Arizona Climate Summary December 2017 Summary of conditions for November 2017

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1 November 2017 Temperature and Precipitation Summary Arizona Climate Summary December 2017 Summary of conditions for November 2017 November 1 st 17 th : October ended with a little bit of precipitation in southern Arizona as a low pressure system moved across the southwest. The first 3 days of November were dry statewide, but on the 4 th, a small amount of moisture crossed into southern Arizona and dropped 0.25 of rain on Douglas. At the same time a strong low pressure system dumped rain on the Pacific Northwest, Utah and Colorado, but stayed north of Arizona. The 5 th and 6 th were clear and dry statewide, but on the 7 th, the tail end of that low pressure system brought 0.19 of rain to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, 0.04 to the Grand Canyon airport, 0.03 to Window Rock and 0.01 to Bellemont. Temperatures during this time were warmer than normal. After the system passed through, high pressure returned and the westerly flow was dry, and skies were clear. The daytime temperatures rebounded into the mid to upper 80s in the southwest deserts and 50s and 60s at the higher elevations. Nighttime temperatures plunged into the teens at the higher elevations. High pressure dominated through the middle of the month raising temperatures into the upper 80s in the southwest deserts through the 16 th. Dry conditions remained in place until the 17 th when a low pressure system to the north of Arizona brought clouds to the state and some light rain showers across central and northern Arizona. The cold air remained well north of Arizona and the trough was short-lived as high pressure returned sending temperatures even higher, up to record values for this time of year. November 18 th 30 th : The rest of the month was dry statewide with high pressure dominating the circulation pattern over the southwest. High temperatures spiked into the 90s in the southwest deserts and nighttime lows dropped into the single digits at the higher elevations under clear skies. At the end of the month a low pressure system moved through with high clouds, bringing cooler daytime and warmer nighttime temperatures, but not enough moisture for rain or snowfall. The fall has been one of the warmest and driest on record across the state. In This Issue: Overview of November, graphs of the November daily maximum and minimum temperatures, precipitation, mean daily dew points for Flagstaff, Phoenix, and Tucson; November climate statistics, maps of mean monthly maximum and minimum temperatures, precipitation, dew points, wind speeds for November; sg=hort-term drought maps for end of October and end of November 2017; and graphs of the mean November 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. Climate calendars for Flagstaff, Phoenix, Tucson, Prescott, Winslow and Yuma, including daily and monthly normals and extremes, for each month of the year, are not yet updated through See p.20 of this report for calendar abbreviations. 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 Edited by Nancy J. Selover 2017 Arizona State Climate Office 1

2 November 2017 Daily Temperature, Precipitation, & Dew Point for Flagstaff, Phoenix, and Tucson 2

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4 FLAGSTAFF CLIMATE STATISTICS November 2017 This November was the 2 nd warmest and was tied for 9 th driest November with Avg Max Temp (F) 59.7 Normal 50.5 Avg Min Temp (F) 28.3 Normal 22.9 Avg Mean Temp (F) 44.0 Normal 36.7 Departure from Normal (F) Highest Monthly Avg Temp (F) 44.9 in 1949 Lowest Monthly Avg Temp (F) 29.6 in 1972 Highest Temp this month (F): 73 on 25 th Lowest Temp this month (F): 10 on 19 th Record High (F): 74 on 11/3/1977, 11/8/1973 Record Low (F): -13 on 11/18/1958 Temperature or precipitation records this month: 3 rd HiMin 43 set, previous record 41 in rd HiMax 71 set, previous record 69 in th HiMax 69 set, previous record 68 in th HiMax 73 set, previous record 70 in 1949 Flagstaff Number of Days of: Minimum Temp 32 o F or higher 7 Minimum Temp 25 o F or lower 9 Maximum Temp 70 o F or higher 2 Maximum Temp 55 o F or lower 8 Heating Degree Days 622 Normal 849 Cooling Degree Days 0 Normal 0 Degree base 65 o F Total November Precipitation 0.01 Normal November Precipitation 1.76 Departure from normal Greatest 24-Hr Precipitation 0.01 on 17 th Total Precipitation Year-to-Date Departure from Normal Total November Snowfall 0.0 Normal 10.7 Record November Snowfall 42.6 in 1902 Number of Days: Clear 25 Partly Cloudy 5 Cloudy 0 Greatest November Precipitation 7.10 in 1905 Least November Precipitation: 0.00 in 1916, 1932, 1999, and 5 other years. Average Wind Speed Highest Peak Gust 6.8 mph 47 mph from 230 o on 27 th PHOENIX CLIMATE STATISTICS November 2017 This November was the warmest on record and was tied for driest with 25 other years. Avg Max Temp(F) 82.9 Normal 75.5 Avg Min Temp(F) 59.5 Normal 52.7 Avg Mean Temp (F) 71.2 Normal 64.1 Departure from Normal (F) Highest Monthly Avg Temp (F) 71.2 in 2017 Lowest Monthly Avg Temp (F) 55.0 in 1922 Highest Temp this month (F) Lowest Temp this month (F): 89 on 26 th 52 on 19 th Record High (F): 96 on 11/1-2/1924, 11/3/2009 Record Low (F): 27 on 11/23/ Temperature or precipitation records this month: 26 th HiMax 89 tied, first set in th HiMin 62 tied, first set in 2007 Phoenix Number of Days of: Minimum Temp 60 o F or lower 19 Minimum Temp 65 o F or higher 2 Maximum Temp 80 o F or lower 8 Maximum Temp 85 o F or higher 12 Heating Degree Days 1 Normal 97 Cooling Degree Days 192 Normal 70 Degree base 65 o F Total November Precipitation 0.00 Normal November Precipitation 0.65 Departure from normal -0.65

