On Again, Off Again, the Monsoon is a Fickle Creature

Staff Writer, DL Mullan

Weather / Air Quality
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The monsoon will take a break in the western part of the state and bring with it hotter temperatures. Tuesday through Thursday will begin this on and off pattern. The coming weekend will see a return of storm chances and air quality concerns with dust storm formation.

Until then, keep your oven mittens in the car, July is not over and August is setting up to be as hot as ever.

Forecast Discussion: It has been an active few days now on the weather front! It started with the unusually large dust event that affected portions of Mexico on Thursday. This was likely caused by what is called a Mesoscale Convective System. This dust then moved northward into Arizona Thursday and Friday with a moisture surge. A pronounced haze was widespread. As a result PM-10 and PM-2.5 were already elevated before significant thunderstorm activity and multiple outlfows triggered a dust storm that impacted much of the Valley during the early evening on Friday. Ultimately, six Maricopa County monitors exceeded the PM-10 health standard. Then another round of strong winds, locally heavy rainfall, and blowing dust struck the Phoenix Metropolitan late last night into the early morning hours. This would account for the lingering haze seen today along with higher current PM readings. We remain in an unstable environment. Models are consistent in showing thunderstorms forming once again over the higher terrain. These then move westward under east-southeasterly steering winds into the Phoenix area during the early evening. Stronger outflows dropping out the higher terrain from the north and east versus the south will help limit the dust threat, but localized blowing dust is still possible. The steering flow is then expected to turn southwesterly by Monday, which is unfavorable for bringing convection into the Valley. Generally, ozone readings are running lower than this time yesterday, likely to due to this morning's cloud cover and the clearing winds from last night. We expect ozone to stay around the lower Moderate range through Tuesday.

North looking toward the Estrella Mountains

Source: AIRNow, Visibility Cameras,

122F in Phoenix 24 Years Ago Today

Staff Writer, DB Holmes
Weather / Record Heat
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Happy Anniversary!

Phoenix Ozone Health Watch with More Triple Digit Heat

Staff Writer, DB Holmes

Weather / Air Quality
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As of 9am the Ozone concentration was reported at 67. That is the number forecast for tomorrow and we have already hit that mark this morning.

Ozone is definitely the big story this week. Concentrations have pushed into the middle to upper part of the Moderate range over the past 48 hours. Models suggest we could see one or two monitors approach the health standard on Friday. Thus, we are issuing an Ozone Health Watch for Friday. History shows that the day after such an event usually sees lower concentrations. PM10 levels continue to be mostly in the Good range with one or two local monitors (West 43rd and South Phoenix) in the lower Moderate range. Daytime highs will hold steady between 106-111°F Friday through next week as high pressure maintains its position to the south. We're watching the long-range models for an indication of when the monsoon shift may occur. We are starting to see some signs of high pressure migrating north near the Four Corners around the 16th to the 21st of June. Thunderstorm activity may begin to pop up in Arizona's mountains around that time, but wide-spread moisture will likely hold off until the end of June.

For those individuals with respiratory issues, please limit outdoor exposure and stay in filtered air.

As the temperatures suggest, there is no end insight for triple digit heat, ozone production, or the monsoon. 

Source: AIRNow, Weather Channel

Is it Summer Yet?

Staff Writer, DB Holmes

Weather / Air Quality

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The triple digits are not far away but have been postponed for another few days. Air quality will improve as the wind subsides.

Today's Air Quality Forecast

The cold front responsible for kicking up winds and dust yesterday has cleared the state. All monitors yesterday recorded PM readings in the Moderate category. Elevated readings and some haze are still noticeable this morning, but breezy winds by afternoon will help disperse dust. Also, enough moisture and instability exists for light showers to develop over the higher terrain north and east of Phoenix during the afternoon. A cooler air mass has moved in and high temperatures in the upper 70s today are about 10 to 15 degrees below normal for early May. Temps will be somewhat slow to recover as Arizona remains under the influence of a broad area of troughing. Air quality improves by tomorrow, but ozone will continue to range in the upper Good to lower Moderate categories.

Source: AIRNOW,  Weather Channel,

Giant Frogs, Giant Frogs, That's the Weather, Back to You

Staff Writer, DB Holmes

Weather / Air Quality

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The heat is on right after a tiny three day vacation full of wind and potential dust. Is this the last gasp of spring weather making its way into the desert forecast? Or will the Valley of the Sun see more unsettled weather until Monsoon season begins? 

May 2014 Forecast for the Southwestern Region of the United States:

4th-7th. A few widely scattered showers.
8th-11th. Drier with some sunshine.
12th-15th. Clouds increase, turning warmer California, points east.
16th-19th. Fair, warmer.
20th-23rd. Scattered showers.
24th-27th. Changeable skies: mixed cloud, sun, possible shower. Cool temperatures.
28th-31st. Possible showers again.

