisture into Arizona could instead be renamed "summer thunderstorm season" and run from June through September, officials said.
Tony Haffer, meteorologist in charge of the NWS bureau in Phoenix, said the word "monsoon" may be getting in the way of warning people about potentially dangerous weather conditions.
Instead, the term "monsoon" has spawned an annual analysis of temperature and humidity and projections for the official "start" of the season.
"It's confused the average person," Haffer admitted Monday. "We want to rethink the way we're doing things."
The new thunderstorm season would be similar to the Atlantic hurricane season, designated as a stretch from June 1 to November 30.
"Of course, you can have hurricanes outside of hurricane season and, of course, you can have thunderstorms outside thunderstorm season," Haffer said. "So, it's OK."
The weather service currently declares the monsoon in play after three consecutive days with an average dew point of at least 55 degrees in Phoenix, with the first day of high humidity retroactively designated as the first day of the monsoon. In Tucson, the measure is 54 degrees. That, Haffer said, is an excellent indicator that tropical moisture has infiltrated arid Arizona.
If this week's forecast holds, Wednesday will mark the start of the 2007 monsoon.
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- Aslkahuna
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Re: Southwestern Monsoon
Don't think that idea will work with the Public. They've actually come to associate the monsoon with violent weather (thanks to the media always calling the severe storms monsoons) whereas thunderstorms mean nothing to them. Then, of course, there's always the slight problem that Arizona's Summer thunderstorms are associated with the larger overall pattern of the North American Monsoon (especially down here).
Steve
Steve
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- Aslkahuna
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Re: Southwestern Monsoon
55 degrees is a dewpoint (and at 110F temperature can be sticky)-a monsoon is seasonal windshift which occurs at least in SE AZ rather noticeably (winter rains come from the SW, Summer rains from the NE-SE).
Steve
Steve
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- Aslkahuna
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Re: Southwestern Monsoon
That 55 degree dewpoint is only the starting point. When the monsoon gets into full swing the dewpoints are usually in the 60's (except when there's a Gulf Surge from theSea of Cortez and then PHX can see dewpoints up into the 70's (with 80 degree dewpoints as far north as Needles and around Yuma and the Imperial Valley). Here in SV, we are at 4500' so dewpoints are supposed to be lower but we get much more rain than PHX during the monsoon so they are usually in the mid 60's by August. Highest dewpoints here have been in the low 70's. Dewpoints during the monsoon are what the perpetrators of the Arizona Dry Heat Syndrome don't want anyone to know. Nor do they bother to tell anyone that dry heat at 110+F temperatures is incredibly dangerous and that people die from it and quite quickly in fact.
Steve
Steve
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- azskyman
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Re: Southwestern Monsoon
A dew point rise of a few points, combined with temperatures even in the 90's here, is very noticable. I have seen dew points in the 70's, especially when a surge of low level moisture comes in from the south as a remnant of a tropical system.
And Steve is right, the dry heat is no match for the human body's resistance to it, particularly if you cannot hydrate yourself or otherwise have respiratory or other ailments.
We are about to take a tough new look at dust pollution as well. Living in the desert, what would you expect? But there are already very strict rules for construction and road work that require significant steps to limit dust in the air.
Leaf blowers are getting plenty of attention in the new law besides.
And Steve is right, the dry heat is no match for the human body's resistance to it, particularly if you cannot hydrate yourself or otherwise have respiratory or other ailments.
We are about to take a tough new look at dust pollution as well. Living in the desert, what would you expect? But there are already very strict rules for construction and road work that require significant steps to limit dust in the air.
Leaf blowers are getting plenty of attention in the new law besides.
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- Aslkahuna
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Re: Southwestern Monsoon
A leaf blower to me is the most ridiculous thing ever made-what happened to rakes and brooms? Besides blowing dust all around, all they do is make noise, waste gas and create air pollution. What do I use for leaves that come off the trees? An electric mulching mower. Mulching leaves makes for good fertilizer for the lawn and by retaining moisture I've reduced my lawn watering by 80%.
