June 2013, Blue Duck Weather News

June 2013 Weather News!



Before you knew it the time has come for a brand new edition of Blue Duck Weather. Just in time for miserable heat in the desert of Arizona with plenty of weather misery (and bliss I’m sure somewhere.) In Arizona this is the month where desert temperatures soar and records are not set until temps reach the 110s, 115’s and the all time Phoenix record of 122 degrees set back in 1990.This is the month of killer heat that has to occur to start drawing in the Gulf of Mexico moisture that finally ushers in the monsoon and our only chance for summer rain. But this is the month that catches some off guard, young and old, fit and unfit, the homeless and even people who think they are accustomed to the heat. This is the month that being outdoors too long with not enough water can kill you!

It seems murders rise when the weather gets to unbearable also. A friend of mine told me when she lived in Baltimore the weather stations would stop reporting the temperature and humidity when both were over 90%. ( I don’t quite understand the logic in that, maybe it’s just bad karma. But when it gets that miserable you don’t need to be told to know when being miserable turns to deadly rage.

And the misery began for so many again in Oklahoma as the El Reno Tornado set a new world record and the front page headline today was “Oklahoma hit again.” And for the first time three storm chasers lost their lives due to this massive tornado. These were not thrill chasers but dedicated scientists and professional trying to help all of us understand these violent weather events and eventually avoid them when possible.

Half a world away the weather bliss that Hawaii may be changing if not disappearing. The trade winds are declining for unknown reasons and more humidity has set in. Residents unaccustomed to the heat are complaining and using their air conditioners more. The winds are also becoming too weak to blow away volcanic smog.

And certainly don’t forget we are just now entering Hurricane season. Hopefully it won’t be a bad one but no one knows until it plays out in the pages of Blue Duck Weather in the months to come.

Blue Duck Weather is jam packed with useful information to share with your coworkers, aunts, uncles and anyone else you want to see run screaming from your lunacy such as; What recent tragic weather event set the record for the most rain ever for one hour ?, the most destructive wildfire ever in Colorado, more intentionally set brush fires this month, a tiny tidbit of information about terrorist threats to blow up dams in an already flooded region, what is the ideal warning window for a tornado, BP finally “concludes” its billions of dollar effort to clean up the Gulf Coast, the first massive wildfire this season erupts in northern Arizona, India’s tragic monsoon landslides, from the longest snow season in history to the hottest in parts of Alaska, find out what has caused the only two evacuation orders in New York City’s history, find out what a teotsunami is, pot fed pigs (?), and a disabled duck gets a new foot. (I swear, we don’t make this shit up.) And then on June 30th the unbelievable and tragic breaking news of nineteen Arizona firefighters losing their lives fighting the Yarnell Hill Fire near Prescott, Arizona. (Sadly we all will be reading and watching in the early part of July to find out just what happened. )

June was hot as I suppose they all are in the desert. Mercifully, every year in the winter, you forget how miserable it is or no one would live here in the Summer. There were 18 days it was 105 degrees or hotter, 2 days 110 or hotter and one day it hit 115 degrees on the Land. The average temperature on the Land was 87.23 degrees.

Talking Trees and Antelope Hill had an average June temperature of 66.40 degrees.

There has been no rain on The Land since April 8th.

Fortunately the lakes that matter to Arizona and the South West are holding their own. Mead is 47% full, Pleasant is 50%, Powell is 49% and Roosevelt 50%.

Before we begin June’s blistering weather journal we will introduce the quote of the month. “I’m miserable when it’s cold. I’m miserable when it’s hot. I’m a human being, never satisfied.

And as so much seems to be burning up in the South West the song of the month is “The Fields Have Turned Brown” by Seldom Scene.


6-1- At first five were reported dead in the tornado that hit El Reno, Oklahoma. But as the aftermath unfolded a total of sixteen perished. Some had drowned in flash flooding and were not found until days later. Eight inches or rain fell in some areas.

106 degrees at The Land today and in Phoenix five urban mountain rescues due to the hot weather.

Eight square miles have burned near Santa Fe, New Mexico and out of control along with another fire in the state.

The Powerhouse fire north of Los Angeles is out of control.

Three unconfirmed tornadoes near St. Louis, Missouri with 150mph winds.

Mountain lion sighting on the West Fork Trail in the Catalina Mountains near Tucson. The area has been closed to people until June 7th.

