Think Snow!

[shiny!]

Record-breaking heat in the Phoenix-Metro Valley. The weather station near my house briefly flirted with 122.9 degrees. Currently it's hovering around 121.3 (49.6 C). I just ran the thermostat up to allow the compressor to rest a bit. Hate it when the coils freeze up. Anyone who says, "but it's a dry heat" might just get a punch in the nose! Tomorrow looks to be a close replay of today but it'll be harder on the power grid because it's a weekday.

Major respect to our servicemen and women serving in deserts hotter than this. They shoudn't be over there, but they don't make policy.

Trending down now... only 120!

[GRG55]

Re: Think Snow!

Record-breaking heat in the Phoenix-Metro Valley. The weather station near my house briefly flirted with 122.9 degrees. Currently it's hovering around 121.3 (49.6 C). I just ran the thermostat up to allow the compressor to rest a bit. Hate it when the coils freeze up. Anyone who says, "but it's a dry heat" might just get a punch in the nose! Tomorrow looks to be a close replay of today but it'll be harder on the power grid because it's a weekday.

Major respect to our servicemen and women serving in deserts hotter than this. They shoudn't be over there, but they don't make policy.

Trending down now... only 120!

You should think about moving to Hawaii

Is The Snow That Just Fell in Hawaii a Surprise?

Published:
Jun 16 2016 12:00 AM EDT

When we think of Hawaii, images of pristine beaches, palm trees and refreshing trade winds come to mind. Certainly, we are not inclined to think of snow in Hawaii but snow can fall there, even during the summer months.

It was little more than a dusting, but snow was reported by the Mauna Kea Observatory on Tuesday...

...The access road to the summit of Mauna Kea was closed on Tuesday. The road was reopened early on Wednesday, but only for four-wheel drive vehicles...

[shiny!]

Re: Think Snow!

You should think about moving to Hawaii

Is The Snow That Just Fell in Hawaii a Surprise?

Published:
Jun 16 2016 12:00 AM EDT

When we think of Hawaii, images of pristine beaches, palm trees and refreshing trade winds come to mind. Certainly, we are not inclined to think of snow in Hawaii but snow can fall there, even during the summer months.

It was little more than a dusting, but snow was reported by the Mauna Kea Observatory on Tuesday...

...The access road to the summit of Mauna Kea was closed on Tuesday. The road was reopened early on Wednesday, but only for four-wheel drive vehicles..

Cool!

[shiny!]

Re: Think Snow!

Yesterday 861 homes lost power around 5:30 PM, only about a mile from where I live. Half of them were still without power at 10 PM. I'm worried it could happen at my house and cook my pets today when I'm at work. Mobile homes heat up fast when the A/C dies.

[jk]

Re: Think Snow!

Mauna Kea Observatory is 4200 METERS above sea level = 13,779 ft. pretty high.

[GRG55]

Re: Think Snow!

Mauna Kea Observatory is 4200 METERS above sea level = 13,779 ft. pretty high.

Yup.

There is actually an alternative closer to Phoenix; according to Wiki, Humphrey's Peak in the Coconino National Forest just north of Flagstaff, AZ, is 12,637 ft ASL. Not sure there's any snow on the summit these days, or if one needs carabiners and crampons to access it, unlike Mauna Kea.

[santafe2]

Re: Think Snow!

Yup.

There is actually an alternative closer to Phoenix; according to Wiki, Humphrey's Peak in the Coconino National Forest just north of Flagstaff, AZ, is 12,637 ft ASL. Not sure there's any snow on the summit these days, or if one needs carabiners and crampons to access it, unlike Mauna Kea.

I'm not sure I've talked about this here but a few years ago we took a trip to the Big Island and while my family was relaxing at the beach I was exploring the island. Prior to going, I wrote the chief scientist at Mauna Loa and set an appointment so I could get a first hand review of their CO2 monitoring equipment. Anyone who hasn't been to the peak at Mauna Loa or Mauna Kea, is very likely not picturing the stark reality that is this geologically recent 14,000 feet above sea level. I've attached a few pictures.



Above is the observatory on Mauna Loa. Middle of summer in Hawaii, it was about 50 degrees.



This is the road to the lab and observatory. Behind the vehicle is Mauna Kea. The road may look rudimentary here but this is only about half way up. It gets much worse.



And here is the famous equipment that measures CO2 concentration. It doesn't look like much and the basic collection schema is unchanged since 1956.

[shiny!]

Re: Think Snow!

10-day forecast. This is July weather and the humidity is rising like for July. Yesterday there was a lot of cloud buildup in the afternoon. So maybe the silver lining in all this will be an early and good monsoon season, unlike last year's which fizzled out. We sure do need the rain.

06-21-2016_10-day-weather.jpg

[Lasher]

Re: Think Snow!

Saw the below posted when the heatwave started. On the bright side, Phoenix is lovely in January!

Phoenix.jpg

[shiny!]

Re: Think Snow!

As far as science experiments go, this is pretty cute:

Baking Cookies in the Car - In Phoenix

[Lasher]

Re: Think Snow!

Yikes! Frying an egg on that dashboard doesn't seem that farfetched an idea after seeing that.

[santafe2]

Re: Think Snow!

As far as science experiments go, this is pretty cute:

Next week I'm working onsite in Tucson...looks like a very early morning to get any exercise in...80 degrees at 4AM. Luckily it's dropping to a balmy high of 104 next week.

[Verrocchio]

Re: Think Snow!

Yup.

There is actually an alternative closer to Phoenix; according to Wiki, Humphrey's Peak in the Coconino National Forest just north of Flagstaff, AZ, is 12,637 ft ASL. Not sure there's any snow on the summit these days, or if one needs carabiners and crampons to access it, unlike Mauna Kea.

Humphrey's Peak is accessible in summer by way of a fairly short, but steep, hike to the summit. Flagstaff has long been a summer destination for residents of the Phoenix area and has the high real estate prices to show for it!

[shiny!]

Re: Think Snow!

Humphrey's Peak is accessible in summer by way of a fairly short, but steep, hike to the summit. Flagstaff has long been a summer destination for residents of the Phoenix area and has the high real estate prices to show for it!

Flagstaff is very beautiful. It also averages more snow every winter than Minneapolis.