Every part of the Southwest experienced higher average temperatures between 2000 and 2020than the long-term average (18952020). Although there has been a fair amount of research into the monsoon, there are still far more questions than answers about how it works, and if the seasonal amount of rain, potential start date, or other characteristics can be predicted. For temperature, the 2020 monsoon was the hottest on record for the Southwest with an average temperature of 77.1 F, significantly beating the previous record of 76.8 F in 2011 (average is 74.3 F). The main features that influence the areas climate are latitude, regional topography, and a low atmospheric moisture content that leads to quick evaporation. 3. Agriculture accounts for more than half of the Southwests water use, so any major reduction in the availability of water resources will create a serious strain on ecosystems and populations. NASA Earth Observatory image by Lauren Dauphin (NASA Earth Observatory,used following NASA's image use policy). Although the mountain building that occurred during this event was mostly far to the east, the Southwest was influenced by both fluctuating sea levels and a few significant tectonic changes. Photo by Richard Stephen Haynes (Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license, image resized). As of June 2022, it was more than 90% contained. Flows in late summer are correspondingly reduced, leading to extra pressure on the states water supplies. Glaciers in the Colorado Rockies are sustained largely by avalanches and wind-blown snow. Forecasts had all of this widespread flash flooding. Stages in the formation of a thunderstorm. Unless otherwise indicated, text and images on this website have Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International licenses. 2021. Colorado has a generally cool and continental climate with low humidity. The impact vaporized both water and rock, blocking out sunlight for weeks to years, which led to a collapse of photosynthesis and food webs on land and in the oceans. The Sonoran Desert is located in southwestern Arizona and adjacent regions of California and Mexico. To provide more detailed information, each state has been divided into climate divisions, which are zones that share similar climate features. In general, places in the east and south of the UK tend to be drier, warmer, sunnier and less windy than those further west and north. Data: U.S. Energy Information Administration. Summer- The summer in the Southwest region is hot and desert-like. Pangaea began to break up during the Jurassic, rifting apart into continents that would drift toward their modern-day positions. Average temperatures range from about 60 to 80 F in Paris, while in Nice and on the south coast they range from around 80 to 90 F. In recent years, heatwaves in Paris and elsewhere have brought record-breaking temperatures, sometimes exceeding 100 degrees F. Summer storm systems are common. Elevation does, however, play a key role in precipitation received throughout the Southwest. Water is already scarce in the Southwest, so every drop is a precious resource. Data from the Northeast Regional Climate Center Applied Climate Information System; 2079-2099 image shows the weighted mean of downscaled CMIP5 models in the LOCA dataset. A deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) in Portal, Arizona, 2004. For example, high winter temperatures between 2000 and 2003 correlated to bark beetle outbreaks that devastated pinyon pine throughout the Southwest, leading to nearly 90% mortality at some sites in Colorado and Arizona. A= Tropical (equatorial),B= Arid,C= Temperate (warm temperate),D= Continental (cold),E= polar. Right:Reconstruction of living animals. Maps and data. Dry air is shown in orange. :https://earthathome.org/de/what-is-climate/, Digital Encyclopedia of Earth Science: Evidence for and causes of recent climate change:https://earthathome.org/de/recent-climate-change/, Digital Encyclopedia of Earth Science: Climate change mitigation: https://earthathome.org/de/climate-change-mitigation/, Digital Encyclopedia of Earth Science: Climate change adaptation: https://earthathome.org/de/climate-change-adaptation/, [emailprotected]: Quick guides & FAQ: Climate and Energy:https://earthathome.org/quick-faqs/#climate, [emailprotected]: Here on Earth: Introduction to Climate: https://earthathome.org/hoe/climate/. These changes to rain and snow-pack are already stressing water sources and affecting agriculture. The strengthened Gulf Stream carried more warm, moist air with it into the northern Atlantic, which caused increased snowfall in high latitudes, leading to accelerating cooling. The location of the Southwest and the topographical extremes across this area strongly influence its weather. Map made by Elizabeth J. Hermsen usingSimplemapprand modified in