KOLD Climate Community Blog

Strong fall storm arrives today

By Aaron Pickering - email

Updated by Erin Jordan - email

TUCSON, AZ (KOLD) - Technically it's still fall for another two weeks, but a storm system moving into Arizona will make it feel and look like winter in some areas. 

Southern Arizona is on the warm side of the storm so most people will experience only rain. Snow levels only drop to about 6000' by Tuesday morning with some rain/snow mix as low as 5000'. 

Most people in southern Arizona live and travel below 6000'. 

Showers begin today with increasing coverage after sunset.  The biggest push of rain for southern Arizona will be overnight with heavy rain, thunder, and lightning possible during the early morning hours of Tuesday as a cold front moves through.  Rain and snow taper off through the morning Tuesday with afternoon sunshine and a few leftover clouds and showers, mostly southeast of Tucson. 

A Winter Storm Warning is in effect for eastern Pima, Santa Cruz, Cochise, Graham, and Greenlee counties above 6000'  from 5 PM this evening to noon on Tuesday.  6" to 12" inches are possible from 6000' to 7000'.  12" to 18" 7000' and above. 

In Graham and Greenlee counties a Blizzard Warning is in effect for the same time period above 8000'. 

Winds will be gusty with this storm system. The breeze will pick up in southern Arizona this afternoon and peak overnight with 30 MPH winds and wind gusts 45 to 55 MPH.  Where it is snowing, white out conditions are possible.  Blowing dust could hamper travel at lower elevations today, until the rain begins.  Blowing rain could also reduce visibility for travel overnight. 

Since this is a wave of tropical moisture and southern Arizona is south of the cold pool of air, temperatures will be mild with the storm.  40s and 50s for lower elevations of southern Arizona the next few days. 

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Report Severe Weather Damage, Flooding, & Rain Totals Here

While the First Alert Weather Team is in the studio monitoring the storms, you are our eyes and ears in the field.  Send us your See It, Snap It, Send It photos.  Report damage, flooding, and rain totals in a comment on this blog entry. - First Alert Meteorologist Erin Jordan

The Great Tornado Hunt Starts Sunday!

$10 Million...over 100 Scientists...and One Month.  It's the largest tornado chase in history!  Check out Vortex 2.  Believe it or not, we know very little about tornadoes.  Since they are so strong and short-lived they are hard to study close-up.  Vortex 2 hopes to get to the bottom of some tornado mysteries by putting the world's tornado experts in the field to study these monster storms. 

Flooded Washes

I know we talk about it all the time, don't walk, play, or hike in washes. Thursday, July 3rd is a great example as to why we stress this. Heavy rain fell on the northern slope of the Catalina Mountains from about 4:30 PM until about 6 PM or so. This rain added up to nearly 1.5 inches in some spots. All of this water went into the Canada Del Oro wash (CDO). The CDO started to run, but only with a trickle. Than all at once, a rush of water came down the CDO...here is the graph of what happened to the water levels:

What you see here is the water level going from nearly zero to 6 feet within a matter of minutes! Two girls were swept up in this, and fortunately for them, they were rescued quickly. This spike in water levels is common with the type of thunderstorms we get here in Southern Arizona and this example should remind all of us how conditions can change in an instant. And just because it is not raining where you are, does not mean you won't see the effect of rain somewhere else!

-First Alert Meteorologist Aaron Pickering

Pre-Monsoon

Today was the first day the area has seen storms in a while. These storms were not over the Tucson metro area, but towns like Willcox, Sierra Vista, and Benson all saw these storms overhead. Intense heating of the lower levels of the atmosphere combined with moisture in the air caused the storms to form today. Southeastern Arizona did not see the worst of the storms.

Parts of southern New Mexico, between Las Cruces and El Paso, were under severe thunderstorm warnings today. Those storms brought damaging winds and a lot of rain to the area. In our viewing area, Cochise County went under a dust storm warning in the early evening. The Tucson Metro area also saw a dust storm warning at 7:30 PM which expired at 9 PM. The picture above, taken by Jinx Schwartz, is of the dust storm near Bisbee today. We can consider these storms a start to our pre-monsoon season. As intense heating will persist over the next week and upper level moisture is pushed into our area, we can expect to see more of these storms until the monsoon storms kick in.

I am sure most people are aware that it is "that time of the year." Once the dew point (amount of moisture in the air) begins to reach levels in the 40s and 50s, our chance of seeing daytime storms increases. Make sure you keep an eye out for these pop up thunderstorms because that time of the year has begun and thunderstorms will become more frequent.

Dustin Pittman - First Alert Intern

WINTER STORM WARNING until 3 AM Saturday

Good Friday morning!  This is a 1:30 PM update to the Winter Storm Warning.  A Winter Storm Warning is in effect until 3 am Saturday for areas above 3500 feet.  Check out the list below to find out what elevation you are at!  What a way to end the workweek.  Pima County from the Tohono O'ohdam Nation right into the Tucson metro area, southeast Pinal, Santa Cruz, Cochise, Graham, and Greenlee counties are all in the warning area. Below is the break down. 

