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NOUS45 KFGZ 051726
PNSFGZ
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ
1040 AM MST THU NOV 5 2009
...MONTH IN REVIEW FOR NORTHERN ARIZONA FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER 2009...
I. TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION OVERVIEW
OCTOBER 2009 TEMPERATURES DROPPED TO BELOW NORMAL VALUES COMPARED TO
THE THREE PREVIOUS MONTHS. THIS WAS IN PART DUE TO A DEEP TROUGH LOCATED
OVER THE WESTERN UNITED STATES AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MONTH AS WELL AS A
STRONG LOW WHICH BROUGHT WITH IT COLD TEMPERATURES NEAR THE END OF THE MONTH.
PRECIPITATION WAS BELOW NORMAL FOR MUCH OF NORTHERN ARIZONA IN OCTOBER. ONE
REASON FOR THE DRY CONDITIONS WAS THE LACK OF A MOISTURE TAP AS STORM
SYSTEMS APPROACHED THE STATE. MUCH OF THE PRECIPITATION ASSOCIATED WITH LOW
PRESSURE SYSTEMS THAT CROSSED NORTHERN ARIZONA OCCURRED EAST OF THE STATE.
OCTOBER 2009 DATA AND DEPARTURES FROM NORMAL FOR SELECTED CITIES:
MAX DEP MIN DEP AVE DEP PCPN DEP
TEMP NORM TEMP NORM TEMP NORM TOTL NORM
FLAGSTAFF 60.8 -2.6 29.0 -2.4 44.9 -2.5 0.21 -1.27
BELLEMONT 60.2 -2.7 22.4 -4.4 41.3 -3.6 0.10 -1.60
WINSLOW 70.8 -2.0 37.7 -2.2 54.3 -2.1 0.17 -0.49
PRESCOTT 69.0 -4.7 35.8 -5.7 52.4 -5.2 0.09 -0.72
SAINT JOHNS 68.1 -4.4 36.7 +0.8 52.4 -1.8 0.30 -0.61
WINDOW ROCK 62.9 -3.7 27.7 -5.0 45.3 -4.4 0.39 -0.75
PAGE 68.6 -2.2 46.5 -1.1 57.6 -1.7 T -1.00
MONTEZUMA CASTLE 80.6 -2.2 42.0 -1.0 61.3 -1.6 0.00 -0.98
GREER 58.7 -1.3 29.6 -1.3 44.2 -1.3 0.99 -1.61
II. SELECTED RECORDS
A STRONG TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE MOVED ACROSS NORTHERN ARIZONA JUST BEFORE
THE BEGINNING OF OCTOBER...WHICH USHERED IN BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES. A RIDGE
OF HIGH PRESSURE SETTLED IN THE FIRST FEW DAYS OF OCTOBER RESULTING IN
RADIATIONAL NIGHTTIME COOLING UNDER CLEAR SKIES. AS A RESULT... SEVERAL
RECORD LOW TEMPERATURES WERE SET ON THE MORNING OF OCTOBER 2ND
SELECTED RECORD LOWS FOR NORTHERN ARIZONA IN OCTOBER 2009:
CITY (PERIOD OF RECORD) NEW LOW PREVIOUS RECORD/YEAR
COTTONWOOD-TUZIGOOT (1977 - 2009) 44 44 (TIED) IN 1982
PAYSON (1948 - 2009) 33 34 IN 1971
PETRIFIED FOREST (1931 - 2009) 31 34 IN 1982
PHANTOM RANCH (1966 - 2009) 52 53 IN 1983
WINSLOW (1893 - 2009) 30 33 IN 1927
AN UNSEASONABLY STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVED ACROSS THE STATE ON
OCTOBER 28 CAUSING THE COLDEST WEATHER OF THE SEASON SO FAR TO OCCUR. MANY
LOCATIONS IN NORTHERN ARIZONA SAW SOME OF THE COLDEST OCTOBER DAYTIME
TEMPERATURES EVER OBSERVED. FOR TWO CONSECUTIVE DAYS MANY STATIONS RECORDED
RECORD LOW HIGH TEMPERATURES.
SELECTED RECORD LOW HIGH TEMPERATURES FOR NORTHERN ARIZONA IN OCTOBER 2009:
ON OCT 28 2009:
CITY (PERIOD OF RECORD) NEW LOW HIGH PREVIOUS RECORD/YEAR
FLAGSTAFF (1898 - 2009) 32 35 IN 1996
FORT VALLEY (1909 - 2009) 31 32 IN 1972
GRAND CANYON NP S RIM (1966 - 2009) 36 37 IN 1989
GREER (1905 - 2009) 27 35 IN 1991
HEBER RS (1950 - 2009) 31 36 IN 1976
PAGE (1958 - 2009) 42 48 IN 1996
PHANTOM RANCH (1966 - 2009) 48 58 IN 2000
PRESCOTT (1898 - 2009) 38 46 IN 1996
WILLIAMS (1897 - 2009) 30 39 IN 1996
WINSLOW (1893 - 2009) 43 47 IN 1991
ON OCT 29 2009:
CITY (PERIOD OF RECORD) NEW LOW HIGH PREVIOUS RECORD/YEAR
ALPINE (1904 - 2009) 25 42 IN 1961
COTTONWOOD-TUZIGOOT (1977 - 2009) 56 58 IN 1991
FORT VALLEY (1909 - 2009) 34 34 (TIED) IN 1974
HEBER RS (1950 - 2009) 34 42 IN 1974
NAVAJO NM (1939 - 2009) 30 32 IN 1991
PAYSON (1948 - 2009) 46 47 IN 1974
SPRINGERVILLE (1911 - 2009) 29 44 IN 1996
III. SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
DRY WEATHER CONTINUES TO BE THE BIG STORY CONTINUING THROUGH THE
MONTH OF OCTOBER FOR MOST OF NORTHERN ARIZONA. AFTER ENDURING ONE OF THE
DRIEST MONSOONS ON RECORD...NORTHERN ARIZONA CONTINUES TO EXPERIENCE A LACK
OF PRECIPITATION EXTENDING BACK TO THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR.
SELECTED STATIONS PRECIPITATION TOTALS YEAR TO DATE THROUGH OCTOBER 31ST...
..THE CURRENT YEAR TO DATE RANKING AS DRIEST ON RECORD
AND THE DRIEST
YEAR TO DATE PRECIPITATION TOTAL AND YEAR IT OCCURRED:
CITY YTD TOTAL YTD RANKING PREV REC DRIEST YTD (YEAR)
FLAGSTAFF 7.92" 1ST 8.28" (1942)
PRESCOTT 8.57" 5TH 5.92" (2002)
WINSLOW 2.56" 2ND 1.27" (2003)
PAGE 3.72" 8TH 2.58" (1971)
BAGDAD 5.10" 2ND 2.82" (1956)
SELIGMAN 5.00" 7TH 3.76" (1928)
BELLEMONT 8.93" 1ST 9.73" (2002)
TUBA CITY 2.85" 4TH 1.69" (1996)
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