Photoshop. Eventually, a sheet of sea ice formed over the Arctic, and ice sheets spread over northern Asia, Europe, and North America, signaling the start of the most recent ice age. Photo by James St. John (flickr, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license, image cropped and resized). Data source: NOAA, 20214Web update: April2021, Key Points | Background | About the Data | Technical Documentation. I did a quick comparison of the average JulyAugust rainfall in the monsoon region with the Nio-3.4 index, using 70 years of records. Fig. NWS Climate Prediction Center College Park MD. Northwestern Mexico receives upwards of 75% of its average annual precipitation from it, and Arizona and New Mexico more than 50%, during JulySeptember. Summer rains fall almost entirely during brief but intense thunderstorms on the Great Plains, although the occasional hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico may push heavier precipitation inland. The March-April-May (MAM) 2023 temperature outlook favors below-normal. Despite the monsoon rainfall this year, much of the region is still in a precipitation deficit. | View Google Privacy Policy. Glaciation in the Southern Hemisphere occurred during the late Devonian, while the supercontinent Gondwana was located over the South Pole, and intensified during the early Carboniferous. When you add in the sparse rain-gauge observations available in the U.S. Southwest and Mexico, it becomes even more difficult to make confident statements about the effects of the monsoon and how it can be predicted. Also, the occasional eastern Pacific tropical storm can increase monsoon moisture and rainfall. Center:As warm air rises, cool air sinks. Accessed March2021. www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cag. Branches and leaves of an ancient conifer (Walchia dawsonii), Permian Hermit Shale, Arizona. As of 2010, bark beetles in Arizona and New Mexico have affected more than twice the forest area burned by wildfires in those states. The inset image is a shaded relief image that shows the edge of the crater on the Yucatn Peninsula with sinkholes in the rock surrounding it. By 2070, one can expect up to 38 more days of freeze-free weather each year. Thanks thats a big pool of warm water larger than the gulf of California and warmer than the greater Pacific Ocean. Based on the long-term Palmer Index, drought conditions in the Southwest have varied since 1895. Typically, a storm blows itself out once the warm air has moved up and the cool air has moved down. Declining water supplies, reduced agricultural yields, health impacts in cities due to heat, and flooding and erosion in coastal areas are additional concerns. Photo by Gregory Smith (flickr, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license, image cropped and resized). The state's mountainous areas, however, have climate characteristics that more closely follow those found in the Colorado Rockies. Summer heat waves will become hotter and longer, while winter cold snaps will occur less often. Notice that North America has separated from Africa and there is a spreading center in the Central Atlantic Ocean. The size and location of various lakes in which the Green River Formation sediments were deposited during the Eocene epoch. New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado have also reduced their carbon dioxide emissions between 2008 and 2019. Left:Jaw with teeth. Title: Arizona Monsoon Thunderstorm. Here, the states varied topography leads to wide changes in climactic conditions that occur across short distances. In a broad sense, the Southwests climate is mostly dry and hot, with much of the region characterized as arid. The Southwest contributes significantly to climate change. Data source: NOAA, 20212Web update: April2021. This feature provides a closer look at trends in temperature and drought in the southwestern United States. Thus, even a small increase in temperature (which drives evaporation) or a decrease in precipitation in this already arid region can seriously threaten natural systems and society. While this will help with the ongoing drought in the southwest, in many regions the precipitation deficit has been building for a long time. Climate models project a significant increase in the number of days over 95F per year across the Southeast. Climate at a glance. Images by Lauren Dauphin, NASA Earth Observatory (used following NASA's image use policy). PRI's free resource to help you learn about the Earth and its history. Reconstruction created using basemap from the. Climate.gov image of original from Albuquerque, NM National Weather Service office. Volcanic activity intensified in the Southwest, and the Basin and Range region began to form, leading to the topography that is seen in those areas today (i.e., low valleys alternating with high mountain