KOLD Climate Community Blog

Storm wrap-up...the wind, rain, snow, & damage.

By First Alert Meteorologist Erin Jordan - email

TUCSON, AZ (KOLD) - The strong fall storm Arizona started the week with left wind damage, snow piles, and some much needed rain. 

For most of southern Arizona it was the wind that got people talking.  Below is a list of peak wind gusts Monday into Tuesday.

Ft. Huachuca/Sierra Vista 71 MPH

Canelo (Santa Cruz County) 70 MPH

Diamond Children's Hospital at University Medical Center 66 MPH

Rio Rico (Santa Cruz County) 62 MPH

Bisbee-Douglas Airport 53 MPH

Davis-Monthan AFB 48 MPH

Nogales International Airport 44 MPH

Tucson International Airport 41 MPH

Safford Airport 39 MPH

In northern Arizona the top wind gust reported was a 78 MPH wind gust in Chino Valley in Yavapai County. 

In Phoenix a series of small power poles were knocked down and there were reports of three large trees were blown over. 

Here in southern Arizona there were numerous reports of flickering lights but no long term power outages other than Mt. Lemmon where crews are working to restore power to Summerhaven.  An ice storm preceeded the snow.  According to Phil Mack, owner of the Mt. Lemmon General Store, thousands of trees are down.   

In Sierra Vista, high winds damaged the roof of a storage unit on Highway 92 and Motel 6 on Fry Blvd.  A Wendy's sign was also damaged on Fry Blvd. 

In Tucson, a home near Cardinal & Valencia had it's roof blown off and a saguaro cactus toppled to the ground during the gusty winds.

Rain totals in the Tucson area ranged from 0.04 inches at the Pima Air and Space Museum to 0.35 inches on the east side of town along the Tanque Verde Wash. 

Three rain gauges in the Catalina Mountains below the snow levels measured over an 1.5" of rain.

A rain gauge in Sedona measured 2.2' of rain in 20 hours.  Washes are likely running in this area. 

To check rain gauges in your neighborhood click here.

Snow totals across southern Arizona are limited to the mountain tops.  Below is a list of the most recent snow reports. 

Mt. Lemmon 12" to 24"

Mt. Bigelow 4"

Kitt Peak Trace

Chiricahua Mountains Trace

Sunrise Ski Park (White Mountains) 24" to 30"

Arizona Snowbowl (San Francisco Peaks) 12" to 23 "

Flagstaff, University Heights Neighborhood 26"

Interstate 17 near the Sedona exits, north to Flagstaff and Interstate 40 running east/west across northern Arizona were closed about 24 hours because of the snow.

For the latest road updates check Arizona Department of Transportation. 

For the latest on ski conditions check Arizona Snowbowl and Sunrise Park Resort. 

Do you have pictures or video of the storm? Damage? Snow? Rain? Upload them to See It, Snap It, Send It.

©2009 KOLD. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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. 

©2009 KOLD. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Rain and snow tapers off today

By Erin Jordan - email

TUCSON, AZ (KOLD) - Snow has piled up on mountain tops all across southern Arizona. 

Phil Mack, owner of the Mt. Lemmon General Store, reported 6" to 8" of snow Monday morning.  A few more inches is possible today with storm snow totals approaching a foot. 

A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for areas in Cochise County above 6000' until 6 PM.  An additional 3" to 6" of snowfall is possible in the mountains.  Most towns and cities in Cochise County are below 6000'. 

John Whitman sent in the photo at right of Ski Valley Sunday morning.  See more photos at See It, Snap It, Send It.

Below is a list of elevations for towns and cities in southern Arizona.

Ajo 1798'

Picacho Peak 2000'

Marana 2055'

Organ Pipe National Monument 2200'

Three Points 2339'

Sells 2360'

Tucson 2400'

Oro Valley 2620'

Green Valley 2900'

Safford 2954'

Golder Ranch 3000'

Catalina 3100'

Tubac 3200'

Vail 3225'

Benson 3585'

Nogales 3869'

Douglas 3990'

Willcox 4300'

Oracle 4500'

Tombstone 4540'

Sierra Vista 4600'

Dragoon 4615'

Sonoita 4870'

Bisbee 5600'

Summer have 9157'

©2009 KOLD. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

The science your tax dollars are funding

By Erin Jordan - email

TUCSON, AZ (KOLD) - The University of Arizona is a big winner of funding from the Recovery and Reinvestment Act.  Collectively UA has already received about $78 million to fund 125 research projects.  Even more proposed project funding is pending.   