Steve
Steve
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- azskyman
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Re: Southwestern Monsoon
For the first time this summer, a tongue of humid air and a SSE to NNW flow aloft brought monsoon showers to the area. I recorded .15" in a brief nighttime downburst. Heavier amounts were noted elsewhere in Maricopa County. A soupy morning this morning with high humidity after the rains and clouds hovering over the desert floor.
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- Extremeweatherguy
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Re: Southwestern Monsoon
Joe Bastardi hates the term "monsoon", as he believes what this really is is high level heat source thunderstorms, and not a classic monsoon like found in India.
He seems to be a purist.
He seems to be a purist.
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- Aslkahuna
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Re: Southwestern Monsoon
Well how does he explain the very noticeable seasonal shift in the windflow which occurs and which a monsoon really is? He's not looking to the south and connecting the dots between the large scale monsoon pattern over Central America and Mexico and what happens here. Also he needs to focus on SE AZ which is where the best monsoon conditions occur. Certainly, the scientists and Governments who participated in the North American Monsoon Experiment (NAME) in 2004 think it's a monsoon. For starters, he needs to read the paper by Andrew Comrie et.al that appeared in the October 1997 BAMS (which is where I got the defintion of a monsoon that exists on an unnamed website).
Steve
Steve
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- azskyman
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Re: Southwestern Monsoon
I'm not sure what constitutes a "moist" monsoon season versus a "nonsoon" season, but here at the end of July, I get the feeling that this one has so far provided some significant rains across wide areas of Arizona.
And while the season still has plenty of time on the calendar, we are ending July with beneficial rains even here in Maricopa County and the Phoenix area.
We're hopeful it continues for a while, and of course, we still haven't seen that one or two tropical systems impact us out of the Baja much as yet either.
Keep your fingers crossed for continued nice moisture across the state!
And while the season still has plenty of time on the calendar, we are ending July with beneficial rains even here in Maricopa County and the Phoenix area.
We're hopeful it continues for a while, and of course, we still haven't seen that one or two tropical systems impact us out of the Baja much as yet either.
Keep your fingers crossed for continued nice moisture across the state!
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- Aslkahuna
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Re: Southwestern Monsoon
Thanks to some decent dynamics (as opposed to a high level heat source) parts of southern AZ have done quite well rainfall wise. With the passage of an inverted trough we will be developing a good SE flow pattern and will need to keep an eye out for an acceleration in the flow (referred to as a monsoon surge by those who have worked with monsoons and something associated with true monsoons) which could bring more heavy rains to areas already saturated (have picked up over an inch of rain tonight).
Steve
Steve
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Re: Southwestern Monsoon
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/ ... r0731.html
and so it begins.....
here in NM as well. our little arroyo was transformed into a river 25 feet wide the night before last. we got over 3 inches of rain in just a few hours...
and so it begins.....
here in NM as well. our little arroyo was transformed into a river 25 feet wide the night before last. we got over 3 inches of rain in just a few hours...
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- azskyman
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Re: Southwestern Monsoon
I picked up just .50" yesterday, but the area is already in for some more this afternoon and evening. Always seems a shame that so much of that water "runs off" and can't be captured before it either evaporates or soaks into the pourous desert sands. I suppose some of it eventually helps replenish aquifers.
I saw dewpoints into the mid-70's, so for those who think the monsoon still is a "dry heat," think again.
There are a number of sources for Arizona rainfall information from small backyard gauges like mine, but if you are interested in checking out some numbers, go to http://www.rainlog.org
Actually, if you poke your head deeper into the map, you can not only see the rainfall totals in very unique locations, but you can overlay with the topography and see where, within my back yard, right there by the pool, my rain gauge is located!
I saw dewpoints into the mid-70's, so for those who think the monsoon still is a "dry heat," think again.
There are a number of sources for Arizona rainfall information from small backyard gauges like mine, but if you are interested in checking out some numbers, go to http://www.rainlog.org
Actually, if you poke your head deeper into the map, you can not only see the rainfall totals in very unique locations, but you can overlay with the topography and see where, within my back yard, right there by the pool, my rain gauge is located!
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