...HIGHLIGHTS...
...21ST WARMEST AND 21ST DRIEST SEPTEMBER ON RECORD...
...17TH WARMEST AND 53RD DRIEST MONSOON ON RECORD...
...28TH DRIEST WATER YEAR ON RECORD...

THE 2008 MONSOON GRADUALLY WEAKENED ITS GRIP DURING THE FIRST HALF
OF SEPTEMBER. MOISTURE FROM TROPICAL STORM LOWELL PUSHED INTO THE
AREA BETWEEN THE 10TH AND 12TH...RESULTING IN SCATTERED SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS. THE SECOND HALF OF THE MONTH WAS DRY...EXPECT ON THE
26TH...WHEN A WEAK DISTURBANCE ALOFT DEVELOPED ISOLATED STORMS ACROSS
THE AREA.

THE AVERAGE MONTHLY TEMPERATURE OF 82.4 DEGREES IS 1.5 DEGREES ABOVE
NORMAL. TEMPERATURE EXTREMES RANGED FROM A HIGH 102 DEGREES ON THE
6TH TO A LOW OF 63 DEGREES ON THE 14TH. RAINFALL TOTALS ACROSS THE
METRO AREA GENERALLY RANGED FROM A QUARTER OF AN INCH TO ONE INCH.
LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS BETWEEN 1.50" AND TWO INCHES WERE RECORDED
IN THE FOOTHILLS AND ACROSS EAST AND SOUTHEAST PORTIONS OF THE METRO
AREA. OFFICIALLY THE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT RECORDED ONLY A QUARTER OF
AND INCH /0.24"/ WHICH IS 1.21" BELOW NORMAL.

...SEPTEMBER 2008 STATS...     MONTH     NORMAL     DEPARTURE
AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE        95.0      94.0        + 1.0
AVERAGE LOW  TEMPERATURE        69.7      67.7        + 2.0
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE             82.4      80.9        + 1.5
HIGHS OF 100 DEGREES OR GREATER   4         5          - 1 
RAINFALL (AIRPORT)              0.24"     1.45"      - 1.21"

THE 2008 MONSOON WAS VERY ACTIVE DURING JULY THRU MID AUGUST THEN
WANED FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE SEASON.

PAST 10 MONSOON RAINFALL TOTALS...
2008 ...  5.52"     2003 ... 6.70"
2007 ...  6.57"     2002 ... 5.78"
2006 ... 10.20"     2001 ... 2.81"
2005 ...  5.30"     2000 ... 4.87"
2004 ...  2.42"     1999 ... 8.33"
1971-2000 NORMAL ... 6.06"
TEN YEAR AVERAGE ... 5.85"

AS USUAL...MONSOON RAINFALL TOTALS VARIED WIDELY ACROSS THE METRO
AREA. TOTALS RANGED FROM TWO TO TWELVE INCHES AT/NEAR THE VALLEY
FLOOR WITH 12 TO 24 INCHES OF RAIN BEING RECORDED IN THE CATALINA
AND RINCON MOUNTAINS.

AREA MONSOON RAINFALL TOTALS...
TUCSON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ................... 5.52"
UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA CAMPUS ................... 8.62"
CATALINA ....................................... 8"-11"
ORO VALLEY ..................................... 7"-12"
MARANA ......................................... 2"-5"
CATALINA MOUNTAINS ............................. 16"-21"
RINCON MOUNTAINS ............................... 18"-24"
SABINO CANYON/TANQUE VERDE AREAS ............... 5"-11"
CENTRAL/WEST TUCSON ............................ 6"-12"
SOUTH/SOUTHEAST TUCSON ......................... 5"-11"

...MONSOON 2008 STATS...       MONTH     NORMAL     DEPARTURE
AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE        97.6      98.0        - 0.4
AVERAGE LOW  TEMPERATURE        73.1      71.3        + 1.8
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE             85.3      84.7        + 0.6
RAINFALL (AIRPORT)              5.52"     6.06"      - 0.56"

THE 2007-2008 WATER YEAR (OCTOBER 1ST THRU SEPTEMBER 30TH) CONTINUED
THE TREND OF BELOW NORMAL RAINFALL THAT STARTED BACK IN 2001. THE
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ONLY RECORDED 8.93" WHICH IS OVER THREE INCHES
BELOW NORMAL AND RANKS AS THE 27TH DRIEST WATER YEAR PERIOD ON
RECORD.

LAST 10 WATER YEAR RAINFALL TOTALS...
2007-2008 .....  8.93"          2002-2003 .....  9.85"
2006-2007 .....  9.09"          2001-2002 .....  7.80"
2005-2006 ..... 11.24"          2000-2001 ..... 12.82"
2004-2005 ..... 11.02"          1999-2000 .....  6.09"
2003-2004 .....  7.40"          1998-1999 ..... 11.04"
1971-2000 NORMAL ... 12.17"
10 YEAR AVERAGE ....  9.53" OR A 26.40" RAINFALL DEFICIT (AIRPORT)

...2008 STATS THRU SEPTEMBER...   YEAR     NORMAL     DEPARTURE
AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE          85.9      85.5        + 0.4
AVERAGE LOW  TEMPERATURE          58.6      57.4        + 1.2
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE               72.3      71.5        + 0.8
HIGHS OF 100 DEGREES OR GREATER     52        55        -   3
RAINFALL (AIRPORT)                7.35"     9.26"      - 1.91"
WATER YEAR RAINFALL (AIRPORT)
 (OCT. 2007 THRU SEP. 2008)       8.93"    12.17"      - 3.24"

WITH THREE QUARTERS OF THE YEAR IN THE CLIMATE BOOKS...IT LOOKS LIKE
2008 WILL BE YET ANOTHER WARM YEAR FOR THE AREA. THE YEARLY AVERAGE
TEMPERATURE THROUGH THE END OF SEPTEMBER OF 72.3 DEGREES CURRENTLY
RANKS AS THE 20TH WARMEST TO DATE (TIED WITH 1957).

...LOOKING AHEAD INTO OCTOBER...
THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER FORECASTS THAT THE MONTH OF OCTOBER
WILL HAVE ENHANCED PROBABILITIES OF ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND
EQUAL PROBABILITIES FOR EITHER ABOVE OR BELOW NORMAL RAINFALL.

AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE ......... 84.0 DEGREES
AVERAGE LOW TEMPERATURE........... 57.0 DEGREES
AVERAGE MONTHLY TEMPERATURE ...... 70.5 DEGREES
RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE ..........  102 DEGREES ON OCTOBER 3 1993
RECORD LOW TEMPERATURE ...........   26 DEGREES ON OCTOBER 30 1971
WARMEST OCTOBER (AVG) ............ 76.8 DEGREES IN 1950
COLDEST OCTOBER (AVG) ............ 63.8 DEGREES IN 1908
NORMAL RAINFALL .................. 1.21 INCHES
WETTEST OCTOBER DAY .............. 2.96 INCHES ON OCTOBER 1 1983
WETTEST OCTOBER .................. 4.98 INCHES IN 2000 AND 1983
DRIEST OCTOBER ................... 0.00 INCHES IN 1982
                                        (LAST OF 10 OCCURRENCES)

THE NUMBER OF DAYLIGHT HOURS WILL DECREASE FROM 11 HOURS 50 MINUTES
ON THE FIRST TO 10 HOURS 54 MINUTES ON THE 31ST...A LOSS OF 56
MINUTES.

GLUECK