Weather Story of the Year
First, let's talk about our local memorable weather this year. I think it may be a toss up between the snow that fell in late January and the monsoon.
I picked the snow because it really did shut down southern Arizona for at least a day, more is some areas. We received over 1000 e-mails from viewers with at least one photo attached. It was a great day but many people just didn't go out or couldn't leave their home! I know some cities and towns at higher elevations just waited for the snow to melt rather than risk allowing workers out on the road. It was an extra and welcome holiday for many people. 
These are just a few photos that you sent in. The first one is, of course, a snow covered car in Tucson. The second is from Bisbee. It was an unusually picturesque morning all around!
The other top weather story is this year's Monsoon with July being the month with the most action. Microbursts were a big part of the Monsoon this year. There was quite a bit of damage across southern AZ. One microburst on July 18th knocked down over 100 large trees at the Oro Valley Country Club. There were a lot of reports of smaller trees and roofs damage at homes as well.
Another unusual weather phenomenon about this monsoon...funnel clouds! Southern Arizona rarely sees these forces of nature. Fortunately for us, tornadoes are rare. Even when they do form, the tornadoes are usually weak. Funnel clouds are rotating columns air,extending from the base of the cloud, but not making contact with the ground. After talking with the National Weather Service earlier this year, it is unclear if the funnel clouds were more prevalent this year because of extreme conditions or if digital photography and the ease of quickly informing weather teams like ours through e-mail is the reason for increased reports of funnel clouds.
Another big local story is the 37 days of 100 degree or higher temperatures in Tucson. That is 2 days shy of the record 39 days. And this year is the 7th year in a row with below average rainfall. It is also the 9th year in the row with above average temperatures. During the monsoon, a flash flood in Bear Canyon swept away hikers. Two hikers never made it out of the canyon alive. They were killed while trying to rescue others.
Nationally the two major weather stories that I picked are the tornado that pretty much wiped Greensburg, Kansas off the map and the extreme drought in the southeast. 
The drought in the southeast is just downright bad. That's really the best way to describe it. Check out the photo at left. Many docks at Lake Lanier, the major water source for the city of Atlanta, now lead to dirt and mud. It is the second driest year on record for Atlanta with 31.85" of rain. That is 18.21" of rain less than their yearly average. The driest year on record was 1954 with 31.80" of rain. But keep in mind, the population of metro Atlanta is about 5.3 million. In the mid-1950s the population was a little over a million. Some smaller towns in the south did run out of water earlier this year. A few had to truck in water for their residents. And major cities like Atlanta and Raleigh are down to about 90 days of water left. As they get winter rains there is some relief but one more dry year like this one could mean a major water crisis for the southeast.
Check out this photo at left. This is what's left of Greensburg, Kansas after an F5 tornado hit the town on May 4th. The last F5 on record was almost exactly 8 years earlier in Oklahoma. 10 people were killed in the town, 12 overall from the massive tornado. About 95% of the town's buildings, homes, and businesses were destroyed. Although the material things were wiped out, the spirit of Greensburg's residents was not. Many are coming back to rebuild. Greensburg is even becoming a "green" city. You can check out what they are doing to make this happen at Greensburg Green Town.
I picked the two national stories because of how historic the events were or are in the case of the southeast drought. Another big event was the southern Plains and Texas flooding this summer. In a matter of a few weeks, that area was inundated by feet of rain! After a long-term drought, the rain was welcome but they didn't need it all at one time. The wildfires in southern California grabbed headlines at the end of October. About 1500 homes were destroyed and nine people died.
Do you agree or disagree with my picks? Let me know...leave a comment telling me why you think these are the top weather stories of the year or let me know if you think another story should have made the list. Have a safe New Year's Eve! - First Alert Meteorologist Erin Jordan
