November 2012 Pictures and October 2012 Data

Ocotillo

 

Once again it was hot in Tucson. It was only the 12^th warmest October on record despite the average high temperature of 88.8°F (31.56°C). This was 4.0°F (2.22°C) above normal. It was dry with only a trace of rain at the airport and 0.04 inches (1.02 mm) at my house. The average low temperatures were close to normal. 

Prickly Pear - Notice dirt on lower pads from termites

Saguaro 

Barrel Cactus with fruit on top

October 2012 Pictures September 2012 Data

As we moved into fall, we closed out the summer with the first 9 months of 2012 registering as the 4^th warmest year on record that dates back to 1895. The average temperature for the year so far was 73.9°F (23.28°C). This was 1.6°F (0.89°C) above normal. We recorded 73 days over 100°F (37.78°C), which was 11 days above normal. Our rainfall for the first 9 months was -2.50 inches (63.5mm) below normal.

Our monthly data was close to average for September. The main exceptions were that the average low temperature was 1.3°F (0.72°C) above normal, and our rainfall was -0.91 inches (-23.11mm) below normal.

 

Prickly Pear with termite tubes

Ocotillo with a few leaves left

 

 

 

Saguaro

 

 

 

 

Termites on Saguaro

 

Termites on Prickly Pear

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

September 2012 Pictures August 2012 Data

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August was hot and dry in Tucson. It was the 4th hottest August recorded and 28th driest August. The temperature topped 105°F (41°C) for 9 days in a row. We had three record-breaking high temperature days.  The records were:

August 8^th              108°F (42.2°C)

August 12^th            109°F (42.8°C)

August 13^th            109°F (42.8°C)

Our average high temperature for August was 100.5°F (38.1°C). This is 3.1°F (1.7°C) above normal. The official rainfall measurement at the airport was -1.22 inches (-30.99mm), which was below the normal measurement of 2.39” (60.71mm). However, at my house we were right on target for normal rainfall. The only consolation to this hot August was that it was still cooler than 2011, which was our 2^nd hottest August on record.

Prickly Pear looks a little less parched

Saguaro

Ocotillo: Lots of leaves

Close-up of termites on Saguaro

August 2012 Pictures and July Data

Prickly Pear with Fruit

July 2012 was cool and wet in Tucson, AZ.  For only the second time in the last 14 months that I have been recording data, the average high temperature was below normal. The average high temperature was 97.3°F (23.4°C), which was -2.4°F

(-1.3°C) below normal. The average low temperature was close to normal at 74.2°F (23.4°C) with the normal reading of 74.4°F (23.6°C). There were 10 days over 100°F (38.8°C) which is 8 less days than normal. 

Saguaro

Ocotillo

 

The much-needed rainfall contributed to the cooler temperatures. The official rainfall at the airport was 4.13” (104.90 mm). At my location I recorded 4.03” (102.36 mm). There were two days where we received 1.39” (35.31 mm) and 1.37” (34.80 mm) in a few hours. The arrival of the summer monsoon season inspired us to start doing rainwater harvesting at our house. At this point we only have a few strategically placed trashcans to collect water off of the roof. We hope to install some large tanks and pumps soon to be able to take care of our watering needs for our small vegetable garden. Stay tuned for more pictures of our rainwater harvesting system as it develops.

Rainwater Harvesting

Record 1.37" Rainfall

The high rainfall produced more blossoms on many of our cactus. Traditionally, except for the barrel cactus, most other species only bloom in the spring.

Barrel Cactus

Jumping Cholla Cactus

Staghorn Cholla

 

 

 

 

Pincushion Cactus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Harris Hawk

July 2012Pictures and June 2012 Data

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My pictures were taken on July 4, 2012. We received a much needed rain that day, which made the sky overcast.

June was HOT. It was the 5^th hottest June on record. The high temperature reached the triple digits (100°F+) for 28 of the 30 days in June. This tied a record for the most triple digit temperatures. Since 100°F converts to 37.8°C, I decided to put my brain into Celsius mode to survive the heat. Psychologically 40.6°C doesn’t seem as hot at 105°F. We still recorded 11 days of the month over 40.6°C.