The weather appears to be unstable with unseasonably low or high temperatures and storms that have moisture but leave Phoenix high and dry. Pretty soon, the forecast will call for giant frogs. Could the solar minimum be the cause of such erratic behavior in our weather patterns?

Forecast Discussion: Our hot and quiet weather this weekend will abruptly end early this week when the current ridge of high-pressure over the western U.S. flattens and is eventually replaced by a mid to upper-level trough of low-pressure. Generally, temps will go down, while southwesterly winds increase, peaking on Tuesday. Afternoon breezes up to 15 mph are expected to begin today and Monday. On Tuesday, widespread blowing dust across the Phoenix Metropolitan area is becoming more probable as models advertise sustained winds up to 25 mph with higher gusts. PM levels could reach the middle to upper Moderate range, but this may need to be adjusted higher depending on tomorrow’s model runs and how the storm is developing. An Air Pollution Health Watch for elevated PM-10 levels may be required for Tuesday (stay tuned). Ozone is also expected to reach the middle to upper Moderate range Monday and Tuesday as the storm imports precursors, but should fall back into the Good range in the wake of the storm’s passage. No precipitation is anticipated for the lower deserts, but high temps by Tuesday will be much cooler in the 80s. Enjoy the rest of the weekend and check back tomorrow for an updated forecast concerning the possible dust event on Tuesday!

The temperature forecast:

Last Year on this date:

High Temp:	94.1F
Low Temp:	66.6F
Average Temp:	80.1F
Dewpoint:	27.2F
Wind Speed:	6.8 Knots

Source: AIRNow, Weather Channel, Farmer's Almanac 

Triple Digits, Santa Ana, and Blowing Dust

Staff Writer, Nathaniel Diaz

Weather / Air Quality
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Triple digits will hit this weekend as a high pressure system comes over the Southwest, including Southern California which will bring Santa Ana conditions. Wind will lessen as the temperatures go higher but with another low pressure system on its way, windy conditions will return by the start of the week.

Forecast Discussion: After a windy past few days, much quieter weather is expected through the upcoming weekend due to a ridge of high pressure moving over the region. PM-10 levels across the Phoenix area were up into the Moderate category, but have since returned to the Good range as yesterday’s haze has cleared out and winds have calmed. Currently, most of the observation network is reporting Good pollutant levels. We are not expecting too much fluctuation in these readings besides an increase in ozone under increasingly west to southwest flow. The bigger story will be hot high temperatures nearing 100ºF for both Saturday and Sunday. Looking ahead, an early week storm system could cause blowing dust issues on Tuesday along with a 15 degree cool down in high temperatures. More on this potential dust event with the next forecast update.

Source: AIRNow, Weather Channel 

Hot, Dry, and Summer is Here

Staff Writer, DB Holmes

Weather / Air Quality

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Phoenix's first 100 degree day is coming quickly as the cooler air mass has left the Valley of the Sun. Breezy conditions will persist throughout the week. This weekend looks to be a scorcher.

Forecast Discussion: The wind event Saturday brought everything we expected - wind, cold air, dust, and some rain. Every PM10 monitor across the Valley registered Moderate levels. Buckeye nearly exceeded the standard, perhaps due to some recently tilled fields nearby? Rain totals were light as expected. Sky Harbor officially received just a Trace (less than 0.01 inches) of rain. Most measurable amounts fell in the upslope locations north, northeast and east of the Valley. The system has moved east and the flow has turned out of the northwest. There still remains some lingering dust in the Valley. The remnants will disperse over the course of the next several days with the heating of the day and natural drainage patterns to the west. Concentrations should return to the Good range by Monday. Ozone levels were Good on Saturday. Expect levels to remain mostly in the upper part of the Good range through much of the week under a northwest flow. Temperatures will rebound from a high of only 76°F on Saturday to 90°F by Tuesday and Wednesday, pushing into the middle 90s by Friday.

Source: AIRNow, Weather Channel 

Weather and Air Quality Forecast for the Next Ten Days

Staff Writer, DL Mullan

Weather / Air Quality
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 It's up and down for the next ten days. From 90's to mid 70's on Saturday, then a brief stint in the 80's and straight toward 99 degrees by May 1st. All the while, breezy to windy conditions will remain in the forecast as brush fire conditions are ripe throughout Arizona.

