Arizona Climate Summary February 2016 Summary of conditions for January 2016

January 2016 Temperature and Precipitation Summary Arizona Climate Summary February 2016 Summary of conditions for January 2016 January 1 st 14 th : The new year began with high pressure over the southwest and two strong upper level low pressure systems off the coast of northern California. The first three days of January were dry statewide, with daytime temperatures in the lower 70s in the southwest deserts and the low 30s at the higher elevations. Nighttime temperatures reached the low single digits at the higher elevations and the low 50s in the southwest. By the 4 th, the first storm system moved into Arizona tapping into subtropical moisture resulting from the El Niño pattern of warm water in the central Pacific Ocean. The first storm swept across the state on the 4 th and 5 th, and the second, stronger storm moved through on the 6 th through the 8 th with heavier precipitation. The precipitation was not as intense as summer thunderstorms so flooding was minimal and the rains soaked in to the ground. Snowfall accumulations were significant at the higher elevations. Snowfall totals for the two storms included 23.4 at Bellemont, 29.3 at Flagstaff, 16.4 at Navajo National Monument, 15.1 at Payson, 3.4 at Prescott, 15 at Williams, 8.5 at Show Low, and 4.5 at Seligman. The north rim of the Grand Canyon had well over 16, but was unable to report on the 6 th or the 8 th. At lower elevations rainfall totals included 1.16 at Bisbee, 1.58 at Davis Monthan AFB, 1.65 at Elgin, 1.57 at Nogales, 1.45 at Deer Valley Airport, 1.13 at Sky Harbor Airport, 1.00 at Safford, 1.85 at Scottsdale Airport, 1.53 at Tucson Airport, 2.20 at Bullhead City, 2.19 at Carefree, 1.24 at Cottonwood, 2.74 at Lost Dutchman State Park in Apache Junction, and 0.31 at Yuma Airport. Cold air came in behind the storms dropping daytime temperatures down to the low 60s in the southwest desert. Nighttime temperatures dropped from the high 20s during the storms to single digits in the higher elevations as the cloud cover moved off. Clear, dry conditions returned from the 10 th through the 14 th, though temperatures continued to drop with Flagstaff and the higher elevations reaching negative values for 4 nights. Bellemont got down to -14 on the 13 th. January 15 th 31 st : On the 15 th and 16 th another low pressure system moved through the state, but only a dusting of snow was reported, and precipitation was restricted to the northern half of the state. Flagstaff had 3, Bellemont had 3.3, Williams had 2, Show Low 1 and Seligman, Navajo NM and Petrified Forest all had 0.5 or less snow. The southwest enjoyed partly cloudy skies and 70 degree temperatures. High pressure returned for the 17 th through the 19 th, boosting daytime temperatures but the clear skies dropped nighttime lows to negative values at the high elevations. On the 20 th a weak shortwave moved through the state resulting in 0.10 or less across the northern third of the state. High pressure again dominated until the 24 th, but daytime temperatures remained above normal and climbed higher after the storm passed and clear skies and warm conditions continued to the end of the month. On the 30 th the Lower Colorado River Valley was in the upper 70s and Yuma reached 82 o F. The last storm of the month moved into the state in the afternoon of the 31 st, and brought widespread rain and snow in the evening, and cleared out by the morning of February 1 st. 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; 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. Climate calendars for Flagstaff, Phoenix, Tucson, Prescott, Winslow and Yuma, including daily and monthly normals and extremes, for each month of the year, can be downloaded directly from the State Climate website. See p.19 of this report for calendar abbreviations. Dr. Nancy J. Selover, State Climatologist http://azclimate.asu.edu 480-965-6265 Edited by Nancy J. Selover & Kira Frost 2016 Arizona State Climate Office 1

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. January 2016 Daily Temperature, Precipitation, & Dew Point for Flagstaff, Phoenix, and Tucson 2

