This winter is shaping up to be a wet one, with rainfall already exceeding what’s fallen in each of the past 15 Octobers in Navajo County. Forecasters are predicting that El Niño in effect in the Pacific Ocean will likely produce significant rainfall all the way through spring.
Navajo County Flood Control keeps a close watch on the rain accumulation in the county and has provided an online resource for people who would like to know the rainfall from the last hour through the past 30 days.
The most efficient way to reach the site is to enter “Navajo County Alert System” into a search engine and follow the first result under navajocountyaz.gov. Once the site opens up, there is a link on the center display panel titled “Google Based Map (Recent Rainfall Totals).” Clicking that link brings the user to the interactive map.
The site features the results of 29 sensor gauges located throughout the county, including in Winslow, Joseph City, Holbrook, Snowflake and Taylor. It allows you to select a period of time to review, or if a specific gauge is selected, a separate panel shows the rainfall for that particular area over a given period of time.
As of Nov. 4, rainfall for those areas over the previous 30 days totaled 1.65” for Winslow, 2.24” for Joseph City, 1.30” for Holbrook, 1.81” for Snowflake and 1.61” for Taylor.
The site also displays the most recent Doppler radar results provided by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, indicating whether a storm front is moving through the county and the direction of travel. By selecting “All Sensors” and a specific sensor site from the Sensor Type panel, the barometric pressure reading is displayed for the past three days for that site.
Navajo County engineer Brian Cook explained that the map is used by Flood Control to monitor water levels and to help predict any potential concerns. “An example might be the Winslow Levee. We watch the watersheds and to see if it’s affecting the levee. The information helps us plan for any potential issues that may arise,” he said.
There is no indication that there are any concerns regarding any areas in Navajo County at this time, but this information used in conjunction with the new Ready Navajo County emergency notification system, will help county officials to be informed and to keep residents informed in the event of any potential weather related emergencies.
