Arizona Climate Summary
December 2015
Summary of conditions for November 2015
November 2015 Temperature and Precipitation Summary
November 1st – 14th: November began with a two day break in rainfall as a low pressure system had just moved out of
the state to the northeast and the next cold front was still off the northern California coast. Temperatures were very near
normal in the upper 80s in the southwest deserts and the higher elevations enjoyed highs in the upper 50s and lower 60s
through the 2nd. Nighttime temperatures were in the mid-60s in the southwest deserts and the mid 20s at the highest
elevations. By the 3rd, the cold front moved into the state bringing rainfall to the eastern half of the state on the 3rd and
most of the state received some precipitation on the 4th and 5th. Storm totals included 0.95” at Prescott, 0.97” at Payson,
0.03” at Litchfield Park, 0.09” at Mesa and Eloy, 0.62” at Cottonwood, 0.20” at Bullhead City, 0.89” at Yuma, 0.45” at
Tucson, 0.69” at Prescott Airport, 0.04” at Phoenix Airport, and 1.25” at Flagstaff. Snow totals included 6.8” at
Bellemont, 5.2” at the Grand Canyon North Rim, 5.5” at Williams, and 1.5” at Show Low. During the passage of the
front temperatures statewide dropped 10 to 15oF. High pressure dominated on the 6th through the 9th as temperatures
rebounded to near normal values. Another low pressure system crossed Utah and Colorado on the 10th and 11th dropping
2.5” of snow at the north rim of the Grand Canyon and 1.1” of snow at Bellemont. Rainfall was scattered around the
state and less than a tenth of an inch in most locations. After the front passed through skies cleared and temperatures
rose again into the low 80s in the desert and upper 40s in the higher elevations through the 14th.
November 15th – 30th: Another strong low pressure system moved down the California coast and into Arizona on the
15th and lingered through the 17th. Snow at the higher elevations included 4.7” at Bellemont, 4.5” at the north rim of the
Grand Canyon, 2” at Payson and Prescott, and 1” at Show Low. Rainfall for the storm included 0.32” at Youngtown,
0.38” at Pinnacle Peak, 0.66” at the Petrified Forest, 0.18” at Litchfield Park, 0.45” at Mesa, 0.66” at Coronado National
Monument, 0.61” at Carefree, 0.50” at Canyon de Chelly, 0.75” at Castle Hot Springs, 0.30” at Yuma, 0.13” at Tucson,
0.29” at Scottsdale, 0.21” at Phoenix Airport, and 0.40” at Deer Valley,0.16” at Nogales, and 0.12” at Bisbee. On the
18th a strong high pressure ridge developed over the southwest bringing clear skies, dry conditions and warmer
temperatures to Arizona. The ridge remained in place through the 24th, but Arizona remained warm and dry through the
25th. A very strong, very cold low pressure system moved across California and Utah from the 26th through the 30th,
dropping temperatures 15 or more degrees statewide bringing freezing nighttime temperatures to many locations across
the state. It was a dry system in most areas of Arizona, though on the 26th Coronado National Monument received 0.58”
of rain, Elgin received 0.56” , Nogales received 0.22”, Safford had 0.04”, and Bisbee had 0.20”. On the 30th, nighttime
lows only reached 5oF at Flagstaff, Bellemont, and the Grand Canyon Airport, and 7oF at Springerville, and 9oF at
Seligman.
In This Issue: Overview of November, graphs of the November daily maximum and minimum temperatures,
precipitation, mean daily dew points for Flagstaff, Phoenix, and Tucson; November climate statistics, maps of mean
monthly maximum and minimum temperatures, precipitation, dew points, wind speeds for November; and graphs of the
mean November temperature and precipitation for the period of record for Tucson, Phoenix, and Flagstaff, graphs of the
cumulative precipitation for the calendar year for Flagstaff, Phoenix, and Tucson. Climate calendars for Flagstaff,
Phoenix, Tucson, Prescott, Winslow and Yuma, including daily and monthly normals and extremes, for each month of
the year, can be downloaded directly from the State Climate website. See p.19 of this report for calendar abbreviations.
