February 2006 climate report for Tucson

...FEBRUARY AND WINTER SEASON HIGHLIGHTS...
...DRIEST WINTER SEASON ON RECORD...
...DRIEST COMBINED FALL/WINTER SEASONS ON RECORD...
...3RD WARMEST WINTER ON RECORD...
...10TH WARMEST FEBRUARY ON RECORD...

THE IMPROVED DROUGHT CONDITIONS THAT OCCURRED DURING THE 2004-2005
WINTER SEASON HAS EVAPORATED INTO EXTREME DROUGHT CONDITIONS DUE TO
THE DRIEST FALL/WINTER COMBINED SEASONS ON RECORD.

HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE DESERT SOUTHWEST DURING THE FIRST WEEK OF
FEBRUARY LED TO WELL ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES WITH DAILY HIGHS IN
THE 70S TO LOWER 80S. SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE ALONG THE FRONT RANGE ON
THE 7TH...8TH...AND 9TH BROUGHT VERY DRY AIR AT THE SURFACE WITH
DEWPOINT VALUES BELOW ZERO. RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES WERE BELOW 10
PERCENT ON THESE DAYS WITH A MINIMUM VALUE OF 2 PERCENT BEING
RECORDED AT 12 NOON ON THE 8TH. THE SURFACE DEWPOINT AT THIS TIME
WAS MINUS 18 DEGREES...WHICH IS CONSIDERED THE LOWEST EVER RECORDED
IN TUCSON (DATA GOING BACK TO 1949) DURING FEBRUARY. A WEAK WEATHER
DISTURBANCE MOVED THROUGH THE AREA ON THE 9TH ARE BROUGHT A BIT OF
LIGHT RAIN TO THE AREA. A FEW LOCATIONS RECORDED MEASURABLE RAINFALL
WITH TOTALS UP TO FIVE-HUNDREDTHS OF AN INCH...BUT THE AIRPORT ONLY
RECORDED A TRACE OF RAIN. WARM TEMPERATURES CONTINUED BETWEEN THE
10TH AND 15TH WITH AFTERNOON HIGHS IN THE MID TO UPPER 70S. THE
AREA EXPERIENCED ANOTHER SHOT OF LIGHT PRECIPITATION ON THE 17TH AND
18TH AS SUBTROPICAL MOISTURE OVERSPREAD THE AREA. HOWEVER...SINCE
THE ATMOSPHERE WAS VERY DRY BEFORE THE MOISTURE ARRIVED...ANY SHOWER
ACTIVITY THAT DID DEVELOP WAS VERY LIGHT. AGAIN A FEW LOCATIONS
RECORDED MEASURABLE RAINFALL...A HUNDREDTH OR TWO...THE AIRPORT
RECORDED A TRACE OF RAIN ON BOTH DAYS. AFTERNOON HIGH TEMPERATURES
BETWEEN THE 16TH AND 22ND WERE VERY PLEASANT WITH READINGS IN THE
60S. THE LAST WEEK OF THE MONTH WAS WARM AGAIN WITH AFTERNOON HIGH
TEMPERATURES IN THE 70S TO LOWER 80S.

FEBRUARY WAS ANOTHER WARM MONTH WITH AN AVERAGE MONTHLY TEMPERATURE
OF 58.3 DEGREES...OR 3.3 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THIS RANKS AS THE
10TH WARMEST FEBRUARY ON RECORD AND MARKS THE 6TH STRAIGHT MONTH AND
14TH OF THE LAST 15 MONTHS OF BEING ABOVE NORMAL. TEMPERATURE
EXTREMES RANGED FROM A HIGH OF 83 DEGREES ON THE 4TH AND 27TH TO A
LOW OF 35 DEGREES ON THE 22ND. ONE RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE WAS TIED
DURING THE MONTH (81 DEGREES ON 8TH...PREVIOUSLY SET IN 2000...1963
AND 1930)

FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 1984...AND THE 10TH TIME ON RECORD...THE
OFFICIAL RECORDING PRECIPITATION SITE IN TUCSON RECORDED NO
MEASURABLE RAIN IN FEBRUARY. A TRACE OF RAIN WAS RECORDED ON
9TH...17TH AND 18TH.