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FLAGSTAFF CLIMATE STATISTICS January 2016 This January had no significant temperature ranking and was the 17 th wettest. Avg Max Temp (F) 41.3 Normal 42.5 Avg Min Temp (F) 15.4 Normal 17.3 Avg Mean Temp (F) 28.4 Normal 29.9 Departure from Normal (F) -1.5 Highest Monthly Avg Temp (F) 37.1 in 2003 Lowest Monthly Avg Temp (F) 12.7 in 1937 Highest Temp this month (F): 57 on 28 th Lowest Temp this month (F): -3 on 12-13 th Record High (F): 66 on 01/30/1971 Record Low (F): -30 on 01/22/1937 No temperature or precipitation records this month. Flagstaff Number of Days of: Minimum Temp 20 o F or higher 10 Minimum Temp 10 o F or lower 6 Maximum Temp 55 o F or higher 2 Maximum Temp 32 o F or lower 7 Heating Degree Days 1128 Normal 1088 Cooling Degree Days 0 Normal 0 Degree base 65 o F Total January Precipitation 3.41 Normal January Precipitation 2.05 Departure from normal +1.36 Greatest 24-Hr Precipitation 1.16 on 6-7 th Total Precipitation Year-to-Date 3.41 Departure from Normal +1.36 Number of Days: Clear 22 Partly Cloudy 3 Cloudy 6 Greatest January Precipitation 9.55 in 1993 Least January Precipitation 0.00 in 1972 Average Wind Speed Highest Peak Gust 6.2 mph 45 mph from 220 o on 31 st PHOENIX CLIMATE STATISTICS January 2016 This January had no significant ranking for temperature or precipitation. Avg Max Temp(F) 66.4 Normal 67.2 Avg Min Temp(F) 44.9 Normal 45.6 Avg Mean Temp (F) 55.7 Normal 56.4 Departure from Normal (F) -0.7 Highest Monthly Avg Temp (F) 59.4 in 2003 Lowest Monthly Avg Temp (F) 43.1 in 1937 Highest Temp this month (F): 76 on 31 st and 22 nd Lowest Temp this month (F): 36 on 1 st Record High (F): 88 on 01/19/1971 Record Low (F): 16 on 01/07/1913 No temperature or precipitation records this month. 4 Phoenix Number of Days of: Minimum Temp 40 o F or lower 5 Minimum Temp 50 o F or higher 5 Maximum Temp 60 o F or lower 7 Maximum Temp 70 o F or higher 12 Heating Degree Days 280 Normal 269 Cooling Degree Days 0 Normal 2 Degree base 65 o F Total January Precipitation 1.31 Normal January Precipitation 0.91 Departure from normal +0.40 Greatest 24-Hr Precipitation 0.61 6-7th Total Precipitation Year-to-Date 1.31 Departure from Normal +0.48 Greatest January Precipitation 5.22 in 1993 Least January Precipitation 0.00 in 2014, 2006, 1972

Number of Days: Clear 13 Partly Cloudy 15 Cloudy 3 Average Wind Speed 5.2 mph Highest Peak Gust 44 mph from 270 o on 31st TUCSON CLIMATE STATISTICS January 2016 This January had no significant ranking for temperature or precipitation. Avg Max Temp(F) 66.2 Normal 65.5 Avg Min Temp(F) 38.8 Normal 39.8 Avg Mean Temp(F) 52.5 Normal 52.6 Departure from Normal (F) -0.1 Highest Monthly Avg Temp (F) 58.6 in 1986 Lowest Monthly Avg Temp (F) 41.2 in 1937 Highest Temp this month (F): Lowest Temp this month (F): Record High (F): 88 on 01/04/1927 Record Low (F): 6 on 01/07/1913 81 on 23 rd 31 on 13 th Temperature or precipitation records this month: Jan 23- Record High of 81, previous was 80 in 2013 Jan 27- Record Low of 19, first set in 1965 Tucson Number of Days of: Minimum Temp 32 o F or lower 2 Minimum Temp 45 o F or higher 5 Maximum Temp 55 o F or lower 4 Maximum Temp 75 o F or higher 5 Heating Degree Days 381 Normal 383 Cooling Degree Days 0 Normal 0 Degree base 65 o F Total January Precipitation 1.53 Normal January Precipitation 0.94 Departure from normal +0.59 Greatest 24-Hr Precipitation 0.82 on 7th Total Precipitation Year-to-Date 1.53 Departure from Normal +1.83 Greatest January Precipitation 4.81 in 1993 Least January Precipitation 0.00 in 1972, 1928, and 1924 Number of Days: Clear 23 Partly Cloudy 4 Cloudy 2 Average Wind Speed Highest Peak Gust 7.3 mph 48 mph from 220 o on 31 st Data are from the National Weather Service and the National Climatic Data Center and are preliminary. 5

