DesertWeather.com blog » climate http://www.desertweather.com/blog Weather related discussions for the Coachella Valley and surrounding areas Sat, 28 Aug 2010 03:44:29 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Progress made in Southwest Drought Conditions http://www.desertweather.com/blog/progress-made-in-southwest-drought-conditions.htm http://www.desertweather.com/blog/progress-made-in-southwest-drought-conditions.htm#comments Thu, 28 Jan 2010 20:41:02 +0000 John http://www.desertweather.com/blog/?p=1766 To update everyone with the drought condition improvements we have seen in the Southwest due to the impressive rains last week, lets take a quick look at a few maps to show that progress…..

The first map is that of conditions as of January 12th, 2009.  You can clearly see that most of California and Arizona were in a state of moderate to severe droughts conditions. Note also Northeast Arizona having “Extreme” conditions.

source: National Drought Mitigation Center

Then came the drop in the jet stream that brought storm after storm aimed directly at the Southwest. With Southern California and Northern Arizona receiving the brunt of the “Storm Train” on the week of January 17th, it was welcomed for drought relief! For drought relief you typically would like to see rain over a longer period as we did, but it helped.

Impressive precipitation percent of normal rain recorded form 1/13 to 1/26… (Click image for larger/clearer view)

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source: Western Regional Climate Center

As of a results here’s the latest map showing a significant improvement in drought conditions, especially in California!

source: National Drought Mitigation Center

Looking ahead, El Nino is currently at a “moderate” level and as we typically see in El Nino years, a wet winter and into early spring is expected. Some resources show that we may see another storm window open up around the second week of February for some additional drought relief.

]]> http://www.desertweather.com/blog/progress-made-in-southwest-drought-conditions.htm/feed 0 A Look at Rainfall for 2009 http://www.desertweather.com/blog/a-look-at-rainfall-for-2009.htm http://www.desertweather.com/blog/a-look-at-rainfall-for-2009.htm#comments Sun, 03 Jan 2010 06:19:13 +0000 John http://www.desertweather.com/blog/?p=1695 A quick look at the rainfall figures for the calendar year 2009 shows rainfall well below our seasonal average. With the seasonal rainfall average of just over 5 inches for Palm Springs, 2009 departed with only 1.90 inches. Well below what we need.

To help with the drought conditions in California, better news may be on the way. The desert is off to a decent start this winter with a good storm early in December, and although the next few weeks looks dry, some sources are pointing to a wet latter half of January.

Keep in mind that California tracks rainfall by “rain year”, “rain season”, or “water year” which starts July 1st and ends June 30th. Rain data that is recorded at DesertWeather.com follows that rain year. But with the years end I thought 2009 as a calendar year was worth looking at. Also note that DesertWeather’s data sensors are located about 4 miles east of Palm Springs. Seasonal averages noted here are from the National Weather Service for Palm Springs.

 

Click here for full post with chart:

 

 

]]> http://www.desertweather.com/blog/a-look-at-rainfall-for-2009.htm/feed 0 Above Average Temperatures… Rain http://www.desertweather.com/blog/above-average-temperatures-rain.htm http://www.desertweather.com/blog/above-average-temperatures-rain.htm#comments Sat, 06 Dec 2008 19:55:47 +0000 John http://www.desertweather.com/blog/?p=866
Temperature graphs last 60 days for the Palm Springs Airport

Temperature graphs last 60 days for the Palm Springs Airport (source: NWS)


Looking at the graphs above you can clearly see the warmth we’ve had this autumn (I’ve highlighted the average high on each graph with a green line for clarity).

With that said, a major change is on its way. A major shift in the pattern in the west will play out next weekend and into the following week. Ken Clark of Accuweather.com has a detailed blog post about this coming change. All of the West (including Southern California) could see rain, snow and cooler temperatures.

 

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