Since your tax dollars help fund programs like this, the government launched a website called Science Works For Us that allows you to track what kind of research is being done at institutions across the country, including the University of Arizona.  It breaks down funding by federal agency and project. 

©2009 KOLD. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

New Record Highs on Tuesday!

Record setting heat on Tuesday! Tucson, Picacho Peak, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Nogales, Fort Thomas, and Kitt Peak all sizzled in the afternoon.  The Bisbee-Douglas Airport matched their record high for the day.  Picacho Peak was the biggest temperature shock.  Not only did they blast past their old record by 6 degrees but 97 degrees is a new all-time record high for the month of November. - First Alert Meteorologist Erin Jordan

 
  

Freeze Warning For Southern AZ...Thursday & Friday Morning Will Be COLD!

Thursday and Friday morning will bring the first freeze for many of you in southern Arizona!  The National Weather Service has issued a Freeze Warning for Santa Cruz, Cochise, eastern Pima, southern Pinal, Graham and southern Greenlee County from 1 AM to 9 AM on Thursday. This Freeze Warning will likely remain in effect for Friday morning.  I have some tips below to help you get through the winter chill but I know I haven't covered everything!  Please add your comments and tips. - First Alert Meteorologist Erin Jordan

PROTECTING PIPES

• Insulate exposed pipes.  These are the pipes that come out of the ground and go into your house.  Wrap them with old towels and tape the towels in place.  You can also buy insulation that fits around the pipe.  However, I have this on my own pipes at home and they still froze last year.  That is because there are some gaps in the insulation.  It doesn't fit perfectly around the joints.  You may want to wrap towels on any exposed areas just in case. 
• Drip your outdoor water tap.  This keeps the water moving and moving water freezes slower than water stilling still.
• Drip an indoor water tap the farthest away from where the water comes into the house.  By doing this you are moving water through most of the pipes in the house.
• Open the inside door to the garage to circulate warm air into that part of the house.  Many of us have the pipes installed through the garage wall and then into the house.  The garage is not heated so by opening the door and allowing heat to escape into the garage, the walls and pipes inside them remain a bit warmer.
• Open cabinets below sinks if they are located on an outside wall.  By doing this the warm air circulates through the cabinet and keeps that outside wall, where the pipes are located, a bit warmer than it would be if the cabinet was closed off from the warm air in the house. 

SWAMP COOLERS

• Drain the pump.
• Clear out any debris.
• Disconnect the water line before the first freeze. If you don't do this, the water left in the line could freeze and burst the line.  This could cause some major damage. 
• Cover your swamp cooler to prevent winter drafts. 
• Turn off the circuit breaker.

PLANTS

• Keep cold-sensitive plants covered.  At this point, if you haven't covered them, don't worry about it.  The spring and summer growth has probably already died off.  But keep that growth on there because that dead leaves and branches insulates the layers below and keeps them from being damaged by other freezes. 
• Cover fruit trees.  Some fruit trees have done OK with the weather so far.  But with the very cold temperatures you may want to throw a sheet over the tree if you don't see any damage.  If there is damage just let the tree be and cut off the dead limbs in the spring.  The tree will probably not bear fruit next year but it should survive. 
• Cover cactus tips with Styrofoam cups.  This insulates the tip of the cactus, which is where new growth generally occurs.  Most cacti of southern Arizona is used to the cold.  However, with hard freezes, damage can occur easier. 

PETS

• Pets need to be inside!  That fur can only do so much when temps drop below 40 degrees!  If you have an outdoor only dog, make sure the doghouse is protected from the wind and has plenty of warm blankets for the pup to tunnel into.  Puppies and elderly dogs are more sensitive to the cold.  And dogs that are ill should definitely be treated to a warmer room during this cold snap. 
• Bang loudly on the car hood before starting if up if you park outside.  Outdoor cats sometimes crawl into engine compartments that are nice and warm from all that driving.  If you start up the car and the cat is in the engine, you could injure or kill the animal.  Give the cat a chance to escape. 
• Get out the sweater.  Short-haired dog breeds get cold quick!  So dress them up in a little coat or sweater to keep them from catching a cold.
• Never leave dogs or cats in the car alone.  A car can act like a refrigerator, holding the cold in.  Just think how cold you are and how long the car takes to warm up, animals are feeling the same thing. 
• Active dogs need more food.  Animals burn more calories during the cold weather. So add a little something extra to the bowl.  Of course you want to make sure they have fresh, unfrozen water.

