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Arizona Climate Summary February 2019

Summary of conditions for January 2019

January 2019 Temperature and Precipitation Summary January 1st – 18th: The winter storm that began in late December continued to move across Arizona on the 1st and 2nd of January, bringing rain to most of the state and snow to the eastern mountains. Bellemont only had 0.3” of snow on the 1st while Payson had 2.6”, Show Low had 12.0” and Springerville had 6.0”. Temperatures the first 4 days of the year continued to be in the negative digits for places like Show Low, Bellemont, Winslow, Window Rock, Holbrook, St. Johns, Springerville, and the Grand Canyon. The 3rd and 4th remained dry but another winter storm moved into the state on the 5th, bringing more rain and snow. The heaviest rainfall was in central Arizona with Carefree and Apache Junction each receiving 0.85” on the 6th. Snowfall totals for this storm included 6.0” at Flagstaff, 5.7” at Bellemont, 1.0” at Show Low, and 0.8” at the Grand Canyon north rim. This storm was a little warmer with 60s and low 70s in the southwest deserts and teens in the higher elevation towns. Another small system moved through on the 9th to 11th bringing light rain to southern Arizona and light snow to Bellemont. Bisbee had 0.24” of rain and Bellemont had 1.0” of snow. This was followed by a much stronger storm that affected the entire state from the 13th through the 18th. High rainfall amounts included 1.79” at Seligman, 0.57” at Window Rock, 1.17” at Prescott, 0.38” at Page, 0.16” at Kingman, 0.44” at Carefree, 0.64” at Yuma, 0.80” at Payson, and 0.44” at Pinnacle Peak. Snowfall totals included 9.7” at Flagstaff, 12.3” at Bellemont, 9.5” at Show Low, and 17.1” at the north rim of the Grand Canyon. January 19th – 31st: By the 19th, the storm had moved out of the state and only Payson had some residual rainfall. On the 20th, as the Polar Vortex began bringing subfreezing temperatures to the northern Great Plains, Arizona was enjoying temperatures in the upper 70s and lower 80s in the southwest deserts. On the 21st and 22nd a low pressure system crossing Nevada and Utah brought some light rain and snow showers to northern Arizona. By the 23rd the system was past and high pressure began building off the west coast. The polar vortex expanded across most of the country and our warmest temperatures dropped back into the mid 60s – near normal for this time of year. Conditions statewide dried out and remained dry to the end of the month. Daytime temperatures rebounded into the mid 70s in the southwest deserts and along the lower Colorado River basin, and into the mid to upper 40s up on the Plateau. The high pressure ridge persisted until the end of the month when a weak and warm low pressure system brought moisture into the state on the 31st and February 1st. On the 31st Petrified Forest had 0.72”.of rain and Navajo National Monument had 0.20”. In This Issue: Overview of January, graphs of the January daily maximum and minimum temperatures, precipitation, mean daily dew points for Flagstaff, Phoenix, and Tucson; January climate statistics, maps of mean monthly maximum and minimum temperatures, precipitation, dew points, wind speeds for January; short-term drought maps for the beginning and end of January 2019; Long-term Drought Map through January and graphs of the mean January temperature and precipitation for the period of record for Tucson, Phoenix, and Flagstaff, graphs of the cumulative precipitation for the calendar year for Flagstaff, Phoenix, and Tucson. Data are preliminary and are from the National Weather Service Forecast Offices in Flagstaff, Phoenix and Tucson. **Note: The discrepancy between the Statewide Temperature and Precipitation values for Phoenix, Flagstaff and Tucson and the daily values in their graphs are due to the reporting times. Statewide Temperature and Precipitation

values are taken at 5pm, while official daily records at the airports are taken from Midnight to Midnight.

