Supersize Dust Storms Could Become Southwest Norm

[meteorologist]

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/07/dust-storms/

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/12/southwestern-water-future/?pid=763

http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/res/div/ocp/drought/dust_storms.shtml

http://www.sgslter.colostate.edu/pdfs/publications/pnas02_2011.pdf

[aslkahuna]

You mean like they were in the 1930's? One thing to remember, when Phoenix has a big haboob that means that Tucson has probably gotten dumped on by a severe thunderstorm so we'll take the rain thank you very much.

Steve

[A-L-E-X]

You mean like they were in the 1930's? One thing to remember, when Phoenix has a big haboob that means that Tucson has probably gotten dumped on by a severe thunderstorm so we'll take the rain thank you very much.

Steve

Steve, weren't the 1930s dust storms linked to a consistent La Nina pattern? Of course, there was also the matter of some really dumb agricultural practices back then.

[tacoman25]

And if Phoenix is hit by a huge monsoonal flood, that will be linked in some way to climate change as well. Yawn.

[aslkahuna]

Steve, weren't the 1930s dust storms linked to a consistent La Nina pattern? Of course, there was also the matter of some really dumb agricultural practices back then.

The AG practices were worse than dumb they were criminally stupid. I'll have to check though I suspect that a -PDO was in there somewhere as well. FWIW the current Drought started in 1996 so it's been going on for about 15 years-these western droughts tend to last 1-2 decades though back in the days before Al Gore during the Mesoamerican Civilization period the one that destroyed them lasted over 4 decades. Overall, it's hard to say because the monsoon rainfall shows only a slight tendency for below normal for the 1930-1940 period which is indicative of a variable ENSO cycle rather than a persistent La Niña which would actually show a dry winter/spring but a wet monsoon signal.

Steve