WATER HEATERS

• Insulate your water heater.  There are blankets that are specially made for water heaters sold at home improvement stores.  You can put the blankets on yourself, however if applied wrong you can damage your water heater, cause damage to your home, and sometimes void the warrenty.  It is best to have a professional install these.  You don't necessarily need this for tonight but it's a good idea to do this during the southern Arizona winters.  Water heaters are often outside, in the cold garage.  They lose some of the heat to the air and become less efficient during this time of year. 
• If water cut is cut to the house because of a burst pipe, turn off the water heater.  You can burn out the elements by not having water in your water heater.  So it's best just to turn it off until everything is fixed. 

IRRIGATION SYSTEMS

• Shut off the water and drain.  Refer to your owners manual on how to do this.  Most piping buried in the ground is safe from freezing because the dirt, rocks, and foliage above it act as an insulator.  Where the pipes are exposed, you want to cover that with old towels or pipe insulation. 

Earliest & Latest Freeze Dates in Southern AZ...Some Of You Will See Your First Freeze Thursday or Friday Morning.

From the Tucson National Weather Service

Earliest as of October 25th Location Average date 1st time in 2009/10 Earliest 1st occurrence Latest 1st occurrence Duncan Oct. 22 * Oct. 2, 1982 Nov. 20, 2001 Willcox Oct. 23 * Sep. 21, 1965 Nov. 27, 1914 Canelo Oct. 24 * Sep. 28, 1936 Nov. 25, 2007 Nogales Oct. 28 * Oct. 4, 1959 Nov. 25, 2007 San Simon Oct. 29 * Oct. 10, 1961 Nov. 16, 1988 Benson Oct. 31 * Oct. 9, 1982 Nov. 21, 1995 Bisbee Nov. 1 * Oct. 10, 1990 Nov. 25, 2007 Douglas Nov. 3 * Oct. 19, 1949 Nov. 19, 1995 Pearce-Sunsites Nov. 3 * Oct. 8, 1970 Nov. 29, 1965 Safford Nov. 4 * Oct. 4, 1959 Nov. 25, 2007 Fort Thomas Nov. 4 * Oct. 10, 1982 Nov. 25, 2007 Coronado N.M. Nov. 5 * Oct. 8, 1970 Nov. 29, 1967 Bowie Nov. 5 * Sep. 29, 1904 Dec. 1, 1927 Kitt Peak Nov. 6 * Oct. 7, 1970 Nov. 29, 1967 Oracle Nov. 14 * Oct. 9, 1939 Dec. 24, 1903 Sierra Vista Nov. 14 * Oct. 5, 2002 Dec. 23, 1900 Tombstone Nov. 18 * Oct. 18, 1908 Dec. 23, 1900 San Manuel Nov. 24 * Oct. 28, 1970 Dec. 27, 1962 Tucson Nov. 24 * Oct. 16, 1899 Jan. 25, 1978 Clifton Nov. 25 * Oct. 31, 1993 Dec. 23, 1910 Organ Pipe Cactus N.M. Dec. 4 * Oct. 31, 1979 Jan. 24, 1978 Ajo Dec. 25 * Oct. 31, 1971 Feb. 2, 1956 * - not yet.