6-2- The body of a man has been recovered in Mount Vernon, Missouri after he tried to cross a low water bridge in a flash flood. His pickup was swept away.

Children dying in hot cars doubled the national average in May during a sixteen day period in four states. All but four were left by a family member.

The Powerhouse Fire north of Los Angeles has grown four times over night to 19,500 acres. It is only 20% contained and three firefighters are injured fighting this dragon’s breath.

The Phoenix mountain trails rescues yesterday included a 66 year old man who suffered a medical condition, a 45 year old woman who broke an ankle, a 56 year old man who blacked out and fell into a cholla cactus (ouch!), and a 31 year old that became severely dehydrated.

6-3- Three young men were four hours into a ten mile hike yesterday in the White Tank Mountains west of Phoenix. A 21 year old man in the group started complaining his legs wouldn’t work. He died and collapsed on the trail. Heat is probably the main contributing factor. ( I don’t think you could carry enough water for a ten mile strenuous hike in the desert in this heat.)

Arizona forest visitors are cautioned on target practicing. In fact it is illegal in the Tonto National Forest along with the ban on camp fires. So far eight fires have occurred in that forest this year. With extremely dry conditions all it takes is a spark from bullets striking rocks.

The Powerhouse Fire has blown up to 30,000 acres with 2,000 evacuations and is 40% contained.

As the massive storm system heads east the death toll in Oklahoma and Missouri has grown to 21 souls. Five are still missing and being searched for near the Oklahoma River.

The worst flooding in seventy years hits Passau, Germany. 8 are dead and 9 missing in Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic.

6-4- The El Reno Tornado sets the world record for the widest tornado at 2.6 miles wide and confirmed winds of over 300 mph.

Emergency officials went door to door this afternoon urging residents of a small farming town near St. Louis to evacuate after a levee pounded by flood waters breached. The break opened on the Mississippi River and is cresting at 34.4 feet, the third highest on record.

6-5- The first tropical storm, Andrea forms in the Gulf of Mexico.

Death toll in European flooding up to 10 with 9 missing.

6-6- Andrea makes landfall in Big Bend, Florida with heavy rain. By eight a.m. this morning 4.5” of rain and 60 mph winds. But the biggest fear is tornadoes with 8 confirmed across the state.

Where has the most rainfall in one hour and in minutes ever occurred? Wiley Airport in Oklahoma City picked up 3.10’’ in one hour and 2” in thirty five minutes during the El Reno Tornado on May 31st.

The first 110 degree day in Phoenix. The average is June 20th.
115 fucking degrees in Bullhead City!

6-7- Fire fears in the White Mountains of Arizona as a low pressure system creates dry lightning and 45mph winds.

Tropical Storm Andrea struts up the East Coast after dumping heavy rains in Georgia and the Carolinas. Flash flooding a major problem in New York City with 3.8’’.

A few Arizona fire departments may not send crews to help with wild fires this summer because they are still waiting to get paid for fires they fought last summer. Issues with the federal government are to blame (isn’t that surprising?). Payments normally issued in 30-90 days are a year overdue.

6-8- Record 91 degrees in Flagstaff, 103 in Winslow.!

Tropical Storm Andrea is a mean bitch! Gale force winds, heavy rain and flooding on the East Coast.

The rare, but ever increasing Haboobs are back. A tsunami of dust blankets Albuquerque yesterday evening. Thunderstorms in the mountains near Los Alamos and Santa Fe produced the powerful outflow winds that caused the massive wall of dirt.

A 63 year old man is charged in March, Javelina shooting near Prescott. He said he was just “defending himself” when he shot and killed a stinky pig that was part of a herd outside his front door. Arizona Game & Fish don’t see it that way: He has been charged with disorderly conduct with a deadly weapon, four other felony charges and a misdemeanor.

6-9- A 50 year old hiker is rescued on South Mountain in Phoenix by helicopter in 105 degree heat. He was two miles up the Mormon trailhead and was too fatigued to get down.

This weekend’s heat in the Southwest claims two lives. A 69 year old Las Vegas native and boy scout leader was found dead yesterday in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area park. Rescue teams saved four boys and another man that was with him. Also a 15 month old baby boy died of heat exposure in Fresno, California left in a car with an outside temperature of 101 degrees.

The average tornado warning in the 1980s went out only after a twister hit the ground. Over the last five years residents in the U.S. have been given an average lead time of 13 minutes between warning issue and tornado touching down.

