State Climate Update for
October 2005
The
month of October was characterized by above normal precipitation across much of
the state. The exception was the southeastern portion of the state (CD 7),
where October precipitation was of an amount that can be described as
“abnormally dry”. The western portion of the state (CDs 1, 3, 5) was much
wetter than normal. Palmer Drought Severity Index values continue to indicate
very moist conditions across much of the state. However, rather large changes
in the PDSI toward lower values, or drier conditions, occurred across
east-central (CD 4) and southeastern (CD 7)
|
Temperature |
Precipitation |
PDSI |
CD1 |
74.8% |
88.3% (0) |
96.4% |
CD2 |
70.3% |
56.8% (0) |
85.6% |
CD3 |
73.0% |
75.7% (0) |
83.8% |
CD4 |
75.7% |
43.2% (0) |
31.5% |
CD5 |
78.4% |
89.2% (0) |
100% |
CD6 |
88.3% |
57.7% (0) |
85.6% |
CD7 |
69.4% |
36.0% (1) |
32.4% |
1-month percentiles of temperature, precipitation (with
drought category), and Palmer Drought Severity Index for the 7
August 2005 – October 2005
Precipitation for the three-month period that represents the
end of summer and the beginning of fall mirrors the pattern of October.
Precipitation was near normal across the northeastern (CD 2), west-central (CD
3), and south-central (CD 6) portions of the state, wetter than normal across
the west (CDs 1, 5), and “abnormally dry” across the east-central (CD 4) and
southeastern (CD 7) Arizona. Temperatures for the three-month period were
rather high, with the greatest warmth in south-central
|
Temperature |
Precipitation |
CD1 |
73.9% |
68.5% (0) |
CD2 |
62.2% |
45.1% (0) |
CD3 |
68.5% |
42.3% (0) |
CD4 |
56.8% |
36.0% (1) |
CD5 |
80.2% |
82.0% (0) |
CD6 |
91.0% |
59.5% (0) |
CD7 |
63.1% |
39.6% (1) |
3-month percentiles of temperature, and precipitation (with
drought category) for the 7
May 2005 – October 2005
Six-month
precipitation values indicate evidence of drought conditions in southeastern
(CD 7: “severe drought”) and
east-central (CD 4; “moderate drought”)
|
Temperature |
Precipitation |
CD1 |
75.7% |
63.1% (0) |
CD2 |
72.1% |
30.6% (1) |
CD3 |
79.3% |
37.8% (1) |
CD4 |
74.8% |
20.7% (2) |
CD5 |
84.7% |
77.5% (0) |
CD6 |
95.5% |
55.9% (0) |
CD7 |
85.6% |
11.7% (3) |
6-month percentiles of temperature, and precipitation (with
drought category) for the 7
November 2004 – October 2005
There
is no evidence of drought within the state when examining precipitation totals
for the past 12-month period. Most regions were characterized by well above
normal precipitation, including totals in the 90th percentile for 5
of the 7 regions and the second wettest October-September period on record across
southwestern
|
Temperature |
Precipitation |
CD1 |
75.5% |
97.3% (0) |
CD2 |
88.2% |
95.5% (0) |
CD3 |
80.9% |
96.4% (0) |
CD4 |
76.4% |
87.3% (0) |
CD5 |
77.3% |
99.1% (0) |
CD6 |
87.3% |
92.7% (0) |
CD7 |
77.3% |
59.1% (0) |
12-month percentiles of temperature, and precipitation (with drought
category) for the 7
November 2003 – October 2005
Twenty-four
month precipitation values continue to indicate rather wet conditions across
the state, as all regions but the southeast (CD 7) were comfortably above the
long-term median value, and well above across the western portion of the state.
The 2-year precipitation total was characteristic of “abnormally dry”
conditions across southeastern
|
Temperature |
Precipitation |
CD1 |
79.8% |
95.4% (0) |
CD2 |
89.9% |
84.4% (0) |
CD3 |
88.1% |
89.0% (0) |
CD4 |
94.5% |
67.9% (0) |
CD5 |
86.2% |
100% (0) |
CD6 |
89.9% |
84.4% (0) |
CD7 |
78.9% |
38.5% (1) |
24-month percentiles of temperature, and precipitation (with
drought category) for the 7
November 2002 – October 2005
Precipitation
totals for the longer 3-year period indicate conditions that are not as wet
when considering the past two years, as a portion of the very dry year of 2002
enters the timeframe. Rather dry conditions are evident across the southeastern
portion of the state (CD 7; 21st percentile), where the total
precipitation for the period is suggestive of “moderate drought” conditions.
Elsewhere, precipitation was above the long-term median for the 3-year period.
Temperatures for the period were well above the historical median; however, the
longer 3-year time period likely illustrates the more general climatic changes
of the past several decades to some extent.
|
Temperature |
Precipitation |
CD1 |
85.2% |
88.0% (0) |
CD2 |
91.7% |
71.3% (0) |
CD3 |
93.5% |
75.0% (0) |
CD4 |
97.2% |
51.9% (0) |
CD5 |
92.6% |
95.4% (0) |
CD6 |
94.4% |
75.9% (0) |
CD7 |
88.9% |
21.3% (2) |
36-month percentiles of temperature, and precipitation (with
drought category) for the 7
November 2001 – October 2005
Forty
eight-month precipitation values indicate clear evidence of longer-term drought
conditions across two areas of the state, with abnormally dry conditions across
another two areas. All regions within the state, except for the southwest (CD
5), have been characterized by less than average precipitation over the 4-year
period. Precipitation totals for the period indicate “abnormally dry”
conditions across the west-central (CD 3) and south-central (CD 6) portions of
the state. Long-term conditions suggestive of “severe drought” exist across
southeastern (CD 7) and east-central (CD 4)
|
Temperature |
Precipitation |
CD1 |
86.0% |
57.9% (0) |
CD2 |
92.5% |
41.1% (0) |
CD3 |
97.2% |
37.4% (1) |
CD4 |
98.1% |
9.4% (3) |
CD5 |
93.5% |
81.3% (0) |
CD6 |
97.2% |
35.5% (1) |
CD7 |
94.4% |
10.3% (3) |
48-month percentiles of temperature, and precipitation (with
drought category) for the 7
Summary
October
2005 was characterized by above normal rainfall across the state, except for
across southeastern and east-central
Overall,
the southeastern and east-central regions of