Dr. Nancy J. Selover, State Climatologist http://azclimate.asu.edu 480-965-0580 Edited by Nancy J. Selover © 2019 Arizona State Climate Office

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January 2019 Daily Temperature, Precipitation, & Dew Point for Flagstaff, Phoenix, and Tucson

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FLAGSTAFF CLIMATE STATISTICS January 2019

This January had no significant ranking for temperature or precipitation. Avg Max Temp(F) 43.0 Normal 42.5 Avg Min Temp(F) 18.4 Normal 17.3 Avg Mean Temp(F) 30.7 Normal 29.9 Departure from Normal (F) +0.8 Highest Monthly Avg Temp (F) 37.1 in 2003 Lowest Monthly Avg Temp (F) 12.7 in 1937 Highest Temp this month (F): 59 on 27th Lowest Temp this month (F): -3 on 1st Record High (F): 66 on 1/30/1971 Record Low (F): -30 on 1/22/1937 Temperature and precipitation records this month: 15th Precip 0.97”, previous record 0.92” in 1978 Flagstaff Number of Days of: Minimum Temp 20oF or higher 18 Minimum Temp 10oF or lower 6 Maximum Temp 50oF or higher 8 Maximum Temp 40oF or lower 9

Heating Degree Days 1053 Normal 1088 Cooling Degree Days 0 Normal 0 Degree base 65oF Total January Precipitation 2.39” Normal January Precipitation 2.05” Departure from normal +0.34” Greatest 24-Hr Precipitation 0.97” on 15th Total Precipitation Year-to-Date 2.39” Departure from Normal +0.34” Total January Snowfall 15.3” Normal 23.2” Record January Snowfall 104.8” in 1949 Number of Days: Clear 17 Partly Cloudy 11 Cloudy 3 Greatest January Precipitation 9.55” in 1993 Least January Precipitation: 0.00” in 1972 Average Wind Speed 6.4 mph Highest Peak Gust 41 mph from 220o on 21st

PHOENIX CLIMATE STATISTICS January 2019

This January had no significant ranking for temperature or precipitation. Avg Max Temp(F) 67.0 Normal 67.2 Avg Min Temp(F) 45.0 Normal 45.6 Avg Mean Temp (F) 56.0 Normal 56.4 Departure from Normal (F) -0.4 Highest Monthly Avg Temp (F) 43.1 in 1937 Lowest Monthly Avg Temp (F) 62.0 in 2003 Highest Temp this month (F) 74 on 20th & 30th Lowest Temp this month (F): 30 on 2nd Record High (F): 88 on 1/19/1971 Record Low (F): 16 on 1/07/1913 No temperature and precipitation records this month.

Phoenix Number of Days of: Minimum Temp 40oF or lower 7 Minimum Temp 50oF or higher 8 Maximum Temp 60oF or lower 4 Maximum Temp 70oF or higher 12 Heating Degree Days 271 Normal 269 Cooling Degree Days 0 Normal 1 Degree base 65oF Total January Precipitation 0.74” Normal January Precipitation 0.91” Departure from normal -0.17” Greatest 24-Hr Precipitation 0.48” on 6th Greatest January Precipitation 5.22” in 1993 Least January Precipitation 0.00” in 1914, 1972, 2014 and 8 other years.

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Number of Days: Clear 12 Partly Cloudy 15 Cloudy 4

Average Wind Speed 4.3 mph Highest Peak Gust 40 mph from 260o on 21st

TUCSON CLIMATE STATISTICS

January 2019 This January had no significant ranking for temperature or precipitation. Avg Max Temp(F) 65.8 Normal 65.5 Avg Min Temp(F) 39.5 Normal 39.8 Avg Mean Temp(F) 52.6 Normal 52.6 Departure from Normal (F) 0.0 Highest Monthly Avg Temp (F) 59.1 in 2018 Lowest Monthly Avg Temp (F) 41.2 in 1937 Highest Temp this month (F): 79 on 20th Lowest Temp this month (F): 27 on 3rd Record High (F): 88 on 1/04/1927 Record Low (F): 6 on 1/07/1913 No temperature or precipitation records this month. Tucson Number of Days of: Minimum Temp 35oF or lower 8 Minimum Temp 45oF or higher 7 Maximum Temp 50oF or lower 2 Maximum Temp 70oF or higher 13

