Arizona dreamin’; late April rains

A lot of snowbirds head home when the temperature goes above about 85 F (30 C) because they can’t take it like we can, which is what will be happening today and for a couple more days before some thick middle and high clouds move in toward the weekend with their often accompanying blazing sunsets/sunrise to go with the blazing temperatures.  So, expect some extra traffic on the roads in the next few days.  If this blog was a grammar school playground, I’d be calling them “little crybabies” when I saw them leaving.

But, while the hot regime digs in now, “I want to leave you today with this final thought”1but one in the form of a weather map:

384 h from now, or about two weeks.
384 h from now, or about two weeks.  From last night’s WRF-GOOFUS model run which can’t be trusted this far out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For credence, and transparent, or “clear water” credibility2, we look to the NOAA spaghetti bowl to see if that map above has any support:

Valid the day before of the map above.  I think I can see something here.
Valid the day before of the map above. I think I can see something here that would support unusual rains in Arizona in later April….  Its my job.  Those red lines (contours that reflect where the troughs are), at least kind of dip down in our area. But for real credibility, we those blue contours, not red ones.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The End

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1This phrase is kind of a literary device, a trick really,  often used to keep people reading, thinking that the piece is going to end without them investing too much more time.  But then it goes on some more.
 

2Though it would be a good name for a band, its not a strained and awkward allusion to the 60s band (“Creedence”3 CR) that broke up because of all the infighting and never got back together to do legacy tours of all their great hits and make a lot money like the Eagles did when they resolved all of THEIR infighting (almost).   I guess Hell hasn’t frozen over for CCR. Too bad. I remember seeing CCR live at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds, and how the whole audience leaped up in unison and as if by command when they launched into their hit, “Proud Mary” with those big, booming chords we all learned to play on our guitars!

3A common misspelling of  the word, “credence.”  The band was not known for spelling, but man, to name your band with a misspelled word, wow.

By Art Rangno

Retiree from a group specializing in airborne measurements of clouds and aerosols at the University of Washington (Cloud and Aerosol Research Group). The projects in which I participated were in many countries; from the Arctic to Brazil, from the Marshall Islands to South Africa.