This is part of the research being done at ASU on the Urban Heat Island. The data above shows Phoenix-Casa Grande Annual Average Minimum Temperatures 1960 to present. Data from the Western Regional Climate Center. Note the large increase in Phoenix temperatures compared to the National monument site of Casa Grande.

Hi Outdoor Adventure People!

Last Friday my sons scout group went on a hiking trip. Normally, I am not able to go as I have to work on-air on Friday nights but this month (which is a ratings period) management really wants Sean to do Friday nights. So I was able to go into work early and do the Weather Roadshow (when we go out and visit local schools) and get all the weather computer work done before heading home in the rush hour traffic. We started hiking well after sunset and went till almost 10pm. It went good and no scouts got too hurt or very lost. Yes, a few got scraped by cacti and two went off the trail for a while but we found them and got them back on track. We hiked almost 12 miles round trip (6 in with a full pack) camped out at the base of Weavers Needle (not far from Phoenix). It was cool at night, nearly in the 40's, but it felt so nice to sleep with out sweating or running the ceiling fan. And the stars and skies were fantastic!
Here is a description of the area with some pictures:
http://www.dankat.com/swhikes/weaver.htm

Take care,
Steve

Hi All! As you can see by our local valley temperatures map above, it is way above normal for this time of the year! To attribute this warmth to the "La Nina" weather pattern is not completely accurate nor is it truly scientific. Extrapolating data from daily local measurements and immediately applying them to large scale global features and trends can be misleading and incorrect. Nevertheless, I believe it is important to look at the larger picture (macro) in relation to the small scale (micro) climatological scene.

I think you will find this local information from my friend Paul.Iniguez@noaa.gov at our local NWS office of interest. Here is the link to some great information:
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/psr/pns/ENSOFactSheet_19OCT.pdf
Also, for you who really like technical data, the CPC site is great: http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/predictions/

Have fun in the warm sun in November,

Steve

Hi All! Above is a picture of a supercell as described by NOAA. See this link for more info. on how they relate to tornadoes:
http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/primer/tornado/tor_basics.html




The story that really makes the "National Weather Headlines" of this week is the one about the baby that survived a tornado in the midwest. Here is how we reported it on CBS 5:



DIANA:
"A tiny miracle emerged from the rubble of a small Michigan town (Arbela Township) that was devastated by tornadoes. Little blake is just 14-months old but somehow he survived a killer tornado. One that was so powerful it ripped apart his home and moved it 40 feet. He was asleep in his crib which moved right along with the house."


BLAKE'S DAD:
"We're looking all over for the baby. We scoured the whole three acres over here. The whole three acres on my side and we couldn't find the baby. All of a sudden I heard this little whimper. I told everybody to be quiet so we could hear it. And the baby was under this huge pile of debris."



As noted by NOAA, many times the types of storms that develop tornadoes are called "SUPERCELLS". Here is another good site hosted by the University of Illinois:
http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/mtr/svr/home.rxml

Thanks for visiting and keep up on learning about the weather!

-"Scary" Steve Garry