September Blue Duck Weather News 2013

September 2013 Weather News!

The Labor Day Flood of 1970 in Arizona has been described as the “the greatest natural disaster in the history of the state.” It happened on September 5th when more rain fell in one day than any other in the state’s recorded weather history.

By the time it was over 23 lives were lost. Most of the fatalities occurred about fifteen miles east of Payson when a wall of water four to five feet high swept cars down stream and drowning five campers that were trying to escape.

The tragedy unfolded when warm, moist air from Tropical Storm Norma collided with a cold front coming from the Northwest. The resulting weather slammed into the Payson area before midnight, September 4th. By the next day washes and creeks were overflowing and floods were sweeping cabins in the Christopher Creek area off their foundations.

The storm set a twenty four hour record with 11.4’’ of rain, crushing the old record by more than five inches. Mount Lemmon near Tucson recorded 8.74’’ and Crown King received 7.01”. (Mind you, Phoenix average annual rainfall is about eight inches.)

Some descriptions of the flood’s power are hard to believe. Bark had been stripped off of Ponderosa Pines twenty four feet above the ground. Rock fragments were imbedded in pine logs as if they had been shot out of a gigantic gun. Water rolled a boulder, approximately 9 feet by 7 feet by four feet up on top of a log jam. That boulder was sixteen feet above the bottom of a wash!

In 1976 the Big Thompson River in Colorado caused the deadliest flash flood in Colorado history when a foot of rain fell in four hours! A 144 people were killed. And now 37 years later the flooding you will read about in the latest edition of Blue Duck Weather is being called the worst since 1976 of “Biblical” proportions causing the most helicopter rescues since Hurricane Katrina! Read why later why this storm system qualified as a one in one thousand year flood.

Welcome to another amazing edition of Blue Duck Weather! I have lived here all of my life and was completely aware of my surroundings in 1970, although at times I may have been incoherent. I do not remember the historic flood of that summer and maybe it is best I didn’t. But this is the kind of amazing information you will get from no other place but Blue Duck weather, combined with all of the other fascinating tidbits we search high and low for!

In this edition you read startling news of the Moose decline in the North East, the cause of the Rim Fire near Yosemite, the fate of a New Mexico firefighter missing for a week, the safest metro city from Natural disasters, a fraternity that gets fined for turkey abuse, resourceful goat thieves and the city that had the hottest summer on record.

The average temperature on The Land this month (finally “cooling down”) was 83.05 degrees. The average temperature at Talking Trees and Antelope Hill was 59 degrees.

The Land received .59” of rain for the month making the yearly total 5.05”. We need about three inches more rain before the end of the year to bring us up to normal yearly averages.

Lake Mead is 47% full, Pleasant in 45%, Pleasant 45% and Roosevelt 41%.


9-2- Although the Rim Fire near Yosemite is “still growing’’ it is 49% contained. 111 structures and 11 homes lost.

Tornado Warnings issued in the Chicago area.

Heavy snowstorms in Peru kills six and 30,000 domestic animals! Twelve thousand people stranded with three feet of snow.

The largest Alligator ever caught in Alabama has been shot. Thirteen feet long and weighing 727 pounds!

Moose in Minnesota experiencing a dramatic decline. They are gone from the northwest part of the state. The populations are down 35% from last year and 55% since 2010. Some are extremely malnourished. Warmer weather and parasites are suspected of being part of the cause for the decline.

9-3- Three men in Miami hid under a tractor to get out of a lightning storm. Lightning struck the tractor with enough energy all three were electrified and one died.

9-5- Tropical Storm Lorena in the Gulf of Mexico may affect Arizona weather later this week.

The cause of the Rim Fire near Yosemite has been determined an illegal camp fire by a archery hunter. All camp fires had been banned a week before his apparently got out of hand.

The NFL season opener between the Baltimore Ravens and the Denver Broncos delayed because of lightning. ( Interesting. They don’t let the players on the field but what about the eighty thousand “spark plugs” in their seats?

9-6- Severe Weather Alert issued late this afternoon in Phoenix. Planes diverted because of potential wind sheer. A Flood Advisory has been issued until 7:00 p.m. 111 degrees in Phoenix today ties the record set in 1986.

Tropical Storm Gabrielle kicks Puerto Rico in the ass with heavy rain. The capitol of San Juan already has two feet of rain above normal for the year!

A New Mexico firefighter missing for a week is found dead in rugged mountains on top of a mesa after he apparently crashed his SUV. He apparently went out to check on smoke that he had spotted.

Golf ball size hail in Oregon and Idaho. Two funnel clouds reported in Idaho also.

9-7- Syracuse, New York has been named the metro area that is the safest from natural disasters. This includes wildfires, floods, tornadoes, earthquakes and hurricanes.

Three stranded on an Alaska volcano after their helicopter iced over. They have been rescued.

The Rim Fire is 80% contained at 400 square miles!

9-8- 81 degree high at the Land with .36’’ of rain; beautiful. Flash Flood Watch issued for Phoenix until nine p.m.

And while it was 81 degrees at The Land it was 100 degrees in Kansas City!

Frost Advisories issued in New England for the first time this season.

9-9- Seventy nine beautiful degrees for the high on The Land and .26” of rain. Flooding in Phoenix closes the I-17 and Greenway underpass. Tempe received 2.5’’ of rain and 2’’ in Cave Creek.

9-10- A brand new fire near Redding, California (just what they need.) Dozens of homes threatened.

A 69 year old woman fell a hundred feet in Box Canyon near Tucson and was not discovered until the next day. She was injured but alive before a man spotted her a rescue helicopter lifted her out. The man had returned to the area the second day and notice a parked car there from the day before. Later the man heard calls for help and called authorities. (One lucky woman and one observant man.)

9-11- WE SHALL NEVER FORGET THAT FATEFUL DAY IN 2001!.

So far (knock on plastic since there is no wood around), the quietest hurricane season on record so far. But it is not over until November.

9-12- It is being called a “Five hundred year flood.” Eight inches of rain north of Boulder, Colorado has fallen and three have drowned. It is the same weather system that passed through Arizona three days ago. One firefighter rescued after being trapped in a tree in Left Hand Canyon. He was part of a crew working their way up the canyon to assess the situation when a wall of water came down. The University of Colorado is closed due to flooding and homes have been swept off their foundations.

The body of a man found in a burnt out motor home destroyed by fire near Redding, California. The Clover fire has destroyed thirty homes and forced evacuations of 300 folks. With winds the fire is burning 500 acres per hour. Some residents literally just given minutes to grab their belongings and get the hell out!