TOP 10 DRIEST FEBRUARY'S
 1) 0.00" 1984/1972/1898
 4) TRACE 2006/1999/1974/1924/1910/1902/1895

FEBRUARY RAINFALL TOTALS SINCE 1995 (NORMAL 0.88")...
2006 ... TRACE     2002 ... 0.27"     1998 ... 3.20"
2005 ... 1.27"     2001 ... 0.46"     1997 ... 0.67"
2004 ... 0.45"     2000 ... 0.19"     1996 ... 0.81"
2003 ... 1.02"     1999 ... TRACE     1995 ... 1.32"

...FEBRUARY 2006 STATS...           MONTH     NORMAL    DEPARTURE
AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE             73.2      68.4       + 4.8
AVERAGE LOW  TEMPERATURE             43.4      41.6       + 1.8
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE                  58.3      55.0       + 3.3
RAINFALL                            TRACE      0.88"     + 0.88"

THE FOLLOWING ARE THE LOW MONTHLY PERIOD PRECIPITATION RECORDS THAT
HAVE BEEN SET...

1) DRIEST DECEMBER TO FEBRUARY (DJF/WINTER) PERIOD ON RECORD
    NEW RECORD - 0.01"  DEC. 2005 TO FEB. 2006
    OLD RECORD - 0.29"  DEC. 1999 TO FEB. 2000
    OTHER DJF LOW PERIODS - 0.31" (1958-1959)
                          - 0.35" (1963-1964)
                          - 0.36" (1966-1967)

2) DRIEST NOVEMBER TO FEBRUARY (NDJF) PERIOD ON RECORD
    NEW RECORD - 0.01"  NOV. 2005 TO FEB. 2006
    OLD RECORD - 0.29"  NOV. 1999 TO FEB. 2000
    OTHER NDJF LOW PERIODS - 0.42" (1966-1967)
                           - 0.61" (1901-1902)
                           - 0.97" (1970-1971 & 1920-1921)

3) DRIEST SEPTEMBER TO FEBRUARY (SONDJF/FALL-WINTER) PERIOD ON RECORD
    NEW RECORD - 0.37"  SEP. 2005 TO FEB. 2006
    OLD RECORD - 1.26"  SEP. 1999 T0 FEB. 2000
    OTHER SONDJF LOW PERIODS - 1.40" (1973-1974)
                             - 1.72" (1924-1925)
                             - 1.83" (1953-1954)

OTHER NOTABLE PRECIPITATION PERIOD AMOUNTS...

2ND DRIEST JANUARY-FEBRUARY PERIOD ON RECORD
    TRACE (TIED WITH 1924; RECORD 0.00" IN 1972)

2ND DRIEST OCTOBER-FEBRUARY PERIOD ON RECORD
    0.32" (RECORD 0.29" OCT. 1999 TO FEB. 2000)

9TH DRIEST JULY-FEBRUARY PERIOD ON RECORD
    5.62" (RECORD 2.95" JUL. 1924 - FEB. 1925)

7TH DRIEST JUNE-FEBRUARY PERIOD ON RECORD
    5.63" (RECORD 3.12" JUN. 1924 - FEB. 1925)

9TH DRIEST MAY-FEBRUARY PERIOD ON RECORD
    6.26" (RECORD 3.12" MAY 1924 - FEB. 1925)

8TH DRIEST MARCH-FEBRUARY PERIOD ON RECORD
    6.96" (TIED WITH 1989/1990; RECORD 5.18" MAR. 1924 - FEB. 1925)