“There is a great philosophical discussion about what constitutes the ideal lead time.” When the El Reno tornado touched down on May 31st residents had nearly a half hour to prepare. With the additional lead time and Moore, Oklahoma still on their minds many panicked residents decided to flee their homes, and freeways and roads became gridlocked with people trying to outrun the approaching tornado. (So the point is I guess, if you have too much time to think instead of react immediately to the threat one does not take cover and instead flees.)

23,000 peoole are evacuated in eastern Germany where the Elbe River has flood and breached a dam. There have been 21 flood related deaths in central Europe.

Officials in Saxony- Anhalt are investigating a threat to destroy dams. Several media outlets said they received a letter threatening to blow up dams on the Elbe River. (Never heard another word about this, probably never will.) (Mrs. Blueduck here…also did we ever hear more about the 7 people found on the dam outside Boston at Midnight right after the Marathon bombing?)

6-9- New record high of 112 degrees in Las Vegas breaking 111 set in 1955.

6-10- And if you question the heat island effect of a city with concrete, asphalt, too many fucking cars and people consider this; the morning low at the wide open desert on The Land was 69 degrees. The morning low in Phoenix was 82 degrees.

The rain swollen Danube is approaching Budapest where soldiers and volunteers are building floodwalls. Parts of the Hungarian captial are already under water. One million sandbags have been placed after a week of heavy rain. (Kind of sounds like what is becoming a spring tradition in Fargo to hold back the mighty Red River with one million sandbags.)

A beach in Orleans, Massachusettes is closed due to a Great White sighting by an experienced lifeguard. A dorsal fin was spotted 150 yards off the beach and the bastard was estimated to be twelve to thirteen feet long.

6-11- Wildfires with gusty winds forcing evacuations in three different parts of Colorado. A 300 acre fire has jumped the Arkansas River near Canon County. Another near Colorado Springs and the third in the Rocky Mountain National Forest sparked by lightning. Five trails are closed and a Red Flag Warning is posted for half the state.

Earliest ever one hundred degree day in Denver.

Tornadoes and flooding from Kentucky all the way to Maryland.

An Alabama city closed all of its beaches yesterday after four men drowned in dangerous rip currents in the Gulf. Double red flag posted on all beaches. One of the elusive aspects of rip currents is the calm appearance of the surface water that gives swimmers a false sense of security.

BP has conluded work in three states from the massive oil spill in 2010 in the Gulf waters of Alabama, Florida and Mississippi. They have spent 14 billion dollars. ( Now lets hope they “conclude” the massive media ads telling us how fucking pristine the beaches are and all the tourists are back. Go talk to some of the locals down there and find out what the effects really have been and are continuing.)

6-12- Red Flag Warnings and Excessive Heat Warnings posted for much of Arizona. (Perfect ingredients for a hell fire.)

The largest blaze in Colorado right now is the Black Forest Fire in El Paso County. It has grown to 12,000 acres, 92 homes destroyed and 7,000 evacuations.

A sandstorm causes a 26 car pile up with one soul gone in Nevada. Humboldt County Sheriff’s dispatchers called in virtually every medical, law enforcement and fire worker in the sparsely populated area.

The Cubs and Reds play in unusual fog in Chicago.

6-13- Twenty tornadoes in 24 hours in D.C., Maryland and Virginia.

The Black Forest Fire has consumed 360 homes!, 39,000 evacuations, 13,000 homes threatened and burned 15,000 acres.

The Arizona Humane Society received a surprise drop off two days ago, two bobcat kittens. The facility is not equipped to handle wildlife so the South West Wildlife Conservation Center in Scottsdale will take them. Hopefully they will be released back into the “wild” in about a year.

6-14- Now that two people have perished in the Black Forest Fire it has turned into a homicide investigation as authorities believe this fire is human caused. The lost souls were found in a garage trying to escape the flames and smoke. Four hundred homes destroyed or damaged, 50,000 acres burned and 40,000 evacuations!

The Wild Bill Fire has erupted near Flagstaff, Arizona and the popular lava tube cave near Flagstaff is closed. (Hell, I’ve lived in Arizona all of my life and don’t even know what the fuck a lava tube cave is!) The fire has burned 30 acres.

The Kingman Fire Department is offering a 10,000 dollar reward for information, the arrest and conviction of person(s) responsible for setting 63 brush fires in open field areas in the past two months.

