December and 2010 Weather Recap

Low temperature for December was 17 degrees on December 31st.
Avg low for December = 36 degrees
High temperature for December was 58 degrees. The high on December 30th was only 33 degrees, and on December 31st, the high for the day was only 30 degrees—the first time in at least three years that a daytime temperature failed to rise above freezing.
Avg high for December = 50 degrees
High wind speed for December = 38 mph on December 30th
Avg wind speed for December = 12 mph
Total rain for December = 6.01 inches (we also received 2 inches of snow on December 29th)
Total rainfall for the year was 19.73 inches, nearly triple the normal average of 7 to 8 inches a year.

On December 14th, there was zero wind, none for the entire day. This is a first in the three years I’ve been recording weather in Toquerville. Even on days we think there is no wind, there is always some, sometimes early in the morning or late at night when we aren’t aware of the wind.

Remember, last month I noted that the forecast for Utah and the west was for a warmer and drier than normal winter. Both November and December have been colder and wetter than normal. The 17 degree reading on the morning of December 31st is the coldest recorded temperature since I’ve been recording weather the past three years.

The 4.6 inches of rain Toquerville received in the third week of December nearly caused flooding. Ash Creek was near going over its banks before the water level receded on December 23rd. Continual rain and warm temperatures, which caused early snow melt, contributed to the near flood conditions. According to KSL and Washington County officials, the rain totals for the third week of December was greater than the rain that caused severe flooding in 2005, but flood control measures contributed to the minor flooding this time.

Storm Data

Many of you have asked me about the rain, rain totals, etc. Here are the totals for Toquerville, for the storm just ended:

Thursday, December 16th, trace of rain
Friday, December 17th, .12 hundredths of an inch
Saturday, December 18th, .47 hundredths of an inch
Sunday, December 19th, .63 hundredths of an inch
Monday, December 20th, 1.49 inches
Tuesday, December 21st, 1.19 inches
Wednesday, December 22nd, .61 hundredths of an inch
Thursday, December 23rd, .08 hundredths of an inch
Storm Total = 4.59 inches of rain
Total rain for the year in Toquerville, so far, is 18.56 inches, well above double the normal amount. An extremely wet winter and spring, plus this big December storm has created an exceptional water year for Toquerville.

Although the rain was never very hard, it just kept on raining, hour after hour, day after day. In addition, the temperatures warmed up and snow also began melting in the New Harmony/Pine Valley drainage area, which added to the flow of Ash Creek. Curiously, Cedar City did not get snow, but rain (for the most part) out of this storm, which is unusual for Cedar City this time of year.

Ash Creek rose to dangerous levels on Tuesday, Ash Creek was splashing over onto the grass of the park, causing flooding at Shangrila, and water began to go over the bank at the Voorhees property. The city organized crews to fill and deliver sandbags to several locations.

On Wednesday morning, even though the rain had lessened, Ash Creek reached its peak and was running onto Toquerville Park, so sandbags were laid down to keep the water out. Several residents along the creek became nervous, but the creek began to recede and the danger was past.

Also on Tuesday morning the water began going over the spillway at Ash Creek Reservoir, the reservoir having filled completely in five days. As of Thursday night, the creek is still running high, but is not in danger of breaking over its banks.

According to Washington County officials, more rain fell in this storm than fell in the big storm of 2005, but flood control measures taken after the 2005 flood, kept most of the water in the river channels and avoided serious flooding.

November Weather Report

Low Temp for November was 22 degrees. (Nov 25th and Nov 30th)
High Temp for November was 73 degrees. (Nov 3rd)
High wind speed for November was 34 mph on November 11th
Average wind speed for November was 15 mph
Average humidity for November was 41%
Average low temp for November was 37 degrees
Average high temp for November was 55 degrees
Rainfall for November was 1.2 inches
To date, Toquerville has received 13.72 inches of rain, nearly double the yearly average.

Our first freeze occurred on November 12th, but we had two days of 22 degrees, one day of 23 degrees, and one day of 24 degrees, providing us with early hard freezes. November temperatures were well below normal for our area.

I don't have much confidence in long term weather forecasts because they are usually wrong. The winter forecast for Utah and the west is for warmer than normal temperatures, and normal rainfall. Already, we've seen temperatures well below normal, and rainfall is still well above normal. So we'll see how it plays out. Unfortunately, the false preoccupation with "global warming" leads many weather forecasters to expect warmer winters and warmer summers, than normal. But when the real temperatures are recorded, they don't show up that way. Last winter and spring we had an El Nino weather pattern, which does provide warmer, wetter winters and springs, which is what we had. But El Nina weather patterns bring cooler, drier weather--and that's what I expect for this winter and spring. This would be a return to normal.