9-13- A State of Emergency has been called for central Colorado. Up to ten inches have fallen, six inches in Boulder County in twelve hours. Seven inches in Boulder, shattering a 95 year old record.
Flooding from Boulder Creek has damaged 40 buildings at the University of Colorado. The National Guard is deployed to help with rescues. Hundreds airlifted out today along with 85 fifth graders on a school trip.

The Clover Fire near Redding has destroyed 68 homes.

9-14- 2500 people evacuated from the isolated Colorado mountain community of Lyson by heavy trucks and helicopters.
National Guard troops have airlifted 295 residents from the town of Jamestown, cut off without power or water.
90 miles of I-95 closed from Denver to Cheyenne. Colorado’s heavily populated Front Range has received more than 15’’ of rain this week.
Rocky Mountain National Park is closed.

The Big Thompson River is four feet above flood stage.

The south Platte River is ten times wider than normal.

Although it is not getting much press, parts of New Mexico has had heavy flooding and ruptured dams. One man found dead after being washed into a ravine in his submerged vehicle. He was swept a mile off the road near Elephant Butte dam.
The Gila River near the Cliff Dwellings National Monument rose 15 feet.
Six inches of rain per hour fell in Los Alamos. Three of four bridges in Las Vegas, Nevada closed.
The governor issues a State of Emergency.

Tropical Storm Ingrid in Mexico’s Gulf Coast with 60mph and torrential rains and flooding.

9-15- Flash flooding in the tiny town of Clifton, Arizona causes the San Francisco River to rise 26 feet, closing an RV park.

The Boulder area is reeling after record rainfall with more than a half year’s worth of rain falling over the past three days.
During those three days, twenty four hour rainfalls of eight to ten inches were enough to qualify this storm as a 1 in 1,000 year event, meaning that is has a .01 chance of occurring in a given year.
The NWS director saidn “this is clearly going to be a historic event. The true magnitude is really just becoming obvious now.”
Five are dead, 1500 homes destroyed and 17,000 damaged! Seventeen hundred folks rescued.

Ingrid turns into a hurricane with twelve folks perished. This storm may impact Texas with heavy rain.

9-16- All time record for rain in some of the mountain towns in Colorado. Rescues continue, 3,000 since last week. 19,000 homes damaged and 800 roads washed out.

Tropical Storm Manuel and Hurricane Ingrid kill 34 on opposite sides of Mexico from flooding and landslides.

A University of Kansas fraternity agrees to pay a five thousand dollar fine and one thousand hours of community service for abusing a turkey. The turkey had been rented for a party. (How do you “rent” a fucking turkey?) Members broke the bird’s cage, chased and choked the poor bastard. Then they broke its wing and leg.

9-18- Eighty people dead from a two storm “punch in the gut” in Mexico. Acapulco is cut off from road transport from Tropical Storm Manuel. 10,000 tourists are trapped with no cash. Emergency rescue flights are being organized. The airport is submerged in flood water.

9-19- And from the “nothing better to do file”, Gilbert, Arizona officials are looking to hatch (wah, wah) a new chicken ordinance that will allow more residents to raise fowl while limiting the number of birds permitted on smaller lots in denser neighborhoods. One resident proclaimed the profound need for chickens. “With chickens there are no scorpions.”

A woman trapped for 16 days in an abandoned well in China said she shouted for help every day and began to lose hope, but she managed to survive on raw corn and rainwater. She was gathering herbs when she fell into the well. Her husband and children searched every day for her. She was found by a person passing by when she was screaming for help.

9-20- Evacuees from Lyons, Colorado have been allowed to return for two hours to check on their homes and then leave immediately. Under tight security and identification checks authorities are concerned about over crowding with heavy equipment operating to clear storm debris and restore electricity.

97 are dead from landslides in the northern state of Sinoloa, Mexico from Tropical Storm Manuel. 68 missing. People in one village reported the terrifying experience of hearing the low roar of tumbling rocks, mud and debris.

9-21- This was the hottest June, July and August since record keeping began in 1895 for Phoenix, Arizona. The average daily temperature was 95.1 degrees.

Colorado is rushing to fix mountain roads destroyed by flooding before the snows arrive. In some cases laying down one lane gravel roads just to reconnect isolated towns.

Typhoon Usagi hits Taiwan and the Philippines with sustained winds of 173mph. Twenty inches of rain in twenty hours! Two souls have drowned.

9-22- Governor Brewer signs a declaration to assist with flood recovery in Apache and Greenlee counties. Powerful storms and flooding struck the regions on September 13th and the 14th. Major flooding and debris flow in the San Francisco Rivers isolated residents.

First day of fall and 87 degrees on the Land.

One inch of snow in the Sierra Nevadas in California.

Typhoon Usagi downgraded but slams southern China today, shutting down flights and shipping and putting a nuclear power plant on alert. The storm is moving through the most densely populated area in the world.

Criticism is flowing out of Mexico City that the government had made worse natural disasters because of poor planning lack of prevention strategy and corruption. 101 folks dead from Ingrid and Manuel. 68 missing in La Pintada where soldiers continue digging after a landslide wiped out half of a town.

9-23- From his secluded location in Colorado RyDuck reports one and a half feet of snow in the high country.

The 8th victim is found dead after flooding in Colorado. A 79 year old woman whose house was washed away by the Big Thompson River was found dead on the river bank. Six folks are still unaccounted for.

9-24- Thieves use duct tape to keep 22 goats quiet when they stole them in Honolulu. These weren’t just any fucking goats mind you, they were pure breeds!

9-26- Severe Dust Storm alert this afternoon. Blowing dust closes fourteen miles of Maricopa Road from I-10 to Casa Blanca Road for three hours. Multiple collisions but fortunately no serious injuries.

Two javelina returned to the desert after a stroll through down town Casa Grande. They were roaming the streets for three hours. “They weren’t nosing into plants or anything. It was kind of like they were jogging.”

9-27- The body of an 81 year old Arizona man found eight miles downstream of his picup truck by hikers along the San Francisco River. The man was staying at an inn near the town of Reserve, New Mexico on September 14th when he was evacuated due to an impending flood. The flood sent a fifteen foot wall of water through town that swept away his truck.

E-coli found in Lyons, Colorado drinking water after the massive flood. It could be two to six months before the town is “livable.” Millions of gallons of sewage has been released around the state because of septic systems ad sewer lines torn out by flood water and flooded waste water treatment plants.

