Climatological Report (Annual)
Issued by NWS Flagstaff, AZ

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CXUS56 KFGZ 112058
CLAFGZ

FLAGSTAFF CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FLAGSTAFF AZ
200 PM MST MON JAN 11 2010

...2009 YEAR IN REVIEW FOR NORTHERN ARIZONA...

...TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION OVERVIEW...

2009 DATA AND DEPARTURES FROM NORMAL FOR SELECTED CITIES:

                      MAX    DEP     MIN    DEP    PCPN    DEP
                     TEMP   NORM    TEMP   NORM    TOTL   NORM
BAGDAD               75.0   -1.9    45.7   -3.1   14.40   -4.78
BETATAKIN            62.2   +0.2    39.4   +1.3    7.41   -4.58
CANYON DE CHELLY     67.9   -1.2    38.0   +0.1    6.08   -3.09
TUZIGOOT(COTTONWOOD) 79.4   +0.3    48.2   +0.9    7.48   -5.25
FLAGSTAFF            61.9   +0.7    31.6   +0.5   11.65   -9.02
GANADO               66.0   +1.5    35.1   +2.1    4.27   -6.52
GRAND CANYON S RIM   63.5   +0.0    32.3   +0.0    5.74  -10.52
GREER                59.6   +1.4    30.7   +0.8   15.66   -6.85
HOLBROOK             72.4   +0.5    40.5   +2.7    3.15   -5.20
PAGE                 70.9   +0.9    48.6   +1.8    4.18   -2.23
PRESCOTT             71.5   +2.1    42.0   +4.7    7.77  -11.12
SAINT JOHNS          70.3   +0.1    37.6   +1.7    4.18   -6.98
SEDONA               76.7   +1.2    49.3   +3.1   11.71   -6.12
SELIGMAN             72.5   +1.3    37.8   +1.8    6.77   -4.79
TUBA CITY            70.9   +0.6    43.2   +3.0    3.02   -3.39
WILLIAMS             63.9   +0.1    37.9   +3.1   14.61   -6.95
WINSLOW              72.8   +2.0    39.2   -0.3    2.81   -4.86


2009 SNOWFALL TOTALS AND DEPARTURES FROM NORMAL FOR SELECTED CITIES:

                     2009 TOTAL(IN)   NORMAL(IN)  DEP NORM
ALPINE                   79.4            88.2       -8.8
BETAKAKIN                19.8            50.7      -30.9
CANYON DE CHELLY         15.5             6.0       +9.5
FLAGSTAFF                83.4           108.6      -25.2
GRAND CANYON N. RIM      66.0           136.7      -70.7
GRAND CANYON S. RIM      65.5            44.3      +21.2
GREER                    31.8            91.6      -59.8
HAPPY JACK               52.2            87.5      -35.3
HEBER                     9.0            37.9      -28.9
JEROME STATE PARK         4.5            17.1      -12.6
MCNARY                   76.2            88.2      -12.0
PAYSON                    8.0            24.0      -16.0
SELIGMAN                 17.2            12.4       +4.8
WILLIAMS                 76.1            69.2       +6.9


...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER EVENTS...


FEBRUARY SNOWSTORMS...

...A PAIR OF STRONG WINTER STORMS BROUGHT HEAVY SNOW AND STRONG WINDS TO
NORTHERN ARIZONA IN MID-FEBRUARY. THE SECOND OF THE TWO SYSTEMS WAS THE
STRONGEST AND PRODUCED THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL TOTALS...

FOUR DAY SNOWFALL TOTALS FROM THE PAIR OF STORMS INCLUDED:

FLAGSTAFF AIRPORT.................29 INCHES.
TONTO VILLAGE.....................24 INCHES.
BELLEMONT.........................24 INCHES.
MCNARY............................16 INCHES.


MARCH WINDSTORMS...

...A SERIES OF STRONG BUT DRY TROUGH WITH SIGNIFICANT WIND AND BLOWING
DUST EVENTS OCCURRED THROUGHOUT THE MONTH OF MARCH. FIVE MAJOR WIND
EVENTS OCCURRED ACROSS NORTHERN ARIZONA ON MARCH 4TH...5TH...22ND...26TH
...AND 29TH. THE STRONGEST SYSTEM ARRIVED ON MARCH 22ND AND BROUGHT WITH
IT A POWERFUL COLD FRONT THAT PRODUCED TREE DAMAGE AND SOME LOST SHINGLES
TO STRUCTURES AROUND THE STATE. SOME POWER OUTAGES OCCURRED IN CHINLE AND
CHINO VALLEY FROM THIS STORM.