Heating Degree Days 376 Normal 383 Cooling Degree Days 0 Normal 0 Degree base 65oF Total January Precipitation 1.09” Normal January Precipitation 0.94” Departure from normal +0.15” Greatest 24-Hr Precipitation 0.79”on 6th Total Precipitation Year-to-Date 1.09”

Departure from Normal +0.15” Greatest January Precipitation 4.81” in 1993 Least January Precipitation 0.00” in 1924, 1928, 1972 and 7 other years. Number of Days: Clear M Partly Cloudy M Cloudy M Average Wind Speed 5.7 mph Highest Peak Gust 35 mph from 280o on 21st Data are from the National Weather Service and the National Climatic Data Center and are preliminary.

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Wind Speeds for January: Day Phoenix Flagstaff Tucson (mph) Avg Max Avg Max Avg Max 1 3.5 18 6.7 26 6.3 19 2 3.3 11 13.5 37 6.6 23 3 3.5 15 2.4 14 3.6 19 4 4.1 15 1.5 11 5.9 23 5 6.1 21 6.4 27 7.4 20 6 3.9 12 12.8 30 4 19 7 4 11 4.6 18 4.3 18 8 2.4 10 4.5 20 4.5 19 9 4.5 17 1.3 13 11.8 32 10 3.9 11 5.5 22 7 26 11 5.8 12 4.7 15 4.9 17 12 7.6 31 5.6 21 6.1 19 13 2.1 12 7.9 18 2.6 24 14 4.6 19 5.8 14 5.7 15 15 5.8 23 9.6 26 4.8 18 16 3 13 6.6 24 3.6 14 17 3.3 13 10.2 27 6.8 23 18 6.1 21 9.2 35 7.1 25 19 3.7 15 2.2 13 5.4 25 20 3.4 12 6.1 23 6.1 19 21 11.4 40 15.3 41 8.7 35 22 5.5 17 9.1 34 6.6 24 23 2.8 16 3.1 20 4.1 16 24 3.6 16 7.5 32 4.6 16 25 4.4 17 5.1 17 5.8 31 26 2.8 12 13.1 40 5.3 16 27 3.2 10 2.6 21 6 19 28 3.5 13 6.1 24 5.6 21 29 3.2 13 2.7 17 5.6 22 30 4 12 2.5 19 4.8 21 31 4.1 17 4.7 21 5.8 18

Dew Points for January: Daily Average Dew Point (oF): Day Flg Phx Tuc 1 22 30 3 2 26 27 2 3 28 28 9 4 31 31 17 5 45 44 25 6 43 39 27 7 44 40 24 8 44 39 23 9 44 42 26 10 45 40 25 11 42 37 20 12 48 44 24 13 46 41 26 14 48 39 31 15 51 43 31 16 49 41 28 17 50 43 30 18 35 35 26 19 36 29 21 20 34 29 21 21 29 26 15 22 21 24 11 23 25 22 13 24 26 20 11 25 26 23 11 26 25 21 14 27 29 23 15 28 31 26 16 29 34 29 18 30 35 31 20 31 35 33 19

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January 2019 The minimum temperatures ranged from -15oF at Grand Canyon North Rim to 42oF at Bullhead City. The lowest maximum temperature of 46oF was

recorded at Bright Angel Ranger Station and the highest was 85oF at Bisbee-Douglas. The highest rainfall total was 5.39” at Bright Angel Ranger Stations. The lowest average dew point was 20oF at Clark Memorial Field and Flagstaff and the highest was 39oF at Paloma and Roll. The highest peak wind gust was

42 mph at Mohave. Average wind speeds ranged from 1 mph in the Phoenix area and Payson to 13 mph at Laughlin-Bullhead City.