Forecast Discussion: It's going to be a little breezy later Tuesday night with some residual winds into early Wednesday and again Wednesday afternoon. We are not expecting any dust from this event, but local ozone concentrations will likely reach the middle to upper Moderate range at multiple Valley locations Tuesday. Atmospheric mixing will break up the ozone plume Wednesday resulting in lower overall concentrations. Conditions improve and temperatures warm once again Thursday and Friday to around 90°F. We're keeping an eye on the next system. This one will be much larger, bringing some potential moisture to the deserts Saturday. Again, southwest winds could push 20 mph at times, but dust does not appear to be an issue, especially if the system is accompanied with moisture. The biggest change will be temperatures. Phoenix may struggle to reach 75°F on Saturday. That would be about 13 degrees below normal. For now, expect air quality levels to improve after Wednesday, with ozone possible edging higher on Friday.

Source: AIRNow,

Last of April's Hours Don't Bring May Flowers

Staff Writer, DB Holmes

Weather / Air Quality

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Phoenix is going to be hot in the beginning of this week but temperatures will be tapering off into the mid to upper 80's by next weekend. Watch out for more wind associated with low pressure systems making their way down the jet stream.

Forecast Discussion: Daytime highs in Phoenix will warm to the middle 90s through Tuesday with high pressure moving through the region. We will see ozone levels edge up each day, reaching the middle Moderate range by Tuesday, ahead of the next disturbance on Wednesday. The mid-week system will bring cooler air, dropping afternoon highs into the upper 80s. This wave will be lacking moisture, so no rain is expected for the deserts. Winds may exceed 15-20 mph at times. We'll be watching the models of changes to speeds and directions of the wind which could result in some blowing dust. For now, it doesn't appear to be a big dust-maker for the Phoenix area.

Source: AIRNow, Weather Channel  

Spring into Summer, Phoenix is Dry and Hot

Staff Writer, DB Holmes

Weather / Meteorology
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It is that time of the year again when temperatures rise as well as ozone concentrations. The rainless wind episodes have helped further dry out the deserts. Potential for blowing dust is still relevant as breezy conditions come into the Valley this weekend with windy conditions set up for the middle of next week.

Forecast Discussion: The official high in Phoenix on Wednesday was 95°F. As expected, we saw ozone concentrations go up around the forecast area under the light, west-to-east flow. The baseline for Thursday is higher, so it’s likely that levels will go higher as well under sunny skies and relatively light winds. An approaching upper-level system could boost levels further on Friday into the middle Moderate range before dropping off Saturday with increased surface breezes and atmospheric mixing. PM10 levels also bounced higher, into the lower Moderate range on Wednesday. The South Phoenix and West 43rd Avenue monitors registered 53 and 55 AQI, respectively. Buckeye was not far behind at 50 AQI. This is a testament to how dry the soil has become, and long-range models suggest there will be no rain expected over the next 2 weeks. We don’t anticipate any significant blowing dust this weekend, but it’s possible to see some pockets along the desert floor between Phoenix and southern California Saturday into early Sunday. Daytime temperatures are forecast to drop into the upper 80s, close to 90°F on Saturday and Sunday, warming slightly once again by Monday.

Source: AIRNow

Ancient Technique to Water Your Garden

Staff Writer, Nicole Meyer-Greene

Gardening / Sustainability

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In the hot Arizona sun, do you feel you are doing nothing but watering your plants day after day?

There may be a simple and economical solution to over watering your yard: clay pots. In the article, Clay Pot Irrigation - a simple adaptation of an ancient technique, gardeners are shown how to use clay pots to water their plants.

Get hold of an ordinary 25 cm (10 inch) terracotta pot. Plug the hole with a wine cork. Bury it almost up to its neck in the soil but not too deep so that soil falls into the pot. Fill it with water. Add a terracotta lid.

Plant seedlings or sow seeds 18 inches around the base of the pot. Water will slowly seep out through the clay wall of the pot, directly irrigating the soil around the pot. As the roots grow they will wrap themselves around the pot. The plants takes up almost all the water, and because the water source is now in the ground, evaporation is almost nil.

Keep the pot filled up and you will provide a steady source of irrigation when your plants need it.

It is that simple.

With the heat of the desert on the rise, gardeners can take comfort in knowing their plants are well cared for all afternoon long without the mess and time of using a hose.

(Make sure the pot is unglazed.)

Source: Permaculture UK,

Weather Update March 2 2014 With Dane Wigington

Staff Writer: Nicole Meyer-Greene
GeoEngineering / Weather 
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Weather Update March 2 2014 With Dane Wigington gives a synopsis of the weather that has happened in the United States and across the world looking through the glass of geoengineering.

Source: Youtube,

http://www.geoengineeringwatch.org
http://www.globalskywatch.com/
https://www.facebook.com/dane.wigington
https://www.facebook.com/JohnMFromNY