1. Southwest climate basics
Precipitation
Annual means
Monthly scale
primary maximum in summer - 50% of total
secondary maximum in winter - 30%
Mean Annual Temp. Monthly Precip. (3” scale)

2. Winter vs. monsoon precipitation
Winter: Large Storms from Pacific
Influenced by El Niño, sea surface temperatures, jet stream
Dec 10th 1997 GOES Satellite Infrared
Jet Stream Guides Storms

3. Monsoon a different animal
Summer: localized surges from Gulf of California
Influenced by El Niño, Gulf of California temperatures, snow in Rockies, soil temperature, tropical hurricanes, visits from relatives, you name it
Aug 6th 1997 GOES satellite infrared
Jet Stream
Moisture Pulled Up
Hurricane Guillermo