Dr. Nancy J. Selover, State Climatologist
http://azclimate.asu.edu 480-965-6265
Edited by Nancy J. Selover & Kira Frost
© 2015 Arizona State Climate Office
1
Data are preliminary and are from the National Weather Service Forecast Offices in Flagstaff, Phoenix and Tucson.
**Note: The discrepancy between the Statewide Temperature and Precipitation values for Phoenix, Flagstaff and
Tucson and the daily values in their graphs are due to the reporting times. Statewide Temperature and Precipitation
values are taken at 5pm, while official daily records at the airports are taken from Midnight to Midnight.
November 2015 Daily Temperature, Precipitation, & Dew Point for Flagstaff, Phoenix, and Tucson
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3
FLAGSTAFF CLIMATE STATISTICS
November 2015
This November was tied for 20th coldest with 1951
and 1911 and was the 15th wettest.
Maximum Temp 40oF or lower
Heating Degree Days
Cooling Degree Days
Degree base 65oF
Avg Max Temp (F)
47.6 Normal 50.5
Avg Min Temp (F)
20.6 Normal 22.9
Avg Mean Temp (F) 34.1 Normal 36.7
Departure from Normal (F)
-2.6
Normal
Normal
849
0
Total November Precipitation
2.83”
Normal November Precipitation
1.76”
Departure from normal
+1.07”
Greatest 24-Hr Precipitation
1.11” on 3rd
Total Precipitation Year-to-Date
26.22”
Departure from Normal
+6.23”
Highest Monthly Avg Temp (F) 44.9 in 1949
Lowest Monthly Avg Temp (F) 29.6 in 1972
Highest Temp this month (F): 67 on 1st
Lowest Temp this month (F): 5 on 30th
Number of Days:
Clear
Partly Cloudy
Cloudy
Record High (F): 74 on 11/03/1977 and 11/08/1973
Record Low (F): -13 on 11/18/1958
Temperature or precipitation records this month:
4th Rain 0.52” previous record 0.18 set in 1957
5th Snow 9.9” previous record 5.0 set in 1925
Flagstaff Number of Days of:
Minimum Temp 25oF or higher
Minimum Temp 15oF or lower
Maximum Temp 60oF or higher
921
0
7
23
5
1
Greatest November Precipitation 7.10” in 905
Least November Precipitation
0.00” in 1999,
1932, 1916
7
6
4
Average Wind Speed
Highest Peak Gust
7.5 mph
47mph from 230o on 10th
PHOENIX CLIMATE STATISTICS
November 2015
4th Precip 0.04”, no previous rainfall this date
This November had no significant ranking for
temperature or precipitation.
Avg Max Temp(F)
73.4
Avg Min Temp(F)
50.8
Avg Mean Temp (F)
62.1
Departure from Normal (F)
Normal
Normal
Normal
-2.0
Phoenix Number of Days of:
Minimum Temp 45oF or lower
Minimum Temp 55oF or higher
Maximum Temp 65oF or lower
Maximum Temp 80oF or higher
75.5
52.7
64.1
Highest Monthly Avg Temp (F)
Lowest Monthly Avg Temp (F)
70.0 in 2007
55.0 in 1922
Highest Temp this month (F):
Lowest Temp this month (F):
88 on 2nd
39 on 30th
Heating Degree Days
Cooling Degree Days
Degree base 65oF
121 Normal
42 Normal
6
9
7
10
97
70
Total November Precipitation
0.25”
Normal November Precipitation
0.65”
Departure from normal
-0.40”
Greatest 24-Hr Precipitation
0.21” 11/15-11/16
Total Precipitation Year-to-Date
6.94”
Departure from Normal
-0.21”
Record High (F): 96 on 11/03/2009, 11/1-2/1924
Record Low (F): 27 on 11/23/1931
Temperature or precipitation records this month:
4
Number of Days:
Clear
Partly Cloudy
Cloudy
Average Wind Speed 5.6 mph
Highest Peak Gust 37 mph from 260o on 16th
22
8
0
Greatest November Precipitation
Least November Precipitation
2005, and 1999
3.61’’ in 1905
0.00” in 2014,
TUCSON CLIMATE STATISTICS
November 2015
This November had no significant ranking for
temperature or precipitation.