9-28- Rainbow Bridge National Monument reopened yesterday after flooding washed out 150’ of trail next to Lake Powell.

9-29- Forty two souls have drowned and two hundred missing from a ferry boat that broke up in stormy weather on the Niger River.

A nine month old pit bull who saved his family from an early morning fire is burned over 30% of his body but is expected to recover. At two in the morning he began barking so loudly that he awakened the family in time to get out of the upstairs bedrooms.

9-30- A confirmed rare tornado near Seattle this morning.

“Official” end to the monsoon season in Arizona today.

Eight to twelve inches of snow in some parts of Montana.

Before we conclude this month’s fantastic Blue Duck Weather we will leave you with the song of the month titled “Didn’t it Rain?” by the Kennedys.

Until next month remember Pioneers took bullets. Settlers took land.

Professor Mr Blue Duck

August 2013 Blue Duck Weather News

August 2013 Weather News! Sixth Anniversary Special Edition

Welcome my faithful readers. It is hard to believe this is already the sixth anniversary edition of Blue Duck Weather! Seventy two monthly installments of all the weather information worldwide and local that any serious weather geek needs. I especially want to thank the Lovely Mrs. Blueduck for placing my monthly scripts into a blog that has almost had 7,000 views from around the world. Every time I give her my computer to put all the nonsense together she lovingly rolls her eyes at me and gets the job done come rain, shine, hot or cold.

Those of you that have been reading this weather journal from the beginning know how it came about. It began as a simple exercise in accurately recording the daily average high and low temperatures month by month, year by year. Our intent was to supply accurate data for our little microscopic study on climate change. Eventually your fine staff at Blue Duck Weather began to add daily weather events locally, then nationally and then world wide. Ever changing to keep your interests peaked we decided to add animal articles and “human interest” stories as well. With enough said your fine staff has recorded the temperature data for the last six years and below you will find six years of average temperatures for The Land in the great south west desert and the Land in New Mexico at approximately 7400’ in elevation.

2008- 77.21 degrees and 48.33 degrees.
2009- 71.36 degrees and 49.65 degrees.
2010- 71.16 degrees and 48.25 degrees.
2011- 69.04 degrees and 50.43 degrees.
2012- 72.33 degrees and 51.35 degrees.
2013- 70.82 degrees and 49.18 degrees.

As you can see 2008 was by far the warmest on The Land. This year was actually the second coolest! Talking Trees and Antelope Hill was the third coolest.

Beginning with this anniversary edition the amount of rainfall on the Land in the last twelve months is included at no charge! 5.73’’ fell in the last twelve months. There is no doubt we are into about a fifteen year drought that some say may extend to one hundred years. I sincerely hope not as life will change drastically as we know it now.
And speaking of droughts. Some of you may have wondered why every month we include four of the most important lakes to the South West and Arizona for water needs and agriculture. It is important to be aware of the levels, especially in these prolonged years of drought. Following is piece of alarming news that was issued this month about one of the biggest lakes in the South West and the water needs of our future.

In the coming year releases from Lake Powell to Lake Mead will be cut 8.23 million acre feet to 7.48 million acre feet. An acre foot is 325,000 gallons, enough to supply two households for a year. Powell is at its lowest levels since the lake was filling in the 1960s.
Lake Mead will drop eight feet next year, reducing deliveries to farmers and “water banks.” One CAP official said “This is the worst 14 year drought period in the last 100 years.” Based on projections shortages could trigger a 20% decrease in Arizona deliveries to agriculture.

On that bleak note let’s get right to this special anniversary edition of Blue Duck Weather!

In this special anniversary edition of Blue Duck Weather find out about an
unlikely place to find a shark tooth, a tragic accident involving a python and two young boys, a place if you have a ten million dollar home you have private fire fighters and a fire engine on your insurance plan ( a definite case of the haves and have not’s), a dog in a Chinese zoo on display as a lion, more and more pot stoned dogs turning up in northern Arizona veterinary clinics, a woman in Tucson “attacked” by javelina, the massive Rim Fire burning near Yosemite, a man attacked by a crocodile never to be seen again and bear attacks on the rise again in the U.S.

The average temperature on The Land this month was 89.37 humid, sweltering degrees. Thankfully there were only ten days over 105 degrees and two days over 110 degrees. The average temperature at Talking Trees and Antelope Hill was 65.98 degrees.

The Land received 1.65 inches of rain for the month bringing the total to 4.46 inches for the year. Phoenix has had 4.74 inches, Glendale not so lucky with only 2.53 inches of rain.

Lake Mead is 47% full, Powell is 45% full, Pleasant 43% and Roosevelt 44%.

8-1- Havasupai water in the bottom of the Grand Canyon tested after flash flooding five days ago contaminated the water supply. St. Mary’s Food Bank has provided 30,000 bottles that had to be flown in by helicopter. The only other way to reach the village is on foot or by mule, an eight mile one way trek. Severe thunderstorms on the plateau caused Havasu Creek to rise fifteen feet above normal knocking out sewers. Dozens of tourists also stranded and the Red Cross has set up shelters.

One man killed and another injured helping to fight a forest fire in Oregon when a tree fell on them. They were private contractors known as tree fallers. They specialize in clearing trees to open paths for firefighters.

8-2- Flagstaff, Arizona ties a record set in 1919 for the wettest July with 7.58”!

An EF2 tornado has been confirmed in Jacksonville, Florida damaging 20 homes and tornadoes even reported in north east Colorado.

8-4- U.S 89 and 98 near Page, Arizona reopened after flash flooding two days ago.

Massive downpours of rain across Pakistan destroys 100 homes and caused a factory wall to collapse. 14 souls lost.

Millions of tiny fragments of plastic, some so small it takes a microscope to view them, found in the Great Lakes.

8-5- Flash flooding kills 58 in eastern provinces of Afghanistan with 30 missing.

8-6- A cool 80 degree high at The Land today with .18” of rain. (What a blissful and peaceful break from this oppressive summer.) The high in Phoenix was 92 degrees, and that was reported after midnight.

A young child trapped in a car that was swept away dies in flash floods near Waynesville, Missouri. Several water rescues and dozens of others forced out of their homes. Seven inches of rain from midnight to this morning!

A large wildfire burning near Athens, Greece with 49 others across the country. Some are cause by negligence such as open barbeques, industrial work or discarded cigarettes in hot, dry windy conditions.

