December 2007 Blue Duck Weather

Blue Duck Weather News


December 2007
What an active, violent weather month for Arizona and much of the Nation! As usual your fine staff at Blue Duck Weather News was working around the clock to bring you accurate, up to date weather facts.
Poor old Santa spent a frigid evening delivering gifts to all the little quacks around the world. He even placed hand warmers down his pants to keep his old sagging walnettos from turning into a couple of raisins. Santa even placed an electric nose warmer on Rudolph's nose to keep it shining bright. Santa misjudged the amount of heat and Rudolph's nose exploded. People around the world were perplexed as to why the milk placed for Santa wasn't even touched. The fact of the matter is Santa went straight for Dad's liquor stash to warm his old bones. When Santa pulled into the North Pole at sunrise his ears so cold he couldn't feel them (although he wasn't feeling any pain. He found plenty of whiskey stashes.) Enough of Santa his antics, let's get right to the news for there is plenty this month!
The average temperature on the Land was 48.50 degrees. On Talking Trees and Antelope Hill it was 28.88 degrees; an entire month of averages below freezing. The record low recorded for the month was five degrees. The Land experienced a low of twenty six degrees the morning after Christmas.
The average humidity on the Land was 58.98 percent. The average dew point was 32.95 degrees. On the morning of December 13th there was dense fog in much of the valley. The humidity that morning was 97 percent; the dew point was 38 degrees with the same temperature reading.
The average wind speed was a calm 1.70 mph. However there were four wind chills recorded for the month and Christmas day was blustery and chilly.
The Land received .88 inches of rain in December bringing the total to 5.64 inches for the year. Phoenix "officially” recorded 5.05 inches of rain, down 3.2 inches for normal rain fall in a year.
The lake levels did not change from last months' report. Reports said December rains would raise the levels, possible causing releases into the Salt and Verde Rivers. This did not happen. For now there is too much demand and too little rain to increase the lake levels. The fine staff at Blue Duck Weather new this was knee jerk reporting and scoffed at the claim.
12-01. Cave Creek washes flooded. Scottsdale and Pima Roads closed. There was a snow advisory for Greenlee and Graham Counties above 7000'. RV swept downstream n Black Canyon City as Aqua Fria River floods. Southern California was dealing with flooding and evacuations from mudslides. Last month's fires triggered the loose and unstable soil conditions. Storm plasters Mid West with snow. As much as three feet of snow predicted for portions of Colorado.
12-2. Ten inches of snow in Utah. Snow in Pennsylvania and New York. Big storms headed for Pacific North West. Strong storms in Gulf Coast. Hurricane force winds in Oregon. Four degrees in North Dakota and nine degrees at the Grand Canyon.
12-3. Last weekend's rain dumped six inches (!) at Seven Springs north of Carefree. Sedona reported 3.3 inches of rain. Rain and wind slam North West, knocking out power and flooding Seattle.
12-4. 120mph winds recorded in near Portland, Oregon. High water rescues performed by National Guard in rafts, mainly for stranded motorists. (Sound familiar?) Georgia lining up tankers and bottled water but still no long term plans. High particulate advisory issued for Phoenix. Fireplace burning banned. (Yes, by God that's the ticket! Why don't we just park five million vehicles for a day?) Snow level in Arizona expected to drop to five thousand feet by the weekend.
12-5. Interstate Five closed between Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington. Eight feet of water on portions of the highway because ten inches of rain fell in twenty four hours. Mud slides cut off logging in Washington towns in the west, Helicopter rescues pluck people off rooftops. Prolonged drought causes more Valley Fever cases in Arizona. Man chops down five thousand trees in Hendersonville, Nevada for "better view." He is being held without bond.
12-6. Southern California braces for mudslides as flood waters recede from Pacific North West. West Washington and Western Oregon declared State of Emergencies. Interstate Five still closed between Seattle and Portland. Boil water orders in affect. Largest Search and Rescue effort in ten years. Military brought in to search for skiers, hunters and campers missing. Red Cross sets up shelters. Snow advisory for North Rim of the Grand Canyon. AZ wind advisory issued. World Wildlife Federation declares global warming will destroy thirty percent of Amazon wildlife by 2030.
12-7. Three inches of rain forecast for Southern California. Mandatory mudslide evacuations ordered. Ten foot flood crest predicted for Aberdeen, Washington as flood waters move down stream. Interstate Five still closed. No Amtrak train service from Portland to Seattle. Six inches of snow at the Snowbowl. Showlow receiving five to seven inches of snow at elevations above seven thousand feet. Possible evacuations in Sedona due to rockslides. Oak Creek up to fifteen feet above normal. Denver receiving heavy snow. Forecasters change formula and predict an above normal hurricane season for'08. (?) Three inches of rain in Crown King. China blames global warming on the West.
