Last updated: November 25, 2025
Article
Climate Monitoring at Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument: Water Year 2024
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Overview
Together, climate and hydrology shape ecosystems and the services they provide, particularly in arid and semi-arid ecosystems. Understanding changes in climate and water is key to assessing the condition of park natural resources—and often, cultural resources.
At Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument (Figure 1), Sonoran Desert Inventory and Monitoring Network scientists study how ecosystems may be changing by taking measurements of key resources, or “vital signs,” year after year—much as a doctor keeps track of a patient’s vital signs. This long-term ecological monitoring provides early warning of potential resource problems, allowing managers to mitigate them before they become worse. At Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, we monitor climate, among other vital signs.
Reporting is by water year (WY), which begins in October of the previous calendar year and goes through September of the water year (e.g., WY2024 runs from October 2023 through September 2024). This web report presents the results of climate monitoring at Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument in WY2024.
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Climate and Weather
There is often confusion over the terms “weather” and “climate.” Weather describes short-term meteorological conditions (e.g., it’s currently raining or snowing, it’s a hot or frigid day), and climate reflects patterns of weather at a given place over longer periods of time (seasons to years). Climate is the primary driver of ecological processes on Earth. Climate and weather information provide context for understanding the status or condition of other park resources.
Methods
A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Cooperative Observer Program (NOAA COOP) weather station (Gila Hot Springs #293530) has been operational near Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument since 1957 (Figure 1). This station provides a reliable, long-term climate dataset for analyses in this report. Data from this station are accessible through Climate Analyzer.
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Results
Precipitation
Highlight: A wet winter and robust monsoon led to above average precipitation.
Annual precipitation near Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument in WY2024 was 16.55″ (42.0 cm), 1.38″ (3.5 cm) more than the 1991–2020 annual average. Precipitation totals in October and September were 1.04″ (2.6 cm) and 1.40″ (23.6 cm), respectively, much drier than the 1991–2020 averages (Figure 2). However, February, June, and July were wetter than average by 0.7–1.7″ (1.8–4.3 cm). Precipitation totals during the other months were within 0.43″ (1.1 cm) of the averages. No extreme daily rainfall events (≥ 1.00″; 2.54 cm) occurred in WY2024, less than the average annual frequency of 2.2 days.
Air Temperature
Highlight: It was warmer than average with more extremely hot summer days.
The mean annual maximum temperature near Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument in WY2024 was 74.2°F (23.4°C), 0.7°F (0.4°C) above the 1991–2020 average. The mean annual minimum temperature in WY2024 was 34.5°F (1.4°C), 1.0°F (0.6°C) above the 1991–2020 average. Mean monthly maximum and minimum temperatures in WY2024 differed by as much as 6.7°F (3.7°C; see June as an example) relative to the 1991–2020 monthly averages (Figure 2). Mean monthly maximum temperatures were warmer than the 1991–2020 averages in all months except January–April. Mean monthly minimum temperatures were warmer than the 1991–2020 averages in all months except December, April, May, and September. Extremely hot temperatures (≥ 93.0°F; 33.9°C) occurred on 38 days in WY2024, nearly twice the average frequency of 20.3 days. Extremely cold temperatures (≤ 12.0°F; −11.1°C) occurred on 12 days, seven less than the average frequency of 18.7 days.
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Drought
Highlight: Drought conditions were near average.
Reconnaissance drought index (Tsakiris and Vangelis 2005) provides a measure of drought severity and extent relative to the long-term climate. It is based on the ratio of average precipitation to average potential evapotranspiration (the amount of water loss that would occur from evaporation and plant transpiration if the water supply was unlimited) over short periods of time (seasons to years). The reconnaissance drought index for Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument indicates WY2024 was similar to the 1991–2024 average (for the second consecutive year) from the perspective of both precipitation and potential evapotranspiration (Figure 3).
Reference: Tsakiris G., and H. Vangelis. 2005. Establishing a drought index incorporating evapotranspiration. European Water 9: 3–11.
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Report Citation
Author: Kara Raymond
Raymond, K. 2025. Climate Monitoring at Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument: Water Year 2024. Sonoran Desert Network, National Park Service, Tucson, Arizona.