A prehistoric shark tooth is found near the Village of Oak Creek in Arizona. The Devil Tooth shark tooth is 260 million years old and represents a time when a shallow ocean covered northern Arizona.

Dozens of Great Whites in Cape Cod feeding on seals. The seals are protected and thousands beach on the island. Fishermen say sharks aren’t the problem is all the fish the seals are eating. A recent sighting reported a 13,500 pound Great White!

8-7-State of Emergency in Missouri due to flooding. The Waynesville River crested at 21 feet, a new record. I-44 closed.

Torrential rain in Georgia this morning. Mudslides block traffic on Highway 5 in Gilmer County with 5’’ of rain.

New wildfire near Denning, California blows up to 2500 acres this afternoon.

Hurricane Henriette becomes the strongest storm of 2013 hurricane season with winds of 90mph. It is 1545 miles east of Hawaii.

A one hundred pound python strangles two young boys in Canada. It apparently escaped from its enclosure, crawled through a ventilation sytem and fell through the roof into the room the boys were sleeping in. The brothers were visiting a friend whose father ownes an exotic pet store on the floor below.

8-8- The Silver Fire near Banning California has blown up to 11,000 acres overnight. Four firefighters and one person burned severely. Fifteen homes have been damaged or destroyed. 2,000 evacuated and the fire is out of control.

The governor of Missouri calls on the National Guard for help with flooding. Fifteen inches of rain in two days! 25 rescues and 100 evacuations near Hollixer. Turkey Creek that runs through the center of town rose 15’.

In Nashville, 200 rescued by boat and eight inches of rain. South Kansas has received six inches of rain.

8-9- A “stalled front” from Oklahoma to West Virginia affects 17 states with days of saturating rain. 60 year old man swept away in Oklahoma City trying to rescue loved ones from a car. His body was found six blocks away. North Georgia, already saturated received 4-6” of rain last night.

The Silver Fire near Banning, California has burned 16,000 acres with 26 homes destroyed, 539 threatened. At times the wind driven fire speed has been 35mph. The fire is 25% contained. 100,000 acres have burned in California this year, doubled from this same time last year.

All time heat records in Austria and Hungary. 104 degrees in a heat wave that has lasted two weeks.

A quail observation from your fine editor at Blue Duck Weather News: Here it is in August and I have noticed many chicks scurrying about the desert. This seems odd as usually they are seen in late April and May. Is it the lack of rain and grass that has quail breeding so late in the season? I suspect so but I am glad to see them instead of nothing at all. The quail is a tough little bird and during hunting season even tougher to get a bead on.

8-10- “Without Warning.” Man’s body recovered from debris from a fast moving mudslide in Manitou Springs, Colorado. Crews searching for three others. Water rose 12’ above a creek bed.

Flood Advisory in Safford, Arizona with 1.5” of rain falling per hour.

The Silver Fire is 50% contained at 14,000 acres.

8-11- Flash Flood Warning issued for Tucson, Arizona. Some areas receiving two inches per hour.

A woman seen clinging to a tree on banks of a swollen creek is still unaccounted for from the flood in Manitou Springs, Colorado. One and a half inches of rain fell in 30 minutes. 40 vehicles have been towed out of mud and debris.

Utar, the most powerful Typhoon of 2013 strikes the Philippines with gusts up to 105mph. Nine fishermen are missing.

8-13- The Elk Complex Fire in Idaho has burned 125 square miles. It has been determined to have been caused by lightning.
A few miles south, residents of Pine have been evacuated. This fire has burned 190 square miles and is the Nation’s top priority fire.

A survivor of the Manitou Springs flood said a four foot wall of water swept through her house and pulled her to the bottom. After being swept out of her house with a broken foot and leg a block later she managed to grab a tree branch and pull herself up on an embankment.

Two inches or rain today and 65mph winds closes roads in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

8-14- The Patch City Fire near the mountain resort of Park City, Utah has destroyed 10-15 structures. Sixteen square miles have burned.

8-15- Forty four wildfires are burning across 11 states. The Elk Complex Fire in Idaho has burned 111,977 acres.

The fifth named tropical storm of the season, Erin forms in the Atlantic.

8-16- 1600 homes are evacuated near the resort community of Pine Valley in Idaho. “Private insurers have dispatched their own crews to provide structural protection of homes valued in the tens of millions of dollars… there are private engines that companies have sent in.”

8-17- Excessive Heat Warning issued for the Phoenix area for the next three days. (Hell and bliss. Exactly the kind of heat to bring back the cooling monsoon rain hopefully.)

And all the South is getting is rain when they already have had enough. Wettest July on Record from New Orleans to Charlston, North Carolina. And now a “stalled front” is bringing more rain.

The Beaver Creek Fire near Todell County, Utah has burned 12,000 acres.

A twelve foot Arctic shark from Greenland has been caught in the warm Gulf waters. It is the first deep swimming shark to be caught in the Gulf. It was swimming at a depth of six thousand feet to try and stay cool. ( How the fuck do you “fish” in six thousand foot water? How would you feel a tug or even reel in six thousand feet of line? How would you even know where to fish? This makes my brain tired.)

8-17- 114 degree record in Phoenix today.

In central Idaho the Beaver Creek Fire has burned 100,000 acres, threatening the Sun Valley Ski Resort. It is only 6% contained.

8-18- The Skull Fire west of Prescott has burned 3,000 acres.

At 3:35 p.m. The Land received .35’’ of rain in twenty minutes! It may not seem like a big deal but that is a lot of rain quickly and the desert was flowing.

Thousands more in Idaho evacuated from the onslought of the Beaver Creek Fire. 150 square miles burned and 9% contained.

8-19- Major flooding in Manila and the Philippines and twelve million people have been placed on alert.

8-20- “West on Fire” reads the headlines. A Level 5 Decleration Alert is announced. It is the hightest level of preparedness.

Excessive Heat Warning issued for the Phoenix area until eight p.m. tomorrow.

Non stop rain cripples Manila. Half of the capital city is under water, 12,000 have been forced out of their homes and 94,000 affected.

8-21- Twenty one inches of rain fell in Manila in one day last Friday, a month’s worth of rain!

8-22- A fire has erupted fifteen miles from Yosemite National Park. The Rim Fire has burned 84 square miles, camp grounds evacuated and 2500 homes threatened. The fire thripled in size overnight and two homes have been destroyed.

Lightning kills two men in Kentucky trying to seek shelter in a barn.

Monsoon flooding in Pakistan kills 139 and one million others affected.