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Weather Data June

Parched Prickly Pear

Cactus Wren Nest in Cholla Cactus

Our average high temperature in June was 103.4°F (39.7°C). This was 3.1°F (1.7°C) above normal. Our nights did not cool off very much. Our average low temperature was 72.2°F (22.3C) which translates to 2.9°F (1.6°C) above normal. We did receive a little bit of rain this month. The official location at the airport recorded 0.34” (8.64 mm), which is 0.10” (2.54 mm) above normal. My location only received 0.14” (3.56mm).

Ocotillo

Saguaro

June 2012 Data and May Pictures

Obtained from National Weather Service

May was another record-breaking month. It was the 7^th warmest May on record with an average temperature of 79.0°F (26.1°C) which was 3.0°F (1.7°C) above normal. There were seven days above 100°F (37.8°C), including two days of 105°F (40.6°C) which historically occurs on June 12^th. There was no measurable rainfall at either the airport or my location.

A rare haboob, an intense dust storm, hit Tucson on May 7^th.


 

Saguaro with fruit

Ocotillo

White-winged Dove enjoying saguaro fruit

Prickly Pear

April 2012 Data and May Pictures

Palo Verde in Bloom

Blossoms

April was quite warm. It was the 10^th warmest on record. It marked the second earliest recording of the first 100°F (37.8°C) day on April 22^nd. This data goes back to 1892 and the earliest date was on April 19, 1989.

The average temperature for April was 69.8°F (21.0°C), which was 2.8°F (1.6°C) above normal. The average high temperature was 3.4°F (1.9°C) above the normal of 82.1°F (27.8°C). This corresponds to April 2012 marking the most days with highs of 90°F (32.2°C) or greater since April of 1989.

Precipitation was once again lacking at 0.12” (3.05 mm) recorded at the airport compared to the normal of 0.31” (7.87 mm). My location was close to normal at 0.30” (7.62 mm).

Prickly Pear Blossoms

Ocotillo

Cholla Blossoms

 

March 2012 Data and April Picture

Flower Buds on Prickly Pear

In March the average high temperature was 2.5°F (1.4°C) higher than normal. The average low temperature was 1.7°F (0.9°C) below normal. These discrepancies were balanced out to give an average temperature of 60.6°F  (15.9°C), compared to the normal average of 60.1°F (15.6°C). Rainfall fell short of average again with only 0.34” (8.64 mm), compared to the normal of 0.73” (18.54 mm). My location received a little more rain with 0.55” (13.97 mm).

 

The first three months of 2012 experienced the 11^th warmest average temperature of 57.3°F (14.1°C). This was 1.2°F (0.6°C) above normal. It was also the 9^th driest January through March for the airport location that officially records rainfall for Tucson. Rainfall varied across the metropolitan area. 

Saguaro

Buds on Cholla

February 2012 Data and March 2012 Pictures

February 14, 2012 marked the 100^th year of Arizona statehood. It also provided us with a few moments of an unusual snowfall at our school. February temperatures were close to average in Tucson. The average high was 69.9°F (21.1°C) compared to the normal of 68.5°F (20.3°C). Average lows were 41.3°F (5.2°C) compared to the normal of 42.2°F (5.7°C). Rainfall was sparse with 0.08 inches (2.03mm) recorded at airport and a little more 0.21 inches (5.33mm) at my house.

	Feb 2012	Normals	Deviation
Average High Temperature (°F)	69.9	68.5	1.4
Average Low Temperature (°F)	41.3	42.2	-0.9
Average Temperature (°F)	55.6	55.3	0.3
Number of 100° + highs	0	0	0
Rainfall (in) official	0.08	0.94	-0.86
Rainfall (in) at location	0.21
	Feb 2012	Normals	Deviation
Average High Temperature (°C)	21.1	20.3	0.8
Average Low Temperature (°C)	5.2	5.7	-0.5
Average Temperature (°C)	13.1	12.9	0.2
Number of 100° + highs	0	0	0
Rainfall (mm) official	2.03	23.88	-21.84
Rainfall (mm) at location	5.33