ranges). The Central American Isthmus, which today makes up most of Panama and Costa Rica, rose out of the ocean at approximately this time, formed by undersea volcanoes. . In the middle Cretaceous, oceans covered most of the Southwest, with the exception of parts of Arizona and New Mexico. The population of any industrialized and particularly wealthy country produces pollution; the majority of these emissions come from the use of petroleum. That's at least one part of a very big climate puzzle crossing that barrier that involves both the ocean and atmosphere. The book was adapted for the web by Elizabeth J. Hermsen, Jonathan R. Hendricks, and Ingrid Zabel in 2022. The thunderstorm begins. The causes of specific weather events such as tornados and severe thunderstorms are incredibly complex, although climate change has enhanced some correlated factors, such as increased wind speed and an unstable atmosphere. ; Precipitation was above-average across portions of the Great Basin and Southwest, from the southern Plains to the Great Lakes and across much of the eastern U.S. Mississippi had its wettest summer on record with Alabama, Michigan, New York and Massachusetts . Higher elevations (such as those found in the Rockies and on the Colorado Plateau) are also cooler, with approximately a 1.5C (3F) decrease in mean annual temperature for each 300-meter (1000-foot) increase in elevation. The American Southwest, here defined as the area between 95W and 125W and 25N and 40N, 9 covers over four million square kilometers. When you take an already highly variable phenomenon like rainfall, add in uncertain regional climate change impacts, and factor in the sparse data record, it gets difficult to make a strong case about exactly how the monsoon rainfall is changing. The monsoon's intensity waned by the early Jurassic, and the rivers and floodplains were replaced by even larger deserts. Burning those fossil fuels releases carbon into the atmosphere, which warms the Earth. Photo source:National Park Service (public domain). This figure uses the U.S. Drought Monitor classification system, which is described in the table in the Droughtindicator. In winter, daily temperatures in the southwest are cooler with highs in the 50s and 60s F, and lows in . The Great Plains receive warm, moist air moving north from the Gulf of Mexico, and cold, dry air moving in from the Rocky Mountains and the northern U.S. Where these air masses meet, vigorous mixing causes thunderstorms. During this time, the only exposed areas were islands in western Colorado and parts of New Mexico. But El Nio leads to more tropical storms than average, youre saying, because youre not new here. One especially alarming detail about the Calf Canyon fire is that it was originally set in January 2022. Large lakes covered parts of northern Utah and Colorado. Brown indicates where precipitation has been less than average; green is greater than average. Answer: Winter, June, July, and August. Weather conditions, particularly hot, dry weather and wind that spreads flames, contribute significantly to the ignition and growth of wildfires. Bark beetles, which normally die in cold weather, have been able to survive through the winter and reproduce, increasing tree mortality. Fossil plants, Late Cretaceous Fruitland Formation, San Juan Basin, New Mexico. Photo of USNM PAL 165239 by Crinoid Type Project (Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, public domain). The warm, arid Southwest region presents extreme challenges to turf grasses in low- and high-desert climates. Warmer temperatures also make it easier for insect pests to overwinter and produce more generations. Despite the areas arid climate, the dunes were surprisingly full of life, particularly in southeastern Utah. We are largely unaware of this precipitation because of the Southern California Chamber of Commerce and a lack of rain gauges. On the other hand, there is not much agreement among projections for future change in the monsoon, except for regarding the timingmost projections suggest that, under continued climate change, the monsoon will start later in the summer and end later in the fall than it currently does (3). The Southwest has a very unique culture, climate, and geography. Arizona monsoon cloud with lightning striking the beautiful Sonoran desert in North Scottsdale. Photo by James St. John (flickr,Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license, image cropped and resized). (Prescribed burns are an important forest management tool; they are used to consume fuels like dry wood that can ignite and feed wildfires as well as maintain forest health.) In the podcast episode 2021a generational monsoon? Zack listed some of the factors that influence how much moisture is available to the monsoon, including the position of the high-pressure area, wind patterns, and