Latest Location Average date Last time in 2009/10 Earliest last occurrence Latest last occurrence Ajo Jan. 25 n/a Nov. 19, 1958 May 7, 1921 Organ Pipe Cactus N.M. Feb. 24 n/a Jan. 4, 1993 May 4, 1969 Tucson March 4 n/a Dec. 30, 1979 May 3, 1899 Clifton March 5 n/a Jan. 19, 1927 Apr. 27, 1976 San Manuel March 19 n/a Feb. 12, 1972 Apr. 22, 1957 Sierra Vista March 24 n/a Feb. 12, 1986 May 7, 1907 Tombstone March 27 n/a Feb. 7, 2005 May 12, 1933 Bowie April 3 n/a Feb. 5, 1932 May 11, 1922 Oracle April 5 n/a Feb. 11, 1943 May 25, 1980 Safford April 7 n/a Feb. 23, 1986 May 7, 1975 Fort Thomas April 11 n/a Mar. 13, 2000 May 20, 1960 Douglas April 12 n/a Mar. 6, 2004 May 10, 1953 Pearce-Sunsites April 16 n/a Mar. 6, 2004 May 10, 1953 Bisbee (12 years of data) April 12 n/a Mar. 25, 2006 May 3, 1988 San Simon April 18 n/a Mar. 16, 1940 May 11, 1953 Coronado N.M. April 20 n/a Mar. 24, 1992 May 10, 1979 Benson April 21 n/a Mar. 18, 1990 May 29, 1971 Kitt Peak April 26 n/a Mar. 30, 1993 May 28, 1962 Nogales April 28 n/a Mar. 19, 1990 May 28, 1975 Willcox April 30 n/a Mar. 25, 1992 Jun. 13, 1964 Duncan May 1 n/a Mar. 30, 1969 Jun. 2, 1902 Canelo May 3 n/a Apr. 3, 1990 Jun. 6, 1925

Summer Ozone Season for 2009 is Over, and it was a good one!

Temperatures were above average much of the summer, and yet our Ozone levels stayed low almost all summer long. Here is the latest from the Pima County Department of Environmental Quality:

 

Increase in “Healthy” Air Quality Days Remains a Mystery

 

Tucson, Arizona(October 13, 2009) – This summer, Tucson area residents had more days when the air quality was rated in the good range for ground-level ozone pollution when compared to the six previous summers, Pima County Department of Environmental Quality (PDEQ) reports.  A variety of factors were researched by PDEQ staff to explain the decrease in number of days with moderate ozone pollution, including temperatures, rainfall, solar radiation, cloud cover, gasoline & diesel sales, relative humidity, and wind speed. However, none of these normally influential variables seemed to have a direct causal relationship to the lower ozone levels this summer.

 

“It is interesting that other cities across the country also experienced lower ozone levels during the summer of 2009,” said Beth Gorman, Sr. Program Manager with Pima County Department of Environmental Quality.  “Ozone is a very complex air pollutant that is formed only when a certain ratio of ingredients is introduced into the air at right time of day and under just the right atmospheric conditions,” she continued. “And if one part of that formula is off, than the air pollutant will not form.” “It is possible that the economy had an influence on ozone levels -- if business is slow, then it is likely that related emissions are also down which could reduce the formation of ground-level ozone,” Gorman said. PDEQ does not have the resources to perform an emissions inventory at this time which would help quantify the amounts of various pollutants emitted into the air and provide a more definitive explanation for the lower ozone levels this summer.

 

Ozone was low, but one day during the summer of 2009, particulate matter pollution was very high. “That was the morning in July when the mountains completely disappeared,” said Gorman. On July 22, a dust storm originating near Casa Grande brought a huge cloud of dust into the Tucsonarea. That day, PDEQ air quality monitors recorded the highest readings in the history of monitoring that size of particulate air pollution.  There was no mystery as to what caused that air quality issue, stated Gorman. 

 

For up-to-the-hour air pollution information in Pima County click  www.AirInfoNow.orgor call (520) 882-4AIR.      

 

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Tucson Dust Today Is From Cotton Fields

Check out the story on our KOLD.com homepage.  Basically the harvesting of the cotton fields in Marana and north towards Picacho Peak has kicked up a dust that is now drifting east.  The dust cloud is very noticeable from many parts of down. Take a look at our live Beadry RV camera.  Early in the day you could see the dust cloud almost hiding the Catalina Mountains. Do you have photos or video of the dust cloud?  Send them to us!  We have a new See It, Snap It, Send It platform that allows you to upload photos and video to our website.  Put as many as you like on there.  We may even use some of your uploads on the air. Have a good weekend! - First Alert Meteorologist Erin Jordan

Super Cool Science TV Show!

On Sunday at 6:30 PM check out Wavelengths on KUAT. It's a program all about how science is helping us advance in this every changing world.  This week's episode is about sustainability.  Get a preview by clicking here.