12-8. Six inches of snow fell on San Francisco Peaks and ten inches at Sunrise. 1.01 inches of rain recorded at Sky Harbor International Airport.
12-9. Flash flood watches out for Gila and Yavapai Counties as well as Oak Creek. Winter storm warning out for White Mountains and Mogollon Rim. Snow levels may drop to four thousand feet. Gilbert Road closed at Salt River due to flooding. Five inches of new snow in Flagstaff. Snow in Hawaii!
12-10. Winter storm alert above six thousand feet. Predicting eight to ten inches of snow. Snow advisory in Maricopa County above five thousand feet. Twenty eight to thirty six inches of snow in Pinetop Lakeside. Missouri, Okalahoma and Illinois severely impacted by ice storm. Power lines and trees are snapped. FEMA supplying generators. Oklahoma declares State of Emergency.
12-11. Five hundred thousand people without power in Oklahoma. Weather alert issued in Arizona. Hail in Fountain Hills and west Phoenix. One foot of new snow predicted for Pinetop. Federal Court of Appeals still hearing arguments for piss snow to be made at the Snowbowl. Elevations above nine thousand feet could receive three feet of snow.
12-12. Six hundred thousand still without power in Oklahoma. Worst ice storm in history. Six hundred and fifty traffic accidents due to ice and downed trees on roadways. National Guard delivering generators for emergency shelters. Avalanche warning issued for San Francisco Peaks. Four to five feet of snow at upper elevations. Tucson bans sharing water with surrounding communities.
12-13. One foot of snow predicted for New England. Same storm that battered Arizona a week earlier. Thirty five deaths in it's wake. Snowbowl opens. Sunrise opens tomorrow.
12-14. One foot of snow per hour in Albany, New York. Same storm that affected Arizona weather earlier.( There is a saying amongst the weather community in the winter. '' If it snows in Flagstaff it will snow in Saint Louis later." You can take that to the bank.) Seventy inches of snow at Snowbowl. Red Cross sending aid to residents in Tonto Basin. Folks still stranded from earlier rain. Warmest lows in Phoenix on record. Freeze warning issued for Tucson, Maricopa and Chandler. Five men behind bars for setting fire in Malibu last month. Approaching storm could delay power restoration in Oklahoma.
12-15. Storm with one foot of snow predicted for Ohio Valley en route to New England. Flood watch in Kentucky. Tornado watches out for Georgia. Flagstaff reports eight degrees below zero.
12-17. Eighteen inches of snow in Syracuse, New York. Tens of thousands still have no power in Oklahoma and Kansas from ice storm last week. Seven inches of snow in Saint Louis, Missouri.
12-18. Several feet of snow expected in Sierra Nevada mountains in California. Heavy snow in Wisconsin. Dangerous flooding in Thailand, emergency crews on the way.
12-19. From Washington to California heavy snow closes Interstate 90 in portions of the highway. Winter storm warning in Sierra and Cascade mountains with forty mph winds and one-two feet of snow.
12-20. Possible tornados in Mississippi with major power outages.
12-21. Heavy snow in Chicago and Boston delays flights of thousands of ducks.
12-22. First official day of winter.
12-23. Heavy rain in New York and New Jersey. Snow and ice in Minnesota.
12-24. Snow in Salt Lake and Denver. One foot in Cascades, Washington.
12-25. White Christmas in Colorado, Idaho, Wyoming and Nebraska. High winds in Los Angeles. Power off to ten thousand with 94mph winds in the San Fernando valley. 75mph winds in Salt Lake with snow. Snow and ice delays in Minneapolis. Much needed rain falling in Georgia. Freeze warning issued in Phoenix.
HO, HO, HO!
12-26. Freeze warning issued for the Phoenix metro area. 26 degrees at the Land. Coldest since last January.
12-27. Five degree low in Quemado, New Mexico with a high of twenty three degrees. Eight inches of snow in Denver with flights cancelled.
12-28. Twenty eight inches of snow for the month in Boston. this time last year only one inch of snow. Approaching all time record. Six inches of snow in Wisconsin.
12-29. Snow for much of New York.
12-31. Portions of Interstate 70 in Colorado closed due to Avalanche threat. High winds and zero visibility. Utah avalanche leaves a man trapped east of Salt Lake City. Two thousand drivers stranded on sixty miles of I-70 west of Denver. Seventy mph winds in Long Beach and Malibu. Four days of rain saves Atlanta from driest year in history. Two hundred and sixty three weather records broken in United Sates this year. Twenty three of the last twenty four days in the Valley reported temperatures at of below normal. One year in the last ten years of rainfall in Arizona has had above normal rainfall. That was 2005.
As you can read, the fine staff at Blue Duck Weather has had an exhaustive month for weather reporting. We would like to thank you for your support of this fine news report. We are in our fledgling infancy quack stage of reporting. We promise to bring you mind blowing weather news for 2008.
This month's weather song is "If We Make It Through December" by Merle Haggard.
Remember. Pioneers took bullets, settlers took land.

Editor and Chief
Blue Duck