transient weather features. Climate change in the Southwest The global rise in temperatures will affect different locations on earth in unique ways. Reconstruction created using basemap from thePALEOMAP PaleoAtlas for GPlatesand the PaleoData Plotter Program, PALEOMAP Project by C. R. Scotese (2016); map annotations by Jonathan R. Hendricks & Elizabeth J. Hermsen for PRI's[emailprotected]project (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0license). (2015) . You mentioned, if I understood correctly, that a La Nina pattern during winter months leads to an increase in the North American Monsoon in late summer. Large portions of the Southwest have experienced drought conditions since weekly Drought Monitor records began in 2000. Indeed, much of this region has low annual rainfall and seasonally high temperatures that contribute to its characteristic desert climate. Likewise, its not yet clear how the monsoon is changing in the warming climate, or how it will in the future. That timeworn classic is only partially true--May and September can also be great summer months. Raucous summer thunderstorms characteristic of the monsoon season are spotty, while drizzly winter storms last longer and engulf large portions of the region. A crinoid (Ibexocrinus lepton) from the Ordovician Kanosh Shale, Millard County, Utah. There is also an important relationship between rainfall and temperature: usually, more rain leads to cooler conditions, and less rain leads to hotter conditions. National Drought Mitigation Center. Official websites use .gov Wind moves the air, promoting mixing. By the late Carboniferous, North America had collided with Gondwana, leading to the formation of Pangaeaa supercontinent composed of nearly all the landmass on Earth. Introduction The overall climate of the Southwestits weather patterns over a long period of timetends to be warm and dry. Temperature and drought data come from a network of thousands of weather stations overseen by the National Weather Service. The coldest periods will be in late November, mid- and late December, and mid-January. However, although climate change is predicted to enhance the intensity of severe weather, there is currently no way to calculate what effect climate change will have on the frequency of specific storm eventsfor example, we might see more powerful tornados, but we do not know if we will see more of them. Deer mice are the most important rodent carriers of hantavirus in the Southwest. Photo credits: 1916 photo from USGS (public domain), 2013 photo by daveynin (flickr,Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license, image resized). The daily range between maximum and minimum temperatures sometimes runs as much as 50 to 60 degrees F during the drier periods of the year. Southwestern states are stepping up their use and production of renewable energy. By early to mid-September, wind patterns have generally reverted back to the westerly pattern, bringing an end to the monsoon. Maps showing the progressive closure of the Isthmus of Panama at 20 million years ago (A) and 15 million years ago (B). Southwest Asia is a region of diverse climates and is generally divided into three main climate types: arid, semiarid, and temperate. Also extreme dryness which means days & weeks on end without rain. Here at the ENSO Blog, were always curious about the role of ENSO (El Nio/Southern Oscillation, the entire El Nio/La Nia system). He pointed out that ENSO does influence Pacific tropical storms, which can supply moisture to the monsoon. The white arrow is pointing to one of the leaflets of a compound leaf. The climate was drier than that of the Carboniferous, and mudflats with salt and gypsum formed across the Southwestern states. Cities like Phoenix, Las Vegas, Yuma, and Palm Springs have average highs over 100 F (38 C) during the summer months and lows in the 70s or even 80s. :https://earthathome.org/de/talk-about-climate/, Digital Encyclopedia of Earth Science: What is climate? These increased temperatures lead to a whole host of other effects, including a decrease in snowpack, declines in river flow, drier soils from more evaporation, and the increased likelihood of drought and fires. In New Mexico, for example, average annual precipitation ranges from less than 25 centimeters (10 inches) within the Great Plains and Basin and Range regions to more than 50 centimeters (20 inches) at the higher elevations to the northwest. 