Winter colder, wetter than norm

The misery this winter isn't imagined. So far, it's been colder and wetter than average.

According to Meteorologist Dennis Van Cleve of the National Weather Service's Flagstaff office, precipitation is about 140 percent of normal, and in December and January temperatures have hovered a little below average, especially during the day.

Part of that is due to above-average snowpack. Though to-date total snowfall is within .2 inches of the 52.3-inch average, the ground hasn't been free of snow since early December.

According to Van Cleve, only nine other years have had a longer period of continuous snow cover in the more than 100 years of record-keeping.

"The persistent snow cover has been keeping the temperature down," he said.

On the North Rim, where snow cover has been deeper and more consistant, daytime temperatures have run around 7 degrees below December and January norms of 38-40 degrees. Night-time temperatures ranged between 1-3 degrees below the 16-17 degree norm.

On the South Rim, both low and high temperatures averaged 1-3 degrees below normal. In December and January, average highs were 43.2 and 39.5 respectively and lows of 16.7 and 14.8 respectively.

While snowfall totals at Grand Canyon are running at a seasonal average, rain added around five and a half more inches to the precipitation total of about 10 and a half inches since Oct. 1. With October and November both showing below-average precipitation, most of the overage came in December and January.

"It got a later start but then it really kicked into gear," Van Cleve said.

According to the National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center, the trend of the past two months is expected to reverse in the southwest, with above-average temperatures and below-average perceiption anticipated into the spring.