State Climate Update for
December 2005
The
month of December was mild and extremely dry across the state. The mean monthly
temperature ranked between the 71st percentile and the 81st
percentile, except in northwestern
|
Temperature |
Precipitation |
PDSI |
CD1 |
91.0% |
3.6% (4) |
86.5% |
CD2 |
71.2% |
0.9% (4) |
66.7% |
CD3 |
81.1% |
0.9% (4) |
71.2% |
CD4 |
71.2% |
11.7% (3) |
18.9% |
CD5 |
78.4% |
0.9% (4) |
97.3% |
CD6 |
81.1% |
0.9% (4) |
72.1% |
CD7 |
76.6% |
13.5% (3) |
19.8% |
1-month percentiles of temperature, precipitation (with
drought category), and Palmer Drought Severity Index for the 7
October 2005 – December 2005
Except for across southwestern
|
Temperature |
Precipitation |
CD1 |
87.4% |
39.6% (1) |
CD2 |
75.7% |
7.2% (3) |
CD3 |
88.3% |
17.1% (2) |
CD4 |
85.6% |
6.3% (3) |
CD5 |
94.6% |
49.6% (0) |
CD6 |
94.6% |
9.0% (3) |
CD7 |
87.4% |
6.3% (3) |
3-month percentiles of temperature, and precipitation (with
drought category) for the 7
July 2005 – December 2005
Six-month
precipitation values representing conditions from mid-summer through early
winter again indicate dryness for all of Arizona except for the western portion
of the state (CDs 1 and 5). The driest
six months occurred across eastern
|
Temperature |
Precipitation |
CD1 |
85.6% |
42.3% (0) |
CD2 |
82.0% |
8.1% (3) |
CD3 |
86.5% |
14.4% (3) |
CD4 |
88.3% |
9.0% (3) |
CD5 |
96.4% |
58.6% (0) |
CD6 |
96.4% |
24.3% (2) |
CD7 |
91.0% |
5.4% (3) |
6-month percentiles of temperature, and precipitation (with
drought category) for the 7
January 2005 – December 2005
There
is no evidence of drought within the state when examining precipitation totals
for the past twelve-month period. In fact, most regions were characterized by
well above normal precipitation, including totals in the 90th
percentile across western
|
Temperature |
Precipitation |
CD1 |
82.0% |
91.9% (0) |
CD2 |
92.8% |
65.8% (0) |
CD3 |
88.3% |
79.3% (0) |
CD4 |
82.9% |
65.8% (0) |
CD5 |
91.0% |
90.1% (0) |
CD6 |
95.5% |
79.3% (0) |
CD7 |
90.1% |
26.1% (1) |
12-month percentiles of temperature, and precipitation (with
drought category) for the 7
January 2004 – December 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 two-year precipitation total was characteristic of “abnormally dry”
conditions across southeastern
|
Temperature |
Precipitation |
CD1 |
80.0% |
93.6% (0) |
CD2 |
90.0% |
74.5% (0) |
CD3 |
87.3% |
82.7% (0) |
CD4 |
95.5% |
57.3% (0) |
CD5 |
86.4% |
96.4% (0) |
CD6 |
91.8% |
79.1% (0) |
CD7 |
80.0% |
29.1% (1) |
24-month percentiles of temperature, and precipitation (with
drought category) for the 7
January 2003 – December 2005
Precipitation
totals for the longer-term three-year period indicate conditions that are not
as wet when considering the past two years; however, the 36-month precipitation
totals were above average for five of the seven climatic regions in Arizona,
with another region (east-central, CD 4) very near average (42nd percentile).
Only across the southeastern portion of the state (CD 7; 13th percentile)
did the precipitation fall far below average. Here, the total precipitation for
the period is suggestive of “severe drought” conditions. Temperatures for the
period were well above the historical median; however, to some extent the
longer three-year time period likely reflects the more general climatic changes
of the past several decades.
|
Temperature |
Precipitation |
CD1 |
86.2% |
89.0% (0) |
CD2 |
92.7% |
65.1% (0) |
CD3 |
94.5% |
69.7% (0) |
CD4 |
97.3% |
42.2% (0) |
CD5 |
93.6% |
92.7% (0) |
CD6 |
96.3% |
70.6% (0) |
CD7 |
91.7% |
13.8% (3) |
36-month percentiles of temperature, and precipitation (with
drought category) for the 7
January 2002 – December 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 three areas. All regions within the state, except for the northwest (CD
1) and southwest (CD 5), have been characterized by less than average
precipitation over the four-year period. Precipitation totals for the period
indicate “abnormally dry” conditions across the northeastern (CD 2), 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 |
85.2% |
51.9% (0) |
CD2 |
90.7% |
38.0% (1) |
CD3 |
97.2% |
36.1% (1) |
CD4 |
98.2% |
11.1% (3) |
CD5 |
91.7% |
76.9% (0) |
CD6 |
93.5% |
34.3% (1) |
CD7 |
93.5% |
10.2% (3) |
48-month percentiles of temperature, and precipitation (with
drought category) for the 7
Summary
December
2005 was characterized by warmth and extreme dryness across the entire state,
including the driest December on record for northeastern, west-central,
southwestern, and south-central
On
the longer term, there exists little or no evidence of drought across
Overall,
the southeastern and east-central regions of