A Mesa, Arizona woman is arrested on animal cruelty charges accusing her of abandoning two dogs in the desert. She was found by tracing a microchip in one of the dogs. She said she was moving and couldn’t take the pooches with her. She left them in late March with a small amount of food and water. A horseback rider found them earlier this month and gave them food and water. They are now in the care of Maricopa county jail inmates. ( First, it is amazing the dogs are still alive from March to June! Second if any asshole in Maricopa County is caught on animal abuse the mighty Sheriff Joe does not take this lightly and will punish you (rightfully) to the fullest extent of the law!)

6-15- The first “official” day of monsoon season in Arizona. Your fine staff at Blue Duck Weather will let you know the actual day it begins by traditional meterological standards.

The Black Forest Fire has damaged or destroyed 475 homes in Colorado and there are 20,000 ‘’refugees”.

Almost a year’s worth of rain in 36 hours with 17.05” in Eagle Pass, Texas near the Mexican border. Average yearly rainfall is 20.31”. 100 water rescues, some from rooftops and 450 evacuations.

Nine inches of rain in southwest Missouri.

6-16- The Black Forest fire has burned 15,500 acres and is 65% contained with 485 homes destroyed.

Ten inches of rain in Springfield, Missouri in a few hours.

The Secret Fire in Sedona caused by a lightning strike has burned 15 acres.

Finding tar balls from the BP oil spill isn’t difficult on some Gulf Coast beaches. But the company and the government say it’s common enough to end cleanup efforts. One tourist disagrees. After going for a walk in the surf last week he came back with dark, oily stains on his feet.

6-17- Helped by some blessed rain the Black Forest Fire is 75% contained.

6-18- The Doce Fire has erupted in Skull Valley, northwest of Prescott. It has burned 2,000 acres and is out of control. It began at noon and 300 homes have been evacuated.

Red Flag Warning for the Rim, Prescott, and southeast Arizona tomorrow.

6-19- The Doce Fire has now consumed 7,000 acres and the same evacuations in effect as yesterday.

Southeast Alaska hit four all time highs yesterday from 88 in Seward to 94 degrees in Talkeetna.

In the months following Hurricane Sandy New York City adds 60,000 more residents to its six evacutation zones totaling 3 million people. There have only been two mandatory evacuation orders in the history of New York, Sandy and 2011’s Irene.

Eighty six souls lost in LuckNow, India from monsoon flooding. 12,000 Hindu pilgrims have been evacuated, 63,000 people cut off, 46 injured and 22 missing.

6-20- At 10:04 p.m. tonight begins the summer solstice in Phoenix and the first day of summer. (Look at the bright side, the days only get shorter from here!)

The Dolce Fire northwest of Prescott, Arizona is 10% contained. With strong dry winds and only 3% humidity an Emergency Declaration is announced by the governor.

There are 19 “large incident fires” burning in the Four Corners states, Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico.

More records set in southern Alaska at 96 degrees and the beaches look like summer Florida tourist attractions.

Tropical Storm Barry makes landfall in Mexico today with life threatening flash floods and landslides. Up to ten inches of rain expected in southern Mexico.

The death toll from monsoon flooding and landslides in India is up to 100.

6-21- At 6,732 acres the Doce Fire is 15% contained.

6-22- Death toll in northern India has rapidly risen to over 600!

Record high waves, measuring 49’ from troughs to peaks during a brutal winter storm in New Zealand. Wellington, receives 69mph wind gusts and heavy snow. Flights are cancelled.

The Doce Fire near Prescott, Arizona is 45% contained and 450 evacuees are allowed to return.

A new fire is burning near White River, Arizona and has burned 800 acres.

Three fires are burning out of control in the Colorado mountains. The White Fork Fire Complex has grown from 12,000 acres to 30,000 acres overnight. Firefighters are reporting 100’ high flames with smoke rising to 30,000 feet. Six hundred residents of South Fork, Colorado are ordered to evacuate.

Four dead from major flooding in western Canada and 100,000 evacuations in Calgary. The Bow River that runs from Calgary crested more than five times its normal flow rate for this time of year.

6-23- There are twelve fires burning in Colorado that have consumed 133 square miles. The West Fork Fire Comples double in size overnight.

A young black bear, weighing between 75-100 pounds has been captured in Sierra Vista, Arizona. The young bruin has been “returned to the wild.”