• 2500' to 3500' up to an 1" of snow
• 3500' to 5000' - 3" to 6" of snow
• 5000 to 7000' - 6" to 14" of snow
• Above 7000' - 14" to 22" of snow

That being said, now here's a break down of elevations. 

PIMA COUNTY

• Tucson 2400'
• Marana 2055'
• Three Points 2339'
• Sells 2360'
• Oro Valley 2620'
• Green Valley 2900'
• Golder Ranch 3000'
• Catalina 3100'
• Vail 3225'

PINAL COUNTY

• Oracle 4500'

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY

• Tubac 3200'
• Nogales 3869'
• Sonoita 4970'

COCHISE COUNTY

• Douglas 3990'
• Willcox 4300'
• Tombstone 4540'
• Sierra Vista 4600'
• Dragoon 4615'
• Bisbee 5600'

GRAHAM COUNTY

• Safford 2954'

Send us your photos!  While Chuck, Aaron, and I are in the studio monitoring First Alert Doppler, you are our eyes in the field.   Check out our Viewer Views page.  Also leave a comment on this page and let us know how much snow you have on the ground. 

As temperatures drop below freezing at the surface tonight into Saturday morning, remember that any puddles or moisture on the roads will freeze.  Icy patches are possible from Tucson and upwards in elevation. The moisture on bridges and overpasses freeze first so be especially careful in those areas! 

Have a safe day! - First Alert Meteorologist Erin Jordan

Flooding This Monday Morning

Big rain overnight has washes running the morning.  Let me know what is going on in your backyard or what detours you had to take on your way to work.  And send us your Viewer Views! - First Alert Meteorologist Erin Jordan

High Wind Gusts This Morning

High winds across southeast Arizona knocked down power poles in Tucson this morning. Winds will lessen in strength tonight but there is the possibility of dust storms and more down power poles with high winds gusts throughout today.  Below is the high wind gusts recorded through 11am. - First Alert Meteorologist Erin Jordan 000 NOUS45 KTWC 221821 PNSTWC PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ 1120 AM MST MON OCT 22 2007 ...PEAK WIND REPORTS ACROSS SOUTHEAST ARIZONA THROUGH 11 AM... LOCATION                        PEAK WIND PIMA COUNTY... TUCSON INTL AIRPORT              30 MPH DAVIS-MONTHAN AFB                38 MPH SCOUT CAMP (FIRE WEATHER SITE)   46 MPH SAGUARO (FIRE WEATHER SITE)      34 MPH RINCON (FIRE WEATHER SITE)       50 MPH EMPIRE (FIRE WEATHER SITE)       29 MPH SASABE (FIRE WEATHER SITE)       27 MPH SOUTHEAST PINAL COUNTY... HORSE CAMP (FIRE WEATHER SITE)   40 MPH SANTA CRUZ COUNTY... HOPKINS (FIRE WEATHER SITE)      40 MPH COCHISE COUNTY... BISBEE-DOUGLAS AIRPORT           39 MPH FORT HUACHUCA                    33 MPH RUCKER (FIRE WEATHER SITE)       40 MPH MULESHOE (FIRE WEATHER SITE)     36 MPH HEADQUARTERS (FIRE WEATHER SITE) 36 MPH UPPER GILA RIVER VALLEY... GUTHRIE (FIRE WEATHER SITE)      39 MPH DRY LAKE (FIRE WEATHER SITE)     31 MPH BLACK HILLS (FIRE WEATHER SITE)  39 MPH GREENLEE COUNTY... STRAY HORSE (FIRE WEATHER SITE)  29 MPH

Weather Reports 9.17.07

A pulse of energy will move through Arizona today and tonight.  And with this muggy air mass in place, that means showers and thunderstorms!  So tell us what is going on in your backyard.  Just leave a comment on this blog entry.  We love photos!  Check out our Viewer Views.  We update the slideshow daily and it also tells you how to send us photos. 

Thanks! - The First Alert Weather Team

WEATHER REPORTS THURSDAY SEPT. 6TH

A thunderstorm was kicking up some dust in Why, Arizona on Wednesday afternoon.  Scattered storms flooded roads and raised water levels in washes across southeast Arizona.  There was even one water rescue in Cochise County. 

Today more showers and storms will moved across southeast Arizona.  The leftovers of Hurricane Henriette are bringing us this much needed rainfall.  Santa Cruz and Cochise Counties are under a Flash Flood Watch until 5pm Thursday afternoon. 

With storms forming across the area, the First Alert Meteorologists will be keeping a close eye on the radar.  While we are in the studio, you are our eyes and ears in the field.  So leave a comment on this blog telling us what is going on in your backyard.  Or if you have a question. Just ask it.  We will try to get back to you or another viewer may even be able to answer your question.  And we love photos!  Check out our Viewer Views for more information on how to get us the photos and take a look at our slideshow made up of photos viewers like you have submitted. 

Stay safe during the storms! - First Alert Meteorologist Erin Jordan