2. Modified from illustrations by Wade Greenberg-Brand originally published inThe Teacher-Friendly Guide to the Earth Science of the SouthwesternUS. Ive summarized their conclusions above, and include the quotes here, but I suggest you head over to the full science report if youre in the mood for some specifics. Photos by Lauren Dauphin, NASA Earth Observatory (used following NASA's image use policy). This salt is part of the Late Carboniferous (Pennsylvanian) Paradox Formation. Monsoon rainfall activity tends to be grouped into bursts, with periods of rainy days interspersed with drier periods, rather than rain every day. NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). The inner canyon temperatures are extreme and hot, with a lower elevation of about 2400 feet (732 meters). Dry conditions are common throughout the Great Plains, Colorado Plateau, and Basin and Range. Well those extra storms probably just go somewhere else because of the change in wind pattern that the El Nino brings, eh? Ideas and explanations found in these posts should be attributed to the ENSO blog team, and not to NOAA (the agency) itself. Rugose corals or horn corals (Turbophyllum) from the Mississippian Great Blue Limestone, Cache Canyon, northern Utah, near the border between the Basin and Range and Rocky Mountain physiographic provinces. Reconstruction created usingPaleomap(by C. Scotese) forGPlates. Average temperatures found in the Southwest tend to decrease northward, which is largely the influence of latitude and elevation. Record high temperatures for the Southwest range from 53C (128F) in Arizona to 47C (117F) in Utah, while record low temperatures range from 56C (69F) in Utah to 40C (40F) in Arizona. The map in Figure 1 shows how average annual temperatures in the Southwest from 2000 to 2020differed from the average over the entire period since widespread temperature records became available (18952020). Since 1980, tree mortality in forests and woodlands across the Southwest has been higher and more extensive than at any time during the previous 90 years. In addition, temperature increases and recent drought have resulted in earlier spring snowmelt and decreased snow cover on the lower slopes of high mountains, bringing about more rapid runoff and increased flooding. This map shows how the average air temperature from 2000 to 2020has differed from the long-term average (18952020). I listened to the Southwest Climate Podcast from CLIMAS, the Climate Assessment for the Southwest, to learn more about what affects the monsoon and its rainfall, and how Monsoon 2021 is shaping up, and reached out to the podcast co-hosts, Zack Guido and Mike Crimmins, for help with this post. It smoldered beneath the ground as a dormant holdover, sleeper, or zombie fire until April, when it flared up and grew into a wildfire, an almost unprecedented occurrence in the Southwest. Extent of the Western Interior Seaway during the Cretaceous Period. There was likely little or no glacial ice anywhere on Earth, and temperatures were highest in lower latitudes. The warmest temperatures in the Southwest are found in Arizona and New Mexico, while the coolest are found in Utah and Colorado. Credits: Most of the text on this page comes from "Climate of the Southwestern US" by Ingrid H. H. Zabel, Judith T. Parrish, and Andrielle N. Swaby, chapter 8 in The Teacher-Friendly Guide to the Earth Science of the Southwestern US, edited by Andrielle N. Swaby, Mark D. Lucas, and Robert M. Ross (published in 2016 by the Paleontological Research Institution; currently out of print). By comparison, the average high and low temperatures for the entire United States are 17C (63F) and 5C (41F), respectively. Winter- The winter in the Southwest region is mild, and hot. These warmer temperatures and increased precipitation have helped bring on longer growing seasons. Convective mixing forces the moisture in warm air to condense as it comes into contact with cool air, forming vapor (clouds) and precipitation (for example, rain or hail). By comparison, the average high and low temperatures for the entire United States are 17C (63F) and 5C (41F), respectively. All rights reserved. Extreme high temperatures. (3) There is a whole lot of interesting detail in this reportabout everything, but about the North American Monsoon specifically. The satellite loop in this post shows Gulf of Mexico moisture moving west into the monsoon region. Hailstones from a storm in Limon, Colorado, 2010. Summer temperatures on the South Rim, at 7000 feet (2134 meters), are especially pleasant from 50 to about 85 F (10s to 20s C). Soil moisture, ground water, and streamflow are part of Drought Monitor calculations (Figure 2), and they are all sensitive to human activities. MacDonald, G.M. In the Southwest, average precipitation ranges from only 34 centimeters (13.4 inches) in Utah to 39.9 centimeters (15.7 inches) in Colorado, which reflects the area's general aridity. Average annual preciptiation for the southwestern U.S. As in Arizona, the desert experiences a large range of temperature on a daily basis. Precipitation forms. Light precipitation travels eastward over the Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountains after dropping heavy snowfall in areas of high elevation.