Six months of rain in Calgary, Canada and the power grid is devastated. (I later read for the music community there it is much like the devastating flooding in Nashville, Tennessee a few years ago.)

6-24- The Doce Fire near Prescott, Arizona is 6800 acres and 50% contained.

A new fire has begun. The Rock Creek Fire near White River has burned 750 acres.

“The worst fire ever known to hit the Rio Grande National Forest in southern Colorado continued to be driven by hot, dry winds yesterday.” In two days the fire has grown from 50 square miles to 108 square miles. Firefighters are focused on protecting South Fork, Wolf Creek ski area and homes along highway 149. They are also trying to save the historic mining town of Creede, established in the late 1800s.

The Rock Creek Fire near White River is now 750 acres.

Tornadoes in Nebraska, 60 mph winds in Minnesota and eight inches of rain in Wisconsin.

Severe weather delays rescue attempts to evacuate thousands stranded in northern India. Despite fog and low visibility two thousand have been transported by helicopter to relief camps.

6-26- Excessive Heat Warning issued for Arizona for the next four days.

Fire officials believe that target shooting caused the Doce Fire near Prescott, Arizona.

A storm that hit the East Coast earlier this month may have caused a rare phenomenon; a tsunami. More than thirty tide gauges along the East Coast, Bermuda and Puerto Rico recorded tsunami like tide conditions. There was a strong outrush of water as the tide went out. Rocks normally 3-4’ deep were exposed. One possibility is a rare teotsunami or it could have been caused by a landslide off the continental shelf.

6-27- 128 degrees in Death Valley, California.

6-28- Excessive Heat Warnings for Arizona, California and Nevada locked below a powerful dome of high pressure. 112 degrees at The Land, 116 degrees in Phoenix and 120 degrees in Goodyear, Arizona.

It is so hot in southern Alaska stores are running out of fans and portable air conditioners.

A new brush fire is burning in San Bernandino, California.

Four inches of rain in parts of New York with flash flooding.

6-29- 115 at The Land with a twenty four hour average temperature of 100 degrees! Phoenix sets a new record of 119 degrees. A new Kingman record of 112 degrees, Salt Lake 105 and Las Vegas 115 two days in a row.

In Las Vegas yesterday 34 people were taken to hospitals for heat related illnesses after attending an afternoon and evening outdoor music festival.

Heat Warnings issued in 8 states with “life threatening temperatures.

A woman is presumed dead after her mobile home was swept away by the flooded Mohawk River in New York. Divers are searching for her body. She was warned by officials to leave her home.

A pig farmer and a butcher in Seattle are offering “pot pig” cuts. Bacon is seventeen dollars a pound, chops sixteen dollars. “It tastes like the best pork chop you’ve ever had.” Pot is legal in Washington State so the two men use the left over seeds and stems, ground up and placed in the pig slop. The cuts are signed on the packing paper with a drawing of a pot leaf. (I swear we don’t make this shit up.)

6-30- Late Sunday afternoon I saw that a new wildfire had started near Prescott. The Yarnell Hill Fire as it had burned one thousand acres and 120 homes evacuated. Fifteen miles of Highway 89 was closed.

Hours later when I was getting ready for bed the Lovely Mrs. Blue Duck came in to tell me that there was breaking news, nineteen fire fighters from the Prescott Granite Mountain Hotshot Crew had been lost in this wildfire that a few hours ago didn’t seem that bad as far as wildfires in their early stages go. But then I remembered the weather man saying earlier that strong downdraft winds from a storm in the mountains was heading down Yarnell Hill from the north. There were already strong winds coming in from the south west earlier as the flames grew. He said the wind conditions were “extremely dangerous.”

I told Mrs. Blue Duck I didn’t believe it, it must be premature information and the news media was jumping the gun. How could nineteen firefighters die in a fire that only a few hours ago was a thousand acres? I watched awhile of the unbelievable horror and tragedy unfold.

I woke up late Sunday night or early Monday morning, I didn’t look at the clock but the wind was howling outside. I felt nineteen souls in the sound of the wind and had a hard time going back to sleep. In fact sleep was fitful for me the entire night. I just didn’t want to believe this had happened.

Sadly the new is just unfolding about this devil fire and the devastation it is causing. Until next month your deeply saddened staff of Blue Duck Weather have their hearts at half staff for these nineteen firefighters who gave their lives to protect our forests, our homes and our lives.

With respect and sorrow. Professor Mr. Blue Duck