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January 2019 The lowest average minimum temperature was 3oF at Sunset Crater and the highest was 48oF at Laughlin-Bullhead City. The highest average maximum

temperature was 78oF at Saguaro National Park and the lowest average maximum temperature was 46oF at Bright Angel Ranger Station at the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

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Short-term Drought

Short term drought maps for January 1st on left and January 29th on right. January was a relatively wet month across most of the state. The rain and snowfall led to the removal of Exceptional Drought (D4) and reduction of Extreme (D3) and Severe Drought (D2) in northeastern Arizona. Severe (D2) and Moderate

Drought (D1) were also removed from the western 2/3 of the state. Pima, Santa Cruz and Cochise counties are all currently drought free for short term drought.

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The long-term drought map for January shows hydrologic drought, and it is based on precipitation and evaporation using the Standardized Precipitation Evaporative Index (SPEI) over the past 24-, 36-, and 48-months. This depiction is for water resources, not short-term drought (rangeland conditions). Though much of Coconino, northern Mohave County, and southeastern Arizona show up as abnormally dry or no drought, there continue to be water resource issues, such as wells going dry and water hauling. Exceptional Drought (D4) continues in the northeastern and east central Arizona. Streamflow remains low in many basins and groundwater levels continue to be low as well. While this winter is significantly wetter than last winter, it will take several consecutive years of above average precipitation to overcome the deficits of the long-term drought.

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January 2019

Minimum temperatures were 2-5oF warmer than average in west central Arizona and 1-4oF warmer than normal in southern Coconino County. Southern Arizona has been 0-3oF cooler than normal with even colder temperatures in western Pima County and slightly warmer than normal conditions in Pinal County. Daytime temperatures were 0 to 3oF colder than average across most of the state and Navajo and Apache counties have been 3-5oF colder than

average. Central Pima and southern Coconino counties have been slightly warmer than average. January precipitation was 70% of average across eastern Arizona and more than 150% of average in most of western Arizona. Yuma County had near 50% of average. So far the winter precipitation has not been

widespread or uniform, but rather localized. However, it has been much wetter than last year at this time across the entire state.

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Calendar Year 2019

Minimum temperatures were 2-5oF warmer than average in west central Arizona and 1-4oF warmer than normal in southern Coconino County. Southern Arizona has been 0-3oF cooler than normal with even colder temperatures in western Pima County and slightly warmer than normal conditions in Pinal County. Daytime temperatures were 0 to 3oF colder than average across most of the state and Navajo and Apache counties have been 3-5oF colder than

average. Central Pima and southern Coconino counties have been slightly warmer than average. January precipitation was 70% of average across eastern Arizona and more than 150% of average in most of western Arizona. Yuma County had near 50% of average. So far the winter precipitation has not been

widespread or uniform, but rather localized. However, it has been much wetter than last year at this time across the entire state.

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2019 Water Year Nighttime temperatures have been within 1oF of average across most of the state. Northern and western Arizona are a little warmer than average while

central, southeastern and south central Arizona has a little cooler than average. Western Pima County has been 3-5oF cooler than average. Daytime temperatures were 0 to 2oF cooler than average across much of the state with eastern Arizona 2-4oF cooler than average. Precipitation has been greater than 100% of average across southern and west central and northeastern Arizona. Graham and Greenlee counties have had less than average precipitation so far in

the water year.

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January Mean Temperature Graphs – Flagstaff, Phoenix, and Tucson 1895-2019:

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January Precipitation Graphs – Flagstaff, Phoenix, and Tucson 1895-2019

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2019 Cumulative Precipitation Graphs – Flagstaff, Phoenix and Tucson: Flagstaff was 0.34” above normal, Phoenix was 0.17” below normal, and Tucson was 0.15” above normal.

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The downloadable normals and extremes calendars use the following abbreviations: NORM = 30 year (1971-2000) average value (degrees Fahrenheit (F)) OBS = The temperature observation for that day this year AVG = Average daily temperature HI MAX = Highest maximum temperature for that day (F) LO MAX = Lowest maximum temperature for that day (F) LO MIN = Lowest minimum temperature for that day (F) HI MIN = Highest minimum temperature for that day (F) Mx PCP = Maximum precipitation for that day (inches) Mx SNO = Maximum snowfall for that day (inches)