El Paso has a hot desert climate (Koppen BWh) with very hot summers, usually with little or no humidity, and mild, dry winters. Rainfall averages 9.4 inches (240 mm) per year, much of which occurs during the summer from July through September and is predominantly caused by the monsoon. During this period, southerly and southeasterly winds carry moisture from the Pacific, the Gulf of California, and the Gulf of Mexico into the region. When this moisture moves into the El Paso area and places to the southwest, orographic lift from the mountains, combined with strong daytime heating, causes thunderstorms, some severe enough to produce flash flooding and hail, across the region.
The sun shines 302 days per year on average in El Paso, 83 percent of daylight hours, according to the El Paso Weather Bureau. It is from this that the city is nicknamed “The Sun City.”[16] Due to its dry climate, El Paso often experiences wind and dust storms during the spring, usually starting in March and lasting to early May. With an average wind speed of up to 30 miles per hour (50 km/h)[citation needed] with gusts that have been measured at over 75 miles per hour (120 km/h),[citation needed] these wind storms kick up large amounts of sand causing loss of visibility.
El Paso, at 3,800 feet (1,200 m) elevation, is also capable of receiving snow; weather systems have produced over a foot of snow on several occasions. In 1980, three major snowstorms produced over a foot of snow; one in February, another in April and the last one in December, producing a white Christmas for the city.[citation needed] A major snowstorm in December 1987 dumped over two feet (65 cm) of snow.[17]
One example of El Paso’s varying climate was the winter storm of early February 2011, which caused closures of schools