PEAK WIND GUSTS REPORTED TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FROM THE MARCH 22ND
STORM INCLUDED:

ST. JOHNS.........................70 MPH.
LEUPP.............................67 MPH.
FLAGSTAFF AIRPORT.................64 MPH.
WINSLOW...........................64 MPH.
SHOW LOW..........................60 MPH.
WINDOW ROCK.......................59 MPH.
GRAND CANYON......................59 MPH.
PRESCOTT..........................59 MPH.
PETRIFIED FOREST..................58 MPH.
SEDONA............................55 MPH.
CHINO VALLEY......................55 MPH.
PAGE..............................52 MPH.


RECORD GROWING SEASON FOR FLAGSTAFF...

THE FINAL FREEZE RECORDED AT FLAGSTAFF AIRPORT DURING THE SPRING OF 2009
WAS ON APRIL 30TH. THE NEXT FREEZING TEMPERATURE WAS NOT REACHED UNTIL
THE MORNIN OF OCTOBER 1ST...A SPAN OF 153 DAYS. THIS LENGTH OF TIME
SURPASSED THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 146 DAYS SET BACK IN 1940.


THE DRY MONSOON...

AN UNUSUAL LARGE SCALE PATTERN DISRUPTED THE NORMAL FLOW REGIME THAT WOULD
ALLOW MONSOON MOISTURE TO BE PUSHED ACROSS ARIZONA FROM JULY THROUGH SEPTEMBER.
ARIZONA WOULD EITHER EXPERIENCE DRY SOUTHWEST FLOW...OR BE LOCATED UNDERNEATH
A CAPPING SUBTROPICAL RIDGE MOST OF THE TIME. THIS RESULTED IN MUCH BELOW
AVERAGE PRECIPITATION FOR THE TYPICAL JUNE 15TH THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30TH
MONSOON SEASON ACROSS NORTHERN ARIZONA.

SELECTED CITIES AND THEIR RAINFALL TOTALS FOR THE 2009 MONSOON AND THEIR
RANKING AMONGST THE DRIEST MONSOONS OF ALL TIME:

CITY                  2009 MONSOON RAINFALL          DRIEST RANKING

BELLEMONT                  3.53"                         1ST
FLAGSTAFF                  2.87"                         2ND
WINSLOW                    1.04"                         2ND
BAGDAD                     2.02"                         4TH
PAGE                       0.93"                         6TH
SELIGMAN                   2.77"                         8TH
PRESCOTT                   4.34"                        10TH
SEDONA                     4.43"                        12TH


SEDONA FLASH FLOOD...

LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN FROM STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRED OVER SEDONA ON SEPTEMBER
10TH. RADAR-ESTIMATED RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF ONE TO TWO INCHES PROMPTED THE
ISSUANCE OF A FLASH FLOOD WARNING AT 208 PM MST. THE FIRST REPORTS OF RISING
WATER AND FLOODING WERE RECEIVED AT 220 PM MST...WITH ADDITIONAL REPORTS ARRIVING
THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. A RECORD RAINFALL TOTAL FOR THE DATE WAS MEASURED IN
SEDONA TOTALING 2.5". FLASH FLOODING AT THE TLAQUEPAQUE ARTS AND CRAFTS VILLAGE
AND LOS ABRIGADOS CAUSED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE. VEHICLES THAT WERE PARKED THERE WERE
WASHED INTO THE VILLAGE...WITH SOME CARS STACKED ATOP ONE ANOTHER AS A RESULT
OF THE FORCE OF THE FAST MOVING FLOOD WATERS.


DECEMBER WINTER STORM...

A MAJOR WINTER STORM BROUGHT BLIZZARD CONDITIONS AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TO
PORTIONS OF NORTHERN ARIZONA DECEMBER 8TH AND 9TH. THE STORM BROUGHT WITH IT
STRONG WINDS AND SNOWFALL TOTALS RANGING FROM 18 INCHES TO OVER 2 FEET OVER
THE MOUNTAINS. WINDS ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT CAUSED WIDESPREAD
BLOWING AND DRIFTING OF SNOW AS WELL AS SOME PROPERTY AND TREE DAMAGE...AND
POWER OUTAGES.

