Fires And May Summary

We've been away for several days, up in Winslow, where it was just a bit cooler than down here in Tucson. Main weather news in Arizona is currently about the ongoing wild fires and their impacts. Above is photo of smoke plume along Arizona highway 77, as we drove by yesterday heading south. When we reached Globe we learned that 77 was closed to any southbound traffic. We had to head west until we reached highway 79, which was open through Florence and on to Tucson. Road closures in effect this morning (below) continue to show Globe as the center of activity in this part of the state.

John Glueck has a May summary up on the NWS website, as well as an extensive write-up about extended dry spells , as per the serious drought we're currently experiencing. See two graphics below. Here at house we had a Trace of rain on the morning of the 21st of May, and our first hundred degree day on the 13th.

Hard to see in visible satellite image (from 11:00 am MST above), but skies are a bit dulled currently by both high clouds and some smoke (below).