Flagstaff vet clinics are reporting stoned dogs from eating pot. They come in dazed and confuzed, shaking and falling asleep. They seem to be getting into their owner’s stash. It is becoming more and more common with two to three cases reported a month. Wild mushrooms are also a problem. ( I wonder if dogs hallucinate.)

8-23- 40 mph winds in Yuma, Arizona with hail and downed power lines.

Littleton, Colorado receives enough hail to break out the town’s snow plows.

The Rim Fire near Yosemite has blown up to 106,000 acres, growing four times overnight. Residents of Pine Mountain Lake are urged to evacuate. It is the top priority fire in the nation and Canada is sending in 5 Type 1 crews to help its neighbor.

8-24- A State of Emergency is declared in California as the Rim Fire threatens water and power supplies to San Francisco. It has grown to 125,000 acres and there is a smoky haze all the way to Reno, Nevada.

Tropical Storm Ivo is causing Flash Flood Watches in all of wester Arizona.

Slowest start to the hurricane season on record.

And from the Lovely Mrs. Blueduck: Six people have been mauled by bears in five states in the past week. In Yellowstone there have been 64% more attacks this year than last. *Watch out Joan.

8-25- Cool, cloudy high of 85 degrees on The Land. Bullhead City receives 1.77” of rain, Sedona 1.19”.

Teams are assigned to protect the massive Sequoias as the Rim Fire grows to 133,000 acres and is 7% contained.

Record breaking heat in the Midwest and some schools are closed. Inadequate or no air conditioning make classrooms unbearable.

Tidal bore waves injure thirty onlookers on the banks of a river in eastern China. They were gathered to see high tide on the Qiantang River. Due to the influence of Typhoon Tranni waves came inland over 21’ high.

A twenty four year old man is missing and presumed dead after being attacked by a sixteen foot long crocodile in Australia. He ignored warnings and went swimming in a river infested with crocs.

8-26- Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued for Pinal County with 40mph winds and hail reported south of Florence. Blowing Dust Warning for Maricopa and 52mph winds in Casa Grande.

Moisture from Tropical Storm Ivo drenches part of north Las Vegas and dumps three inches of rain in Clark County. There were 18 water rescues in Las Vegas alone.

The Rim Fire is the size of Chicago and can be seen from the Space Station.

Massive storm hit’s the Phoenix area, worst hit Tempe and Buckeye with 70mph winds. 80% of trees lost at Avondale Park. 62mph winds reported in Chandler.

8-27- At four thirty in the afternoon it began raining hard at The Land preceded by a wall of dust. Then hail the size of dimes to quarters began pounding the west wall of the house and sounded like it was going to break the windows. Violent winds blew off part of the porch roof. A shelf on the front porch with at least two hundred pounds of weight on it blew over and smashed to pieces. In twenty minutes we received over a half inch of rain. It let up in about an hour with .75’’ or rain. Yours truly is an official weather spotter so I called in my severe weather report to NOA with my official identification number. The poor Mrs. BlueDuck did not make it in because of flooding until after eleven that night.

Four thousand firefighters are on the Rim Fire. It is only 20% contained and has burned 179,480 acres.

Officer in Connecticut kills a montor lizard when a homeowner reported her chickens were being attacked. She thought it was an alligator. This lizard can grow up to five feet in length.

8-28- A baby dies after being left in a hot car in Scottsdale. The dad said he went into his place of employment for about an hour and forgot about the child. Later information came out that the “dad” was smoking pot with another person outside the eatery and bar where the dad worked. The “dad” has been arrested and jailed.

Two women in two days have died while rafting on the Ocoee River in Tennessee.

8-29- Flooding closes the Loop 303 in the west valley near Peoria this morning.

Tropical Storm Juliette is producing heavy rain and winds in Baja, California.

8-30- One inch of rain this afternoon near Black Canyon City and five miles of Arizona 74 is closed due to flooding near Lake Pleasant. Inch and a half of rain in east Mesa and Apache Junction.

The Rim Fire has burned 311,000 acres and is 30% contained. Yosemite however is open for business this Labor Day weekend. (Makes me sick!)

A Tucson woman is teated at a local hospital after “being attacked” by javelina when she was on an early morning walk with her dog. Apparently she saw the pigs eating out of a tipped over garbage can and fell when she tried to get away. The woman said as many as three of the pigs charged her. She suffered some cuts from the the fall and lacerations from the piggies but managed to get back home.

Game & Fish officials say it may have been her dog that provoked the attack. “Javelinas act instinctively to a dog’s presence because they don’t distinguish it from a coyote.”

8-31- Eight inches of hail in twenty minutes near Hay Springs, Nebraska! The area appeared to be covered in snow.

Hofefully in the year (s) to come the fine staff at Blue Duck Weather will be able to continue to bring you weather news as it breaks and we shall continue to earn your readership.

The perfect weather song for the month is “Thunderstorms and Neon Lights” by Hank 111.



Until next month remember Pioneers took bullets. Settlers took Land.


The Distinguished Quack MR Blue Duck

July 2013 Blue Duck Weather News

July 2013 Weather News!



The Wind! April is the wind month for Arizona. But I have noticed the afternoons have been windy for months. Ten, fifteen and twenty mph wind gusts in the afternoons straight out of the west. Not winds that have anything to do with storms or the monsoon that is upon us but just gradients between low and high pressure systems moving through. I wish in my weather recordings I kept a closer eye on this so there would be a baseline to compare to but I haven’t. And it wouldn’t have mattered. Wind just doesn’t seem that important until it advances storms or causes damage when it becomes to strong or mixes with fire to cause death and destruction.

On June 29th I walked out of the nest in the late afternoon. The temperature was 115 degrees and the wind was blowing at about 20mph. It was like walking into a blast furnace. I immediately went to the east side of our house to get out of the wind. Doing that did no good in making me any cooler but the wind was just oppressive! Walking out of the nest in February when it is forty degrees with a 20 mph wind is cold, but being bundled up, getting out of the wind is more comfortable if not comforting. When I compare the two I would rather be able to get out of a cold wind than a hot one, especially for prolonged periods of time. But given the right conditions and too much time in the elements both can kill you.

The Winds! The next day I am sure it was the winds, first the hot dry winds from the west and then unexpected outflow of monsoon winds from the north and east colliding, and a fire that blew up in a matter of minutes that killed nineteen of the finest battling the fire on Yarnell Hill. The last text photo of one of the firefighters to his wife that afternoon showed part of the team to be in a safe distance and location from the fire. What happened in the following hours must have been a fire tornado that no math, education, training, radio contact, weather reports or safety protocol could have prevented. The fire became a living breathing monster with its own uncontrollable intentions.

