Arizona Climate

Arizona GeographyGCU 221

Game Plan

1. Why is it so hot!2. General Summer Circulation - Monsoons3. General Winter Circulation - Cold Fronts4. Phoenix Climagraph5. Where do we get our water from?

1. Why is it so hot in Phoenix?

• Located in a sub-tropical high (clear skies)• Located in the westerlies, down wind of the

Pacific ocean (keeps pressures high)• Located downhill from mountains in California

(air warms adiabatically on the downhill portion of mountains) keeping it dry

1. Sub-Tropical High

1. High Pressure• Clear Skies, let’s in a lot of sunshine• Descending air, very stable, low winds and low

circulation

1. Pacific High Pressure

1. Pacific High Pressure

1. Westerlies and the Pacific

1. Mountains and Adiabatics

1. Mountains and Adiabatics

• Monsoon means a “change in the winds”• Winds shift from “West” to “East”• Azores High Pressure moves westward, driving

winds off the Gulf of Mexico and California into Arizona.

2. Summer Monsoons

2. Azores High Pressure

2. High Dew Points and Lifting Mechanism

• Arizona’s monsoon starts when three days in a row have dew points 55 degrees or higher.

• Moisture comes from the Gulf of Mexico and Gulf of California.

• Lifting Mechanisms: Convection, Orographic, Downdraft

• Need to lift the air to cool it and generate rain

2. Lifting Mechanisms: Convection

2. Lifting Mechanisms: Orographic

2. Lifting Mechanisms: Orographic

2. Lifting Mechanisms: Downdraft

3. Winter Frontal Systems

• Dominant air masses: Warm Moist to the south Cold and Dry to the north

• Low pressures from the jet stream spin counter-clockwise

• This forces the warm moist air over cold dry air, causing storms

3. Winter Frontal Systems

3. Winter Frontal Systems

3. Winter Frontal Systems

4. Phoenix Climate graph

5. Arizona Watersheds

Major Water Sheds – Mogollon Rim, Colorado Rockies, Wind River Mountains, and Utah HighlandsMajor Rivers – Colorado River, Salt River, and Verde River

5. Arizona Water issues

5. Arizona Water issues

• Lowering groundwater table• Groundwater contamination• Lake Mead at low levels• Arizona watersheds not sufficient to support

Phoenix and sensitive to climate change

Things to know:1. Why is it so hot!2. Why do we get rain in the summer time?3. Why do we get rain in the winter time?4. Where do we get our water from , highlands and rivers?5. What are some issues facing our water supply

Help: Ask Dr. Douglass