5 Greatest 24-Hr Precipitation 0.00 Total Precipitation Year-to-Date 4.73 Departure from Normal Greatest November Precipitation 3.61 in 1905 Least November Precipitation 0.00 in 1999, 2005 and 26 other years Number of Days: Clear 9 Partly Cloudy 18 Cloudy 3 Average Wind Speed 4.3 mph Highest Peak Gust 24 mph from 320 o on 1 st TUCSON CLIMATE STATISTICS November 2017 This November was the warmest on record and tied for 34 th driest with 3 other years. Avg Max Temp(F) 84.1 Normal 73.5 Avg Min Temp(F) 54.2 Normal 46.1 Avg Mean Temp(F) 69.1 Normal 59.8 Departure from Normal (F) +9.3 Highest Monthly Avg Temp (F) 69.1 in 2017 Lowest Monthly Avg Temp (F) 50.9 in 1911 Highest Temp this month (F): 92 on 26 th and 27 th Lowest Temp this month (F): 48 on 19 th, 21 st Record High (F): 94 on 11/01/1924 Record Low (F): 19 on 11/19/1921 Temperature or precipitation records this month: 16 th HiMax 89 tied, first set in rd HiMax 89 set, previous record 87 in th HiMax 88 set, previous record 86 in th HiMax 88 set, previous record 86 in th HiMax 92 set, previous record 86 in th HiMax 92 set, previous record 85 in th HiMin 58 set, previous record 57 in 2007 Heating Degree Days 4 Normal 184 Cooling Degree Days 135 Normal 27 Degree base 65 o F Total November Precipitation 0.09 Normal November Precipitation 0.57 Departure from normal Greatest 24-Hr Precipitation 0.09 on the 7th Total Precipitation Year-to-Date Departure from Normal Greatest November Precipitation 4.61 in 1905 Least November Precipitation 0.00 in 2013, 1982, 1973, and 20 other years Number of Days: Clear Partly Cloudy Cloudy Average Wind Speed Highest Peak Gust M M M 6.1 mph 32 mph from 160 o on 7 th Data are from the National Weather Service and the National Climatic Data Center and are preliminary. Tucson Number of Days of: Minimum Temp 50 o F or lower 6 Minimum Temp 60 o F or higher 2 Maximum Temp 80 o F or lower 9 Maximum Temp 90 o F or higher 2 5

6 Wind Speeds for November: Day Phoenix Flagstaff Tucson (mph) Avg Max Avg Max Avg Max Dew Points for November: Daily Average Dew Point ( o F): Day Phx Tuc Flg

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8 November 2017 The minimum temperatures ranged from 0 o F at Sunset Crater to 63 o F at Chandler Airport. The lowest maximum temperature of 56 o F was recorded at Snowslide Canyon and the highest was 96 o F at Sahuarito. The highest rainfall totals were 0.90 at Snowslide Canyon, and 0.60 at Workman Creek. The lowest average dew point was 20 o F at Grand Canyon National Park and the highest was 46 o F at Yuma and Roll. The highest peak wind gust was 36 mph at Mohave 2. Average wind speeds ranged from 1 mph in the Phoenix area to 12 mph at Laughlin-Bullhead City Airport. 8

9 T November 2017 The highest average minimum temperature was 73 o F at Chandler Airport, and the lowest average minimum temperature was 18 o F at Fort Valley. The highest average maximum temperature was 86 o F at Organ Pipe National Monument and the lowest average maximum temperature was 50 o F at Snowslide Canyon. 9

10 Short term Drought Maps October 31 on left and November 28 on right. The dry fall has led to increased drought across the state, with all areas of the state now in some level of drought. The continued dryness into December will likely result in a spread of Moderate Drought (D1) across the rest of the state. 10

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12 November November minimum temperatures were 3 to 9 o F warmer than normal statewide. Northern La Paz County was even warmer. Daytime temperatures were 3 to 6 o F warmer than normal in western La Paz and Yuma counties and 6 to 12 o F warmer than normal across the rest of the state. Virtually the entire state received less than 25% of normal November precipitation. 12

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14 Calendar Year 2017 Nighttime temperatures were 1 to 3 o F warmer than average across most of the state with cooler than normal areas in Cochise, Graham, northern Gila, northern Mohave and western Pima counties. Daytime temperatures were 1 to 4 o F warmer than normal across most of the state with slightly cooler than normal areas in western Pinal, southern Gila, and northwestern Maricopa counties. Most of the state has received less than 90% of average precipitation for the year with Pinal and Pima counties less than 70% of average. Much of Mohave County and eastern Coconino County received above average precipitation. 14

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16 s aham, Cochise, La Paz, OPima and 2018 Water Year Water Year 2018 minimum temperatures were 0 to 6 o F warmer than normal across the state, though northern La Paz and central Gila counties were 6 to 8 o F warmer than normal.. Daytime temperatures were 4 to 8 o F warmer than normal across the state with temperatures 8 to 10 o F warmer than normal in Cochise, Santa Cruz, eastern Pima and northern Apache counties.. The entire state received less than 25% of normal precipitation since October 1st. 16

17 November Mean Temperature Graphs Flagstaff, Phoenix, and Tucson : 17

18 November Mean Precipitation Graphs Flagstaff, Phoenix, and Tucson

19 2017 Cumulative Precipitation Graphs Flagstaff, Phoenix and Tucson: Flagstaff is 1.98 below normal, Tucson is 0.39 below normal, and Phoenix is 2.42 below normal. 19

20 The downloadable normals and extremes calendars use the following abbreviations: NORM = 30 year ( ) 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) 20