ANY 3-MONTH LOW PRECIPITATION TOTALS
 1) 0.00"  APR. 2002 - JUN. 2002
 2) TRACE  OCT. 1999 - DEC. 1999
    TRACE  APR. 1996 - JUN. 1996
    TRACE  OCT. 1917 - DEC. 1917
    TRACE  APR. 1897 - JUN. 1897
    TRACE  FEB. 1895 - MAR. 1895
 6) 0.01"  DEC. 2005 - FEB. 2006 **
    0.01"  NOV. 2005 - JAN. 2006 **
    0.01"  JAN. 1999 - MAR. 1999
    0.01"  APR. 1974 - JUN. 1974
    0.01"  FEB. 1972 - APR. 1972
    0.01"  JAN. 1972 - MAR. 1972
    0.01"  APR. 1959 - JUN. 1959
    0.10"  MAR. 1959 - APR. 1959

ANY 4-MONTH LOW PRECIPITATION TOTALS
 1) 0.01"  NOV. 2005 - FEB. 2006 **
    0.01"  JAN. 1972 - APR. 1972
    0.01"  MAR. 1959 - JUN. 1959
 4) 0.07"  MAR. 2002 - JUN. 2002
 5) 0.09"  MAR. 1955 - JUN. 1955
    0.09"  FEB. 1895 - MAY  1895
 6) 0.10"  OCT. 1999 - JAN. 2000

ANY 5-MONTH LOW PRECIPITATION TOTALS
 1) 0.11" FEB. 1895 - JUN. 1895
 2) 0.21" FEB. 1897 - JUN. 1897
 3) 0.22" MAR. 1895 - JUL. 1895
 4) 0.25" JAN. 1972 - MAY  1972
 5) 0.28" FEB. 1955 - JUN. 1955
 6) 0.29" OCT. 1999 - FEB. 2000
    0.29" FEB. 1959 - JUN. 1959
 8) 0.30" FEB. 1910 - JUN. 1910
 9) 0.32" OCT. 2005 - FEB. 2006 **
    0.32" JAN. 1959 - MAY  1959
    0.32" DEC. 1958 - APR. 1959
12) 0.34" FEB. 2002 - JUN. 2002
13) 0.37" SEP. 2005 - JAN. 2006 **
    0.37" FEB. 1933 - JUN. 1933

ANY 6-MONTH LOW PRECIPITATION TOTALS
 1) 0.22" FEB. 1895 - JUL. 1895
 2) 0.32" JAN. 1959 - JUN. 1959
    0.32" DEC. 1958 - MAY  1959
 4) 0.37" SEP. 2005 - FEB  2006 **
 5) 0.64" JAN. 1947 - JUN. 1947

THE 2005-2006 WINTER SEASON WILL GO INTO THE RECORD BOOKS AS THE
DRIEST ON RECORD WITH ONLY A HUNDREDTH OF AN INCH /0.01"/ OF RAIN
BRING RECORDED AT THE AIRPORT (DECEMBER 12TH).

WINTER SEASON RAINFALL SINCE 1995...
1995-1996 ... 1.04"      2001-2002 ... 1.21"
1996-1997 ... 1.60"      2002-2003 ... 1.74"
1997-1998 ... 6.25"      2003-2004 ... 1.34"
1998-1999 ... 0.46"      2004-2005 ... 3.33"
1999-2000 ... 0.29"      2005-2006 ... 0.01"
2000-2001 ... 1.70"

THE 2005-2006 WINTER SEASON AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 55.7 DEGREES RANKS
AS THE 3RD WARMEST WINTER SEASON ON RECORD (TIED WITH 1979-1980). THE
1980-1981 WINTER SEASON HOLDS THE RECORD FOR BEING THE WARMEST WITH
AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 56.6. THE NEAR RECORD WINTER WAS DRIVEN BY
THE AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 70.8 DEGREES WHICH RANKS AS THE
WARMEST ON RECORD. THERE WERE 27 DAYS IN WHICH THE HIGH TEMPERATURE
WAS 75 DEGREES OR HIGHER. THE 1971-2000 AVERAGE IS 16 DAYS.

