A rare day, a rare “bird”; a day in which rain only due to the collision-with-coalescence process operateddeveloped; hold the ice

Yesterday was as rare a  day in Catalina, Arizona as  seeing the marbled murrelet in Olympia, Washington.1 Why? Our bit of rain (0.12 inches in Sutherland Heights) was only due to that formed by the collision-coalesence process, some times called the “warm rain” process, or more technically, non-brightband rain2. No ice needed. Usually clouds at… Continue reading A rare day, a rare “bird”; a day in which rain only due to the collision-with-coalescence process operateddeveloped; hold the ice

Hawaii comes to Arizona from Mexico; 5.91 inches at Dan Saddle! 6.43 inches on Mt. Graham!

Former Hurricane ‘Newt’ brought some real humidity, low clouds with unusually warm bases (around 15-20 ° C) to Tucson and Catalina yesterday as its remnant center passed just about over us. Old Newt was “dragging” here as a tropical storm, aloft it was pretty strong still,  brought near hurricane force winds on isolated, high, mountain… Continue reading Hawaii comes to Arizona from Mexico; 5.91 inches at Dan Saddle! 6.43 inches on Mt. Graham!

The perfect rain

The “perfect storm”?  Well, maybe the perfect rain, and it kept giving fro several hours yesterday after our best model said it should end yesterday before 11 AM.  And what a nice rain!  1.18 inches total here in Sutherland Heights, as measured by a CoCoRahs plastic 4 inch gauge.  (You might consider getting one, btw,… Continue reading The perfect rain

Morning delight

The sky was packed with tropical Cumulus congestus and a few Cumulonimbus clouds in the distance at dawn yesterday, an unusual sight for Catlanders.   A few of those Cu around the Catalina/Saddlebrooke/Oro Valley area grew overhead into “soft-serve” Cumulonimbus clouds with heavy, tropical-feeling showers you could hike in with great comfort; no lightning/thunder observed. Up… Continue reading Morning delight

Hawai’i in Arizona

Yesterday, in the wake of TD Odile, it was about as Hawaiian a day in Arizona as you are ever likely to see. First, the high dewpoints, ones that replicate those in HI, mid and upper 60s (69-70 F in HNL right now), cloud base temperatures of around 60 F, and with misty, even drizzly… Continue reading Hawai’i in Arizona

O, models, disappoint

Odile passed to the S and E of Cat land, leaving only 0.13 inches here in the Heights, the Sutherland ones.  Didn’t even get the half inch I hoped for.  Oh, well, we can be happy for the droughty areas of New Mexico that got the brunt of that tropical system as did portions of… Continue reading O, models, disappoint

4.63 inches; enhancing our historic storm due to “further review”

First, a tedious note about the Big One of two days ago. While the Davis Vantage Pro 2 tipping bucket gauge registered a whopping 4.18 inches, a smaller plastic gauge from CoCoRahs here had 4.63 inches, after subtracting some rain (half an inch) I forgot to dump due to a brain cramp.  A neighbor a… Continue reading 4.63 inches; enhancing our historic storm due to “further review”

Special low cloud base day ahead; yesterday’s pretty cloud scenes

Today will be a special one in the desert.  Cumulus bases are going to be really LOW for summer,  maybe only 3-4 kft above the ground, and likely warmer than 15 C (50 F).  Maybe 50 F doesn’t sound special, but it is.   A base temperature of summer clouds that warm is rarely observed… Continue reading Special low cloud base day ahead; yesterday’s pretty cloud scenes

Traced yesterday, BTW

I wonder if you caught it?  Fell between 8:10 and 8:12 AM.  Very isolated, and pretty small drops.  If you weren’t driving in it, or outside, you would never have known this happened.  But observing and reporting events like this is what makes us who we are, you reader of CM.  We take pride in… Continue reading Traced yesterday, BTW

Tropical “soft serve” Cumulonimbus clouds sneak up on Catalina, deposit substantial morning rains

Maybe they sneaked up because I wasn’t looking.  After posting yesterday just after 5 AM, went out side and looked at the Catalina Mountains, that is those parts I could see through the thick rain shafts, and said, “WHAT!!!?”  I was STUNNED to see them; had not even looked at the radar imagery for a… Continue reading Tropical “soft serve” Cumulonimbus clouds sneak up on Catalina, deposit substantial morning rains