Heating Degree Days
Cooling Degree Days
Degree base 65oF
Avg Max Temp(F)
73.3 Normal 73.5
Avg Min Temp(F)
44.9 Normal 46.1
Avg Mean Temp(F)
59.1 Normal 59.8
Departure from Normal (F) -0.7
Highest Monthly Avg Temp (F)
Lowest Monthly Avg Temp (F)
Highest Temp this month (F):
Lowest Temp this month (F):
Total November Precipitation
Normal November Precipitation
Departure from normal
Greatest 24-Hr Precipitation
Total Precipitation Year-to-Date
Departure from Normal
65.7 in 2007
50.9 in 1911
84 on 2nd
30 on 30th
184
27
0.16”
0.57”
-0.41”
0.10” on 15-16
12.95”
+2.29”
Greatest November Precipitation 4.61” in 1905
Least November Precipitation
0.00” in 2014,
2005, 1999
Record High (F): 93 on 11/03/2009, 11/06/1999,
and 11/06/1934
Record Low (F): 19 on 11/19/1921
Number of Days:
Clear
Partly Cloudy
Cloudy
Temperature or precipitation records this month:
25th HiMin 58 set, previous record 55 in 2008
Tucson Number of Days of:
Minimum Temp 35oF or lower
Minimum Temp 50oF or higher
Maximum Temp 65oF or lower
Maximum Temp 80oF or higher
185 Normal
17 Normal
Average Wind Speed
Highest Peak Gust
4
9
7
11
25
5
0
7.3 mph
39 mph from 230o on 3rd
Data are from the National Weather Service and the
National Climatic Data Center and are preliminary.
5
Wind Speeds for May:
Day Phoenix
Flagstaff
(mph) Avg Max Avg Max
1
5.1
13
4.3
21
2
6.6
16
11.3 38
3
12.4 30
11.3 41
4
7.9
25
10
33
5
4.7
13
4.4
20
6
4.6
15
6.5
30
7
2.9
17
10.9 30
8
3.1
16
3.2
20
9
5.4
16
9.9
34
10
10
36
15.9 47
11
3.6
13
4.4
25
12
3.2
22
4.3
19
13
5.7
24
7.5
24
14
3.7
12
2.7
22
15
6.4
17
9.7
38
16
13.8 37
12.5 42
17
4.8
17
4.1
25
18
4.3
11
3.7
22
19
3.8
12
2.3
13
20
3.5
12
5.2
26
21
7.9
23
10.9 30
22
6.8
24
6.1
19
23
2.6
17
3.5
22
24
5.7
14
13.2 34
25
8.5
21
20.2 46
26
4.1
15
6.9
31
27
4.9
18
6.3
29
28
3.8
15
4.9
23
29
3.6
17
6
25
30
3.1
16
3.2
17
Dew Points for May:
Daily Average Dew Point (oF):
Day Phx Tuc Flg
1
44
39
28
2
43
41
35
3
43
42
30
4
42
40
30
5
38
36
24
6
34
35
22
7
36
34
24
8
38
30
26
9
38
33
29
10
28
26
20
11
25
22
17
12
24
19
17
13
25
19
18
14
33
39
19
15
36
33
23
16
35
33
21
17
32
27
21
18
36
28
21
19
36
30
25
20
34
31
11
21
27
27
12
22
30
28
13
23
34
26
21
24
35
28
22
25
34
36
17
26
31
33
18
27
29
27
14
28
28
25
17
29
24
21
9
30
22
24
10
Tucson
Avg Max
6.4
17
7.2
25
12.9 39
10.3 31
5.3
17
5
16
6.2
18
10.1 32
8.2
20
10
31
4.4
15
8.2
30
7.1
28
6
20
7.5
22
11.6 36
6.9
19
4.7
16
6.6
28
5.4
16
9.3
27
10.2 33
6.3
17
7.1
19
10.2 36
5.3
27
4.3
18
5.1
17
6.6
20
5
13
6
The
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The minimum temperatures ranged from 0oF at Yellow John Mountain to 43oF at Ehrenberg and Yuma. The lowest maximum temperature of 57oF was
recorded at Snowslide Canyon, while the highest maximum temperature of 99oF was reported at Parker. The lowest rainfall amount was 0.00” along the
Lower Colorado River and the highest was 5.74” at Pleasant Valley and 5.20” at Snowslide Canyon. The lowest average dew points were 20oF at Clark Field
and 21oF at Yuma and the highest was 38oF at Yuma and Paloma. The highest peak wind gust was 36 mph at Prescott.