IN ADDITION...A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WHICH WAS ESTIMATED TO BE CAPABLE
OF PRODUCING WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 80 MPH MOVED THROUGH NORTHERN GILA COUNTY
AROUND MIDNIGHT.

SOME STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL AND WIND GUST REPORTS RECEIVED BY THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE INCLUDED:

ARIZONA SNOWBOWL..................21 TO 32 INCHES
FLAGSTAFF.........................20 TO 26 INCHES
WILLIAMS..........................20 INCHES
BELLEMONT.........................19 INCHES
GRAND CANYON SOUTH RIM............18 INCHES
MCNARY............................16 INCHES
PINETOP...........................10 INCHES
HEBER.............................8 INCHES
WINDOW ROCK.......................6 INCHES
SHOW LOW..........................6 INCHES
PAYSON............................6 INCHES
PRESCOTT..........................2 TO 6 INCHES
CANYON DE CHELLY..................1 INCH

CHINO VALLEY......................78 MPH.
CROWN KING........................77 MPH.
PRESCOTT..........................74 MPH.
BELLEMONT.........................70 MPH.
MINGUS MOUNTAIN...................70 MPH.
TWO GUNS..........................69 MPH.
WINSLOW...........................69 MPH.
CAMP VERDE........................66 MPH.
WINDOW ROCK.......................56 MPH.
SAINT JOHNS.......................56 MPH.
SEDONA............................54 MPH.
FLAGSTAFF.........................53 MPH.


A DRY 2009...

ALTHOUGH MOST LOCATIONS IN NORTHERN ARIZONA RECEIVED ABOVE NORMAL
PRECIPITATION IN DECEMBER...THE LONG TERM PRECIPITATION DEFICIT
REMAINED LARGE...AND MOST OF NORTHERN ARIZONA CONTINUES TO EXPERIENCE
D2 AND D3 (SEVERE AND EXTREME) INTENSITY DROUGHTS.

WITH THE END OF THE YEAR PASSING SEVERAL LOCATIONS IN NORTHERN ARIZONA
IN 2009 EXPERIENCED THEIR TOP TEN DRIEST YEAR OF ALL TIME.

SELECTED CITIES AND THEIR 2009 PRECIPITATION TOTALS AND THEIR RANKING
AMONGST THE DRIEST YEARS ON RECORD:

CITY                2009 TOTAL    DRIEST RANKING

WINSLOW                  2.81"          2ND
BELLEMONT               12.36"          2ND
FLAGSTAFF               11.65"          4TH
BAGDAD                   9.41"          5TH
PAGE                     4.51"          6TH
SELIGMAN                 6.77"          8TH
PRESCOTT                10.31"         10TH


...WEATHER EXTREMES FOR NORTHERN ARIZONA IN 2009...

SELECTED CITIES HOTTEST...COLDEST...WETTEST...AND SNOWIEST DAYS OF 2009:

CITY                HOTTEST(T)    COLDEST(T)    WETTEST(IN)    SNOWIEST(IN)

ALPINE              84 ON 8/22     2 ON 12/17   0.85 ON 7/3     6.3 ON 12/25
BELLEMONT           91 ON 7/17   -18 ON 12/10+  1.27 ON 12/7   16.9 ON 12/7
CANYON DE CHELLY    98 ON 7/13     3 ON 12/28   0.48 ON 2/10   10.0 ON 2/10
CASTLE HOT SPRINGS 111 ON 7/27    33 ON 12/26   2.70 ON 12/7    0.0
FLAGSTAFF           93 ON 7/17    -6 ON 12/25   1.75 ON 12/7   20.1 ON 12/
GRAND CANYON S RIM  94 ON 7/18   -14 ON 12/11   1.05 ON 12/7   18.0 ON 12/8
PAGE               105 ON 7/18    19 ON 12/11   1.84 ON 5/22    1.0 ON 12/22
PRESCOTT           102 ON 7/17     9 ON 12/4    2.12 ON 12/8    1.0 ON 12/23
SEDONA             106 ON 7/19    26 ON 12/4    2.50 ON 9/10    4.0 ON 2/10
WINSLOW            103 ON 7/19     8 ON 12/27   0.47 ON 5/22    N/A

+ OCCURRED ON MULTIPLE DATES

$$

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