Wind Speeds for May: Day Phoenix Flagstaff Tucson (mph) Avg Max Avg Max Avg Max 1 3.5 17 7.1 19 6.8 24 2 8.4 26 4.6 17 16.9 35 3 9.2 24 5.3 14 16.9 36 4 8.3 31 4.5 16 16.7 40 5 8.2 15 5.6 23 6.9 20 6 7.3 30 11.9 30 5.9 22 7 6.5 27 9 34 9.3 29 8 4.3 16 5.4 17 4.8 21 9 4 11 3.5 17 3.7 14 10 5 13 3.5 13 6.1 19 11 3.1 13 4.6 23 3 11 12 4.6 21 3 18 8.2 24 13 3.2 15 2.4 20 5.1 17 14 4.9 17 5.4 24 6.7 17 15 6.5 21 M M 7.6 35 16 3.8 17 4.8 21 4.8 16 17 4 11 3.7 19 4.7 17 18 4.6 17 8.4 31 6.6 21 19 4.4 18 5.3 29 5.4 20 20 3.9 15 5.9 28 6 21 21 4.6 25 9 30 5.2 30 22 2.9 20 2 18 6.4 19 23 5 13 6.4 24 8 22 24 5.1 19 7.1 28 6.1 24 25 4.6 25 7.4 25 5.8 16 26 4.9 18 11.9 37 4.3 12 27 4.9 17 3.2 14 7 26 28 4.1 14 2.1 17 4.9 13 29 4.4 13 4.7 19 6.1 17 30 5.6 15 12.1 40 6.6 26 31 10.8 44 17.2 45 15.1 48 Dew Points for May: Daily Average Dew Point ( o F): Day Phx Tuc Flg 1 32 32 16 2 32 33 20 3 37 36 24 4 44 39 30 5 47 40 29 6 48 39 29 7 41 35 23 8 41 34 17 9 39 33 20 10 36 32 13 11 31 27 7 12 30 25 5 13 31 24 12 14 33 27 19 15 35 29 12 16 36 32 14 17 36 28 17 18 36 29 19 19 38 29 24 20 30 30 17 21 28 21 11 22 25 18 11 23 29 24 17 24 30 24 15 25 20 23 11 26 18 18 9 27 20 18 9 28 25 20 13 29 29 20 21 30 32 25 26 31 30 26 25 6

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The minimum temperatures ranged from -19 o F at Mormon Lake to 40 o F at Yuma. The lowest maximum temperature of 45 o F was recorded at Meteor Crater, while the highest maximum temperature was 83 o F at Havasu. The highest rainfall amounts were 7.30 at Promontory and 6.30 at Workman Creek. The lowest average dew point was 17 o F at Clark Field and the highest was 40 o F at Yuma. The highest peak wind gust was 43 mph at Bonita and Prescott. 8

T January 2016 The highest average minimum temperature was 47 o F at Yuma and the lowest average minimum temperature was 7 o F at Sunrise Mountain. The highest average maximum temperature was 71 o F at Yuma and lowest average maximum temperature was 35 o F at Snowslide Canyon. 9

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January January minimum temperatures were generally 0 to 2 o F colder than average across the state, with even colder areas in Cochise, southwest Coconino and Maricopa and northwest Pima counties, and warmer areas in central Gila and northern Mohave County, and along the Lower Colorado River Valley near the Mohave-La Paz border. Daytime temperatures were 0 to 4 o F colder than average statewide. January precipitation was well above normal across the Mogollon Rim and in southern Arizona, over 150% of average, but the Colorado Plateau and the White Mountains received less than 70% of normal precipitation. 11

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Calendar Year 2016 Calendar year minimum temperatures were generally 0 to 2 o F colder than average across the state, with even colder areas in Cochise, southwest Coconino and Maricopa and northwest Pima counties, and warmer areas in central Gila and northern Mohave County, and along the Lower Colorado River Valley near the Mohave-La Paz border. Daytime temperatures were 0 to 4 o F colder than average statewide. Precipitation has been well above normal across the Mogollon Rim and in southern Arizona, over 150% of average, but the Colorado Plateau and the White Mountains received less than 70% of normal precipitation. 13

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2016 Water Year The Water Year minimum temperatures are within 2 degrees of normal with warmer temperatures on the Colorado Plateau and along the lower Colorado River Valley, and cooler temperatures in central and southern Arizona, largely due to the cold January storms. Daytime temperatures are now 0 to 2 o F cooler than normal across most of the state. Precipitation is well above normal on the Colorado Plateau, largely due to the early winter storms, though a few areas have received more of that precipitation as rain rather than snow. Eastern Pinal and Pima counties received most of their precipitation during the January storms. Western Pinal and much of Maricopa, western Coconino and northern Apache counties are still much drier than normal. The El Niño conditions are just beginning to ramp up for winter precipitation, so the conditions should become wetter in the next couple of months. 15

January Mean Temperature Graphs Flagstaff, Phoenix, and Tucson 1895-2016: 16

January Mean Precipitation Graphs Flagstaff, Phoenix, and Tucson 1895-2016 17

2016 Cumulative Precipitation Graphs Flagstaff, Phoenix and Tucson: January 2016 precipitation was near average in all three cities. 18

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) 19