8
T
November 2015
The highest average minimum temperature was 53 F at Yuma and the lowest average minimum temperature was 18oF at Bellemont, just west of Flagstaff.
The highest average maximum temperature was 83oF at Parker and lowest average maximum temperature was 38oF at Snowslide Canyon.
o
9
10
November
November minimum temperatures were 2 to 5 F colder than average across the state, with a few warmer than average locations in Gila County, southern
Mohave County and Greenlee County. Daytime temperatures were also colder than average, about 2 to 4oF below normal. A series of early winter storms
have brought very cold air south into the state. However, the storms did not bring much rain or snow to the western half of the state. November precipitation
was well above normal across the Mogollon Rim and the higher elevations in the eastern half of Arizona. Other than Yuma, which had significant rainfall, the
central and western counties are below 70% of average precipitation for November.
o
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Calendar Year 2015
Calendar year minimum temperatures are still 0 to 4 F warmer than average, even with the cold November. Daytime temperatures were about 0 to 2oF
warmer than average across northern and western Arizona, and 0 to 1.5oF warmer than average across the southeastern counties. Western Pinal County is still
as much as 2oF cooler than normal. Precipitation has been more than 130% of normal across the Colorado Plateau as well as in northern Mohave and eastern
Pinal counties. Maricopa County and western and southern Mohave County were drier than normal. The scant precipitation in western Arizona for
November did not improve this situation.
o
13
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2016 Water Year
The warm October conditions were tempered by the cold November conditions, so the Water Year minimum temperatures are now only 0 to 6oF warmer than
average across the state, though the warmest conditions are still along the western counties. Western Pima County is slightly cooler than normal. Daytime
temperatures are now 0 to 4oF cooler than normal across most of the state. The western border and Cochise County are 0 to 3oF warmer than normal.
Precipitation has been well above normal across most of the state with the exceptions of southern, eastern, and western Maricopa County, western Coconino
County and northern La Paz County. The El Niño conditions are already impacting Arizona with good rain and snowfall for the early part of the winter
season.
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November Mean Temperature Graphs – Flagstaff, Phoenix, and Tucson 1895-2015:
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November Mean Precipitation Graphs – Flagstaff, Phoenix, and Tucson 1895-2015:
17
2015 Cumulative Precipitation Graphs – Flagstaff, Phoenix and Tucson:
Flagstaff is 6.23” wetter than normal, Tucson is 2.29” wetter than normal and Phoenix is 0.21” drier than normal.
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The downloadable normals and extremes calendars use the following abbreviations:
NORM = 30 year (1971-2000) average value (degrees Fahrenheit (F))
OBS = The temperature observation for that day this year
AVG = Average daily temperature
HI MAX = Highest maximum temperature for that day (F)
LO MAX = Lowest maximum temperature for that day (F)
LO MIN = Lowest minimum temperature for that day (F)
HI MIN = Highest minimum temperature for that day (F)
Mx PCP = Maximum precipitation for that day (inches)
Mx SNO = Maximum snowfall for that day (inches)
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