We looked at Flagstaff in the last week of November, and found that temperatures were not what we would expect when thinking of Arizona. High temperatures in northern Arizona were about what the forecasters expected, but they were off the mark when we looked at the lows. Most outlets had the low dropping into the teens, but on the 27th and 28th, they were actually only in the mid 20s. Sure, not what you expect in Arizona, but also not quite as cold as meteorologists expected. Ironically, Weatherbug, who tends to skew towards the cooler side, ended up with the best forecast on a day where things were warmer than anticipated. Actuals: Monday November 27th, High 40, Low 26 Tuesday November 28th, High 46, Low 20
Northern Arizona has weather that is more akin to the Rockies, which makes it a more palatable destination for people visiting the Grand Canyon. Flagstaff is a lot more palatable than some people think when they hear “Arizona”. It would be a real shock to hit 110 in Flagstaff.
At 157PM, PT, Flagstaff was reporting a temperature of 39 degrees with clear skies. An upper level trough was tailed east to west from the central Plains towards the Great Basin. Unlike tilted troughs normally behave, this will shove off to the east overnight, with high pressure building into the western US. The high pressure in the region will allow temperatures to warm up a bit. The subtropical jet will still run through northern Mexico, so summer like temperatures are not going to return to Arizona, with only a few fair clouds for Flagstaff. Tomorrow – Partly cloudy, High 42, Low 19 Tuesday – Fair skies, High 48, Low 18
TWC: Tomorrow – Cloudy. High 42, Low 19 Tuesday – Sunshine and clouds mixed. High 47, Low 19
AW: Tomorrow – Partly sunny and chilly High 41, Low 21 Tuesday – Partly sunny High 47, Low 17
NWS: Tomorrow – Mostly cloudy, High 43, Low 16 Tuesday – Sunny, High 47, Low 16
WB: Tomorrow – Mostly cloudy, High 40, Low 23 Tuesday – Mostly sunny, High 46, Low 21
WN: Tomorrow – Mostly cloudy, High 43, Low 17 Tuesday – Mostly sunny, High 47, Low 18
CLI: Tomorrow – Overcast, High 40, Low 20 Tuesday – Sunny, High 45, Low 20
Some diversity to the temperature forecasts, which is nice, and makes sense. Like I said, northern Arizona is very much like the Rockies, which are mercurial at their best. Satellite shows some streaming clouds in southern Arizona, and more congested clouds north of the border.
