Though these temperatures were significantly hotter than the summer average temperatures this day broke daily heat records across Arizona , they are still indicative of the unique position Arizona finds itself in.
Summer temperatures in Arizona usually lie in the 90 degrees Fahrenheit to degrees Fahrenheit range. The circumstances which lead to these kinds of hot Arizona days vary, but one contributing factor will always be the geographical and topographical location the state resides in.
One of the barriers between the state of Arizona and the cool air that flows in from the Pacific Ocean, is the Laguna Mountains in California. Without the cool ocean air flowing in, the valley stays hot. This causes higher air pressure to build up, and this also keeps the clouds away. Arizona is also located downwind of the mountains.
When it rains, the precipitations rises up, and then cools and condenses into clouds. Those rain clouds then bring precipitation up the side of the mountains and then down, and it when it goes down it compacts and heats up. This makes the air drier than it was when it was upwind of the mountains. An Urban Heat Island , or UHI, is an area that experiences consistently higher temperatures than surrounding areas because of buildings that retain heat, and a lot of concrete and asphalt in the area.
They are hotter than rural areas, contain a higher population, and demand more energy for utilities like air conditioning. The year ended up being the 2nd warmest year recorded in the history of Phoenix, Arizona and 6th warmest at El Centro, CA. Unfortunately, prolonged equipment outages at Yuma, Arizona preclude an accurate ranking versus historical records.
Records for Phoenix began in , first taken in downtown and since moved to Sky Harbor airport in the s. Records in Yuma began in and in El Centro.
The resulting weather pattern was fairly typical for January and February, albeit drier than normal across the region. That changed quite abruptly in March and April as a series of storm systems swept through the Southwest. As it ended up, these spring precipitation events were very welcome with generous mountain snowfall eventually helping nearly fill local reservoirs. However, the soaking rains across lower elevations had a not-so-welcome consequence of forcing a surge in growth of grasses and small bushes and lawn weeds for local residents.
Once the hotter, drier spring season settled into full effect, these grasses and bushes dried into abundant, dense fuels ready to burn. With two successive "wet" winters, the amount of fine fuels at lower elevations was more than had been seen in over a decade. And not surprisingly, wildfire became a serious and dangerous issue for Arizona. By the end of summer, nearly 1 million acres had burned in Arizona - more than the past 2 years combined.
The summer monsoon started slowly and never really was able to pull substantial moisture into the region. High pressure became locked directly over southern Arizona trapping better moisture into central Mexico and producing day after day of excessive heat.
In Phoenix, July set a record for the hottest month ever recorded in the city since records began in Not to be outdone, August broke the July record such that these 2 summer months now stand as the hottest two on record for Phoenix.
The heat wasn't reserved just for Phoenix, as the entire Southwest region experienced its hottest and driest monsoon on record. With very little thunderstorm activity in the summer, the hot and dry conditions persisted nearly seamlessly into the autumn.
In fact in addition to the summer, autumn was also the warmest on record for the region. Given the heat and prolonged dryness, drought rapidly emerged through the middle of the year with the rarest category of Exceptional Drought setting an unprecedented amount of coverage in Arizona through the fall season. While the hot weather finally relaxed late in the fall and early winter, precipitation still has been lacking allowing drought to take a solid hold on the area. It is what it is. In these last days of late spring, southern Arizona waits, its breath held, for the wind to shift and summer to come bellowing in, unbidden and unwelcome, punishing this region for another season.
The RVs will rumble back into their lots. Arizona State students will brag about wearing short sleeves to football games. The citrus trees will buckle with fruit and the dust storms will stop. No free charging for Model 3? Tesla can explain. Professor killed in UCLA murder-suicide was brilliant, kind and caring, colleagues say.
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