AVERAGE WINTER SEASON TEMPERATURE SINCE 1995..
1995-1996 ... 55.4       2001-2002 ... 52.5
1996-1997 ... 53.2       2002-2003 ... 54.5
1997-1998 ... 50.9       2003-2004 ... 53.9
1998-1999 ... 54.1       2004-2005 ... 54.3
1999-2000 ... 54.5       2005-2006 ... 55.7
2000-2001 ... 52.2

...WINTER 2005-2006 STATS...        SEASON    NORMAL    DEPARTURE
AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE             70.8      65.8       + 5.0 *
AVERAGE LOW  TEMPERATURE             40.7      39.9       + 0.8
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE                  55.7      52.9       + 2.8 *
RAINFALL (AIRPORT)                   0.01"     2.90"     - 2.89"

...2006 STATS THRU FEB...            2006    NORMAL     DEPARTURE
AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE             68.4     66.3        + 2.1
AVERAGE LOW  TEMPERATURE             43.0     40.2        + 2.8
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE                  55.7     53.3        + 2.4
RAINFALL                             TRACE    1.87"      - 1.87"
WATER YEAR RAINFALL (OCT-FEB)        0.32"    4.78"      - 4.46"

...LOOKING AHEAD INTO MARCH AND THE SPRING SEASON...
THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER PREDICTS ENHANCED PROBABILITIES OF
ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND BELOW NORMAL RAINFALL. THE SPRING
SEASON IS ALSO LOOKING AT ENHANCED PROBABILITIES OF ABOVE NORMAL
TEMPERATURES AND BELOW NORMAL RAINFALL.

MARCH NORMALS AND RECORDS...
NORMAL HIGH TEMPERATURE .......... 73.3 DEGREES
NORMAL LOW TEMPERATURE............ 45.1 DEGREES
NORMAL MONTHLY TEMPERATURE ....... 59.2 DEGREES
RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE ..........   99 DEGREES ON MARCH 26 1988
RECORD LOW TEMPERATURE ...........   20 DEGREES ON MARCH  4 1965
WARMEST MARCH (AVG) .............. 65.0 DEGREES IN 1989 AND 1972
COLDEST MARCH (AVG) .............. 51.5 DEGREES IN 1973
NORMAL RAINFALL .................. 0.81 INCHES
WETTEST MARCH DAY ................ 1.42 INCHES ON MARCH 25 1903
WETTEST MARCH .................... 3.88 INCHES IN 1905
DRIEST MARCH ..................... ZERO INCHES IN 1984/1956/1933/1928
RECORD MARCH SNOWFALL ............  6.0 INCHES IN 1922

SPRING SEASON NORMALS AND RECORDS (MARCH THRU MAY)...
NORMAL HIGH TEMPERATURE ......... 81.7 DEGREES
NORMAL LOW TEMPERATURE .......... 51.4 DEGREES
NORMAL SEASONAL TEMPERATURE ..... 66.5 DEGREES
WARMEST SPRING (AVG) ............ 72.0 DEGREES IN 1989
COLDEST SPRING (AVG) ............ 59.0 DEGREES IN 1905
NORMAL SPRING RAINFALL .......... 1.33 INCHES
WETTEST SPRING .................. 7.43 INCHES IN 1905
DRIEST SPRING ................... 0.01 INCH   IN 1959

THE NUMBER OF DAYLIGHT HOURS WILL INCREASE FROM 11 HOURS 30 MINUTES
ON THE FIRST TO 12 HOURS 30 MINUTES ON THE 31ST...A GAIN OF SIXTY
MINUTES.THE VERNAL EQUINOX...OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE BEGINNING OF
SPRING...WILL BEGIN ON MARCH 20TH AT 11:26 AM WHEN THE SUN CROSSES
THE EQUATOR INTO THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE.

GLUECK