That day, June 30th disaster struck after 4:00 p.m. for the nineteen men battling the Yarnell Fire. Between 4:00p.m. and 5:00 p.m. the winds shifted 180 degrees and nearly doubled in strength to 40 mph. The fire’s huge mushroom cloud collapsed on itself, sending smoke and heat into the canyon.

At 4:47 p.m. the Granite Mountain Hotshots deployed their emergency fire shelters received from a calm two way radio communication to a fire commander. These shelters look like large sleeping bags. Simply put they are placed on the ground cleared of immediate fire or hot embers and are opened partially away from the flames and heat. There is an air intake for cooler air near the ground. The shelters are built to deflect the heat and can withstand temperatures of 300 degrees. At 500 degrees they begin to melt. They have been mandatory personal protective equipment since 1977. One veteran firefighter later said “When you deploy these you either make it or you don’t.”

Some firefighters believe that a fire is a living, breathing animal. One firefighter said after the fire had taken these men it got what it wanted and would probably lay down. All of the men and women battling urban, forest or desert firefighters are soldiers. They have a bond and a brotherhood that cannot be comprehended for those of us who simply don’t understand what they go through on a “routine” basis. One of the fallen in the Yarnell fire had posted a prayer that Sunday morning before he went into the field. He simply asked God to protect them as they went into battle.

The men lost that day are the most first responders lost at one time since 9-11. They fought a good fight and deserve to rest in peace. Sleep peacefully soldiers.

For this month your staff at Blue Duck Weather will place the usual boring weather stats at the end of this weather journal. Let’s get right to the weather as it unfolds for the month of July and hope it ends not nearly as sadly as June.

7-1- At times yesterday the Yarnell Hill Fire was moving 22’ per second. It has blown up from 400 acres to over 8,000 acres in twenty four hours. It has been classified as a Type 1 fire and now the federal government is involved with fighting the fire. There is no estimate yet on the amount of homes and structures damaged or lost.

The Dean Peak Fire near Kingman has burned 1000 acres.

Death Valley, California reaches 129 degrees, an all time record for this date.

7-2- The Yarnell Hill Fire is 0 percent contained and fifty homes have been damaged or destroyed.

The Dean Park Fire has grown to 2500 acres with no containment.

.02” of rain at The Land. It doesn’t sound like much but we haven’t had a drop since April!

7-3- Estimate of homes damaged or destroyed in the Yarnell Hill Fire is 127. Folks will not be allowed to return to their homes for at least a week. Heavy rains have helped the cause and the fire is at 49% containment.

Mandatory evacuations as the Dean Peak Fire near Kingman has burned 4400 acres. It grew 1000 acres overnight.

There are three new wildfires burning in Oregon started by lightning. One fire has burned 30,000 acres. Campers at the Owyhee Dam were evacuated when the fire jumped the river below the dam.

The NWS has confirmed a tornado hit New Jersey two days ago. Extensive damage in Berkeley Heights.

7-4- With average dew points 55 degrees or higher for the third day the monsoon season began at The Land on July 2nd.

The Yarnell Hill Fire may be 85% contained by tonight.

The Dean Park Fire has blown up to 5400 acres.

Nearly one foot of hail falls in Santa Rosa, New Mexico, enough to bring out snow plows.

Ripcurrents in Florida and Georgia are so strong beaches are closed.

Twelve to twenty inches of rain falls in the Florida Pan Handle.

The Statue of Liberty is reopened today after being closed for repairs from Hurricane Sandy last October.

7-5- The Yarnell Hill Fire is 80% contained.

7-6- The Yarnell Hill Fire is 90% contained.

The Dean Park Fire is Fire is 37% contained at 5500 acres and 550 homes under mandatory evacuations.

7-7- Hopefully some of the Yarnell Hill Fire evacuees will return home tomorrow.

Dean Park Fire evacuation order lifted and the fire is 65% contained.

Storm damage last night in San Tan Valley, Arizona and a microburst has been confirmed.

1300 treated for heat related problems at a country music relief concert at the University of Oklahoma Stadium in Norman. 60,000 attended and when the concert began it 93 degrees.

What is defined as a Heat Wave in the East? Three consecutive days with temperatures in the 90s or higher. The NWS issues a heat advisory of parts of New York and Massachusetts with the heat and humidity index causing temperatures as high as 105 degrees.

7-8- Record high low of 91 degrees in Phoenix this morning.

7-9- The Shipman Fire near Kearney, Arizona started yesterday with two structures burned and evacuations. It started by the San Pedro River and has burned 500 acres.

A new out of control wildfire is burning in Southern California and has burned 8 structures.

7-10- 100 mountain cabins destroyed and 120 homes in peril in San Diego County from a masive wildfire.

Wildfire update for Arizona: The Doce Fire, human caused started on June 18th is 96% contained at 6,732 acres. The Yarnell Hill Fire, started on June 28th has burned 8400 acres and 90% contained. The Dean Park Fire, lightning caused began on June 29th is 90% contained at 5200 acres.

A Mesa, Arizona woman is dead after being struck in the head by a tree branch in high winds. She was sitting near a camp table playing cards with friends at the bottom of Supai Canyon, Grand Canyon.

Two major fires are raging in Nevada. One north of Las Vegas is within a quarter mile of homes. In northern Nevada 25,700 acres have burned in the Pine Nut Mountains south west of Reno.

Tropical Storm Chantal threatens Puerto Rico.

3.5’’ of rain in Toronto, Canada in as many hours. 1500 stranded in a commuter train. A month’s worth of rain in a matter of a few hours and 300,000 without power!

Worst flooding in westerrn China in 50 years. Landslide buries 40 people. A bridge collapses sending five vehicles into floow waters with twelve missing.

The hottest temperature on the planet was recorded 100 years ago in Death Valley, California at 134 degrees.

7-11- Death Valley Park rangers tell tourists to quit trying to fry eggs on the pavement and sidewalks. They are leaving sticky gooey messes that are difficult to cleanup and stink. (Who the fuck would want to go to Death Valley in July, or anytime for that matter?)

The fire near Vegas (I haven’t heard a name yet) destroys six structures at a desert ranch. Crews are trying to protect homes in Rainbow, Echo and Old Town areas.

