...APRIL HIGHLIGHTS...
...EXTREME DROUGHT CONDITIONS CONTINUE...
...SEVERAL DRY MONTHLY PERIODS SET...
...DRIEST WATER YEAR TO DATE ON RECORD...
...20TH WARMEST APRIL ON RECORD...
...10TH WARMEST JANUARY THRU APRIL PERIOD ON RECORD...
...26TH APRIL ON RECORD WITH NO MEASURABLE RAIN...

THE DRY SPELL THAT STARTED LAST FALL AND CARRIED THROUGH THE
2005-2006 WINTER SEASON CONTINUED DURING THE SECOND MONTH OF THE
SPRING SEASON. THUS...EXTREME DROUGHT CONDITIONS CONTINUE WITH
RAINFALL TOTALS SINCE SEPTEMBER 1ST RANGING FROM A HALF AN INCH
/0.50"/ TO TWO INCHES WITH A FEW ISOLATED SPOTS RECORDING UP TO THREE
INCHES. OFFICIALLY THE TUCSON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT HAS ONLY RECORDED
JUST UNDER EIGHT-TENTHS OF A INCH /0.78"/. THIS RANKS AS THE DRIEST
SEPTEMBER 1ST TO APRIL 30TH PERIOD ON RECORD...SHATTERING THE
PREVIOUS RECORD OF 1.95" SET FROM SEPTEMBER 1973 TO APRIL 1974.

DRIEST SEPTEMBER THRU APRIL PERIOD ON RECORD...
1) 0.78"   2005-2006 **
2) 1.95"   1973-1974
3) 2.19"   1999-2000
4) 2.23"   1924-1925
5) 2.25"   1903-1904
6) 2.35"   2001-2002

THIS ALSO RANKS AS THE DRIEST ANY EIGHT MONTH PERIOD ON RECORD
BREAKING THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 1.22" SET FROM OCTOBER 1999 TO MAY
2000. 

TOP 5 DRIEST ANY EIGHT MONTH PERIOD...
1) 0.78"  SEP. 2005 TO APR. 2006 **
2) 1.22"  OCT. 1999 TO MAY  2000
3) 1.24"  NOV. 1901 TO JUNE 1902
4) 1.33"  NOV. 2001 TO JUNE 2002
5) 1.37"  DEC. 1948 TO JULY 1947

THE 2005-2006 WATER YEAR GOES INTO THE RECORD BOOKS AS THE DRIEST
TO DATE (OCT. 1 - APR. 30) ON RECORD...

1) 0.73"   2005-2006 **
2) 1.08"   1903-1904
3) 1.22"   1999-2000
4) 1.44"   1966-1967
5) 1.95"   1973-1974

ADDITIONALLY...THE ABOVE SEVEN MONTH TOTAL ALSO RANKS AS THE 2ND
DRIEST SEVEN MONTH PERIOD ON RECORD.

TOP 5 DRIEST ANY SEVEN MONTH PERIOD...
1) 0.32"   DEC. 1958 TO JUNE 1959
2) 0.73"   OCT. 2005 TO APR. 2006 **
3) 0.78"   SEP. 2005 TO MAR. 2006 **
   0.78"   JAN. 1895 TO JULY 1895
5) 0.91"   JAN. 1947 TO JULY 1947

THE AIRPORT ONLY RECORDED A TRACE OF RAIN DURING APRIL (5TH) AND
THIS MARKED THE 26TH APRIL THAT NO MEASURABLE RAIN WAS RECORDED
(11 AT 0.00" AND 15 TRACE). DAILY TEMPERATURES...AS IS THE CASE
DURING MOST APRILS...RESEMBLED A ROLLER COASTER AS WEATHER SYSTEMS
MOVED THROUGH THE INTERMOUNTAIN WEST. OVERALL...THE AVERAGE MONTHLY
TEMPERATURE OF 68.5 DEGREES WAS 2.5 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL AND RANKS
AS THE 20TH WARMEST APRIL ON RECORD. EXTREMES FOR THE MONTH RANGED
FROM A HIGH OF 93 DEGREES ON THE 14TH TO A LOW OF 44 DEGREES ON
THE 6TH AND 7TH.

...APRIL 2006 STATS...         MONTH     NORMAL     DEPARTURE
AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE        83.5      81.5        + 2.0
AVERAGE LOW  TEMPERATURE        53.5      50.5        + 3.0
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE             68.5      66.0        + 2.5
RAINFALL                        TRACE     0.28"      - 0.28"

THE AVERAGE YEARLY TEMPERATURE THROUGH APRIL 30TH OF 60.0 DEGREES
RANKS AS THE 10TH WARMEST START TO A CALENDAR YEAR. 2006 RAINFALL
THROUGH APRIL 30TH /0.41"/ RANKS AS THE 3RD DRIEST START TO A
CALENDAR YEAR. THUS THE AREA IS OVER 2.50 INCHES BELOW NORMAL AS
OF APRIL 30TH.

TOP 10 DRIEST JAN 1 TO APRIL 30 PERIODS ON RECORD.
1) 0.10" IN 1972          6) 0.62" IN 1925
2) 0.32" IN 1959          7) 0.68" IN 2002
3) 0.41" IN 2006 **       8) 0.80" IN 1904
4) 0.55" IN 1947          9) 0.86" IN 1928
5) 0.56" IN 1895         10) 0.87" IN 1967

...2006 STATS THRU APRIL...     YEAR     NORMAL     DEPARTURE
AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE        74.4      71.9        + 2.5
AVERAGE LOW  TEMPERATURE        45.6      44.0        + 1.6
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE             60.0      58.0        + 2.0
RAINFALL                        0.41"     2.96"      - 2.55"
WATER YEAR RAINFALL (OCT-APR)   0.79"     5.87"      - 5.09"
		                                           
...LOOKING AHEAD INTO MAY...
THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER FORECASTS THAT THE MONTH OF MAY WILL
HAVE SLIGHTLY ENHANCED PROBABILITIES FOR ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES
AND EQUAL CHANCES OF ABOVE...NORMAL...OR BELOW RAINFALL.

AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE ......... 90.4 DEGREES
AVERAGE LOW TEMPERATURE .......... 58.6 DEGREES
AVERAGE MONTHLY TEMPERATURE ...... 74.5 DEGREES
RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE .......... 111 DEGREES ON MAY 29 1910
RECORD LOW TEMPERATURE ........... 32 DEGREES ON MAY 3 1899
WARMEST MAY (AVG) ................ 80.2 DEGREES IN 2000
COLDEST MAY (AVG) ................ 64.6 DEGREES IN 1905
NORMAL RAINFALL .................. 0.24 INCHES
WETTEST MAY DAY .................. 1.34 INCHES ON MAY 15 1931
WETTEST MAY ...................... 1.34 INCHES IN 1931
DRIEST MAY ....................... 0.00 INCHES IN 2002
                                            (LAST OF 22 OCCURRENCES)

THE NUMBER OF DAYLIGHT HOURS INCREASES FROM 13 HOURS 28 MINUTES ON THE
1ST TO 14 HOURS 7 MINUTES ON THE 31ST...A GAIN OF 39 MINUTES. 

GLUECK