Two and a half inches of rain causes a huge mudslide today that swept a car away and stranded 21 vehicles west of Manitou Springs in Colorado. U.S. Highway 24 closed for three hours. Thankfully there were no injuries. Flooding and erosion a result of the Waldo Canyon Fire last year and the Black Forest Fire this year.

Flooding in western China has destroyed a memorial to the 2008 Sichuan province that left 90,000 dead or missing from an earthquake.
An iceberg larger than Chicago broke free from Antarctica’s Pine Island Glacier two days ago and is now floating freely in the Amundsen Sea. It covers 278 square miles!

7-12- The wildfire near Vegas is the top priority fire in the United States as this is written.

THE YARNELL HILL FIRE IS 100 PERCENT CONTAINED!

A pregnant New Mexico woman and her husband watching fireworks on their front porch were struck by lightning in Albuquerque. She was just weeks from her due date. She was rushed to the hospital, an emergency Cesarian section was performed and mom, dad and baby are doing fine.

7-13- Charallete, North Carolina has had rain for twenty days in a row. (Why don’t you send some our way?)

There has been a rise in bear sightings that has closed Forest Road 171 just south of Arizona 260 in the Apache Sitgrieves National Forest. No road access allowed or “dispersed” camping until the area is cleared of bears. There have been no reports of bear attacks.

7-14- The 34th annual Calgary Folk Music Festival on July 25th-28th remains at its historical home, Prince’s Island Park after weeks of uncertainty due to significant damage from the great flood…..the island has been repaired and is ready.

7-15- Three inches of rain near Gila Bend, Arizona last night!

Pea sized hail near 30th St. and Chandler Blvd. Large trees are down, one inch of rain in a brief amount of time, new homes being built in the framing stage blown over with 45-55mph winds.

Just south of there, on the Gila Indian Reservation Rawhide will be shut down for repairs until August. Old wagons flipped over and the 150,000 square foot pavillion is blown apart.

Rare, high elevation tornado touched down near Pike’s Peak, Colorado at the 14,140’ summit. The highest elevation on record was photographed by a hiker in Sequoia National Park, California on July 7th, 2004 at 12,000’

7-16- A Heat Emergency is declared for 140 million people in the East. There are 90 degree sustained temperatures in 43 states. Low temps in some North East cities that won’t drop below 80 degrees. A huge heat dome is contributing to the misery and the heat/ humidity index will feel like 105 degrees in many places.

The NWS has confirmed winds that hit the Ahwautee area in Phoenix two nights ago exceeded 90mph.

Almost all of the buildings in the Yarnell Hill burn zone that had been adequately cleared with a “defensible space” survived the fire. Of 63, 60 were unscathed.

The Yarnell Hill Fire was more intense in speed than ever witnessed by Arizona firefighters. 22’ per second or 15 miles per hour.

14,200 monster of a fire in the San Jacinto Mountains of Southern California began two days ago. It blew up 50% overnight and is 10% contained. Six homes destroyed and mandatory evacuations for Camp Ronald McDonald, a camp for children with cancer. This fire is now a top priority blaze.

7-18- 6,000 forced to evacuate when the winds changed fire direction in Idyllwild, California. Residents, tourists, 22,000 homes and condos. The Mountain Fire has grown to 19,600 acres with almost 3,000 firefighters. Thirty miles of the Pacific Coast Trail that runs from Mexico to Canada destroyed. It is raining ash in Palm Springs. The cause of this fire is not known. (In 2006 five firefighters lost their lives fighting a blaze in Idyllwild.)

New heat records being set and emergency rooms are filling up in 24 states. One hundred degrees a new record in New York City. 50% of rescue calls in the Bronx are due to heat.

A man is found dead near Parker Canyon Lake in south eastern Arizona with two state protected rattlesnakes in his backpack. The two ridge nose rattlers were dead when the man was found. “It’s a very coveted rattlesnake on the Black Market. People are always trying to poach them out here. Autopsy reports are pending as to the cause of death. ( Yours truly has in the past had rattlesnakes in his backpack although they were not protected and I was not poaching. I was rabbit or bird hunting and had the “opportunity” to kill a few for skins. Even with the heads cut off it is a very uncomfortable feeling to have snakes squirming against my back.)

7-19- Three charged in heat death of migrant found in U-Haul truck with eight others at a gas station near Picacho Peak and Interstate 10 in Arizona. Charges include second degree murder in a human smuggling operation.

Flames from the Mountain Fire are within sight of Palm Springs, California. The air attack is going on twenty four hours a deay and the fire is 15% contained.

With the heat/humidity index it is 110 degrees in Washington, D.C.

7-20- Powerful thunderstorms beat up Los Vegas last night snapping trees and utility poles flooding part of the famous Strip. Peak wind gusts of 70mph and a new daily rainfall record of .22”. ( If this is a daily record one can certainly tell Vegas doesn’t get much rain. After all it is barren outside of the city, more like a bomb was dropped fifty years ago.)

Twenty three of New Jersey firefighters overcome with heat wave and heat exhaustion battling a huge structure fire. Heat is suspected in 13 deaths across the country.

The Heat Wave in the N.E. is in it’s 7th day from D.C. to Boston. 100,000 without power in Detroit to add to the misery. Thankfully the wind pattern is beginning to shift from east to west and cool air drops temps in Minnestota into the forties.

The Mountain Fire in California has gulped up 27,000 acres with 2,000 still evacuated in Idyllwild. The monster is 25% contained.

7-21- Drenching monsoon rain closes U.S. 60 in Tempe, Arizona in both directions at the Mill Avenue underpass. Water rescues for two men in Apache Junction and some areas report up to 2’’ of rain. And at The Land we received .48’’ of land with a tropical high of only 85 degrees.

The Carpenter Fire on Mount Charleston, Nevada ia 95% contained at 28,000 staggering acres.

7-22- Flash Flood Warning issued for Eloy, Arizona and they received 3’’ of rain! Yours truly was driving west of Eloy when rain came in from the west. It was raining so hard visibility dropped to a few feet, just as bad as dust or fog. I had to pull over when it was safe and wait about thirty minutes for the brunt of the storm to blow over. There was even a brief period of hail pounding the roof of my truck.

Idyllwild evacuations lifted as heavy rain helps fire conditions mercifully. Forty two fucking square miles have burned!

A farmer is suing the City of Chandler, Arizona claiming that an abundance of rabbits are eating his crops. He wants a fence built around a park. According to him four acres of his forty acres was damaged causing him about four thousand dollars. ( You know, air rifles don’t make any sound, I’m just saying.)

7-24- Baseball size hail in several counties in Kansas breaks out windshields.

7-25- And from the It’s your time file: A husband and his wife were killed by lightning at a highway scenic overlook along Arizona 89 A, eight miles south of Jacob’s Lake. A boy with them was struck but not killed.
A pregnant Maine woman and her friend got lost hiking in the woods and were rescued. But they died later that evening when they drove their car into the ocean in fog. They presumabley drowned when their car went down a boat ramp at the end of a dead end road.

A third hiker, this one from Arizona, dies at The Wave while exploring near the Arizona-Utah border. The three have died because of brutal heat in open arid country with no marked trails showing the way. Only twenty permits are issued per day. It seems to be okay until on the way out when people get lost and run out of water.

Tropical Storm Dorian gathering strenght in the Atlantic.

7-26- How hot is it? The Lovely Mrs. Blue Duck told me she had a bag of potatoes in her car. The potatoes in the sun were half baked when she took them out. (That beats the fucking frying an egg on the sidewalk worn out story all to hell.)

The incredibly massive wildfire still burning in the San Jacinto Mountains in California was sparked by failed electrical equipment on private property. According to the utility company it happened on the “customer’s side of the meter.” ( What this means is they take no responsibility at all.) The fire has burned 42 square miles and is 92% contained.

Tropical Storm Flossie may hit Hawaii.

7-27- Sate of Emergency declared in North Carolina after six to ten inches of rain has fallen.

Flood Alerts issued for Hawaii as Flossie is tracking to make a direct hit on the island.

7-28- 89mph winds and flash flooding in southern Utah.

5’’ of rain in Philadelphia. And the temps are coming down, get on your sweaters! Stanley, Iowa, 34 degrees. 41 degrees in Heron, South Dakota. It was warmer in Alaska yesterday than Chicago.

Flash Flood Warnings in northern Arizona. 7.15 inches of rain in Flagstaff this month. Six feet of rushing water in washes in Supai Village at the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

Tropical Storm Warning issued for Hawaii County and Maui County as Flossie gets ready for a greeting.

A swarm of about 30,000 bees attacks a Texas couple exercising their miniature horses. The woman was stung over 200 times ,the boyfriend 50 times, and the horses were stung so badly they died.

7-29- A tour bus on the way to Vegas yesterday swept by flooding as deep as eight feet and rolls on its side. The driver is credited for helping 33 passengers crawl out of windows with no injuries. The bus driver was suddenly hit by a wall of water crossing a paved wash, the bus stalled and floated three hundred yards before it rolled over. He may be a hero to the passengers but he may be charged with the “Stupid Motorist Law” for crossing a flooded wash.

An out of control wildfire is burning in Mallocra, Spain. It is a popular tourist destination. Seven hundred are evacuated.

Record all time daily rain of 8.26’’ in Philadelphia . Seven inches fell in four hours and all American Flights are cancelled.

7-30- Flossie is downgraded to a Tropical Depression but the Big Island is still expecting six inches of rain. This is the first Tropical Storm to make direct contact with Hawaii since 1958!

Tropical Storm Gil forms in the Mexican Baja.

Farms in the South East are receiving too much rain. In Fort Valley, Georgia crops are drowning. The largest peach crop in the nation has lost one thire of its peaches. The ground is too wet to cut wheat. Corn, tomatoes and peas are drowned.

An eleven year old boy hiking with his family fell down a 200’ sliding rock fall in Utah in Provo Canyon. He is recovering and will be released from a local hospital.

7-31- Anchorage broke a record for hitting highs above 70 degrees for the 14th straight day.

Before we give our final observation about the Tragedy on Yarnell Hill on June 30th that unfolded in details throughout the month of July please join me in my misery of a full blown summary of the monsoon moisture on the Land (and other boring stats.)

The average temperature on the Land for July was 91.60 degrees. (No wonder fucking electric bills are three hundred dollars a month!) The average humidity was 43.84 percent. The average dew point was 62.84 degrees, well into monsoon territory the entire month. The Land received some much needed rainfall to the tune of .74’’ bringing the total to 2.81’’ of rain for the year. There were four days it was over 110 degrees, eight days over 105, and eleven over 100.

Talking Trees and Antelope Hills in New Mexico usually runs about twenty degrees cooler than the Land but this month it was almost thirty degreees cooler with an average temperature of 64.48 degrees.

And what is Blue Duck weather without a mud puddle report for the lakes that effect Arizona and the “great” South West? Lake Mead is 47% full, Powell 47%, Pleasant 55% and Roosevelt 46%.

Almost every day this month there has been some kind of published report about the Yarnell Hill Fire, causes and speculations of the 19 brave young men that died. There was a beautiful and moving ceremonial and buriel for the crew. There have been relief concerts, donations and the kindness of Arizona and the world has shown through such a tragic time. The community of Yarnell has pulled together and will rebuild. The unity is incredible and even the most hard and untouched person has to have been touched.

Out of respect to the firefighters and the families, your fine staff at Blue Duck Weather did not give you day by day accounts of speculation by people or the media as to what happened or why. There are at least two major national and local investigations going on and the results will probably be posted in September. But does it matter for the boys, the families and the community? They will never get them back. I only hope the investigations help fire science, protcol and training to help future firefighters out of a terrible situation with no way out. The most basic conclusion is nature killed these men and no amount of science will ever tame her.

The most important long lasting tribute to these men was a proposal I read earlier this month. “The land where the firefighters died may be set aside for a permanent memorial. The State Land Comission has ordered 320 acres closed to public access. A fence has also been built around the site where the men died.” The only exception for access is for families of the fallen and other firefighters.

As I looked at photos of the American and Arizona flag on a pole at the site the ground is barren, the boulders surreal, the vegetation burnt away and I realized what would look like normally an easy hike became a boxed in inferno with no way out. But the thing that struck me the most profoundly, is it appears not to be that far off the road. Preserve that site for all to remember and feel for generations. It would be an honor to all soldiers of fire fighting.

I came across the following quote by total accident. It was unrelated to anything about the fire and tragedy I had read. But I thought how true and symbolic it was. “I can think of no more stirring symbol of man’s humanity to man than a fire engine.” Kurt Vonnegut.

As I conclude this month’s edition of Blue Duck Weather there are rain drops on my office window, there is no smell of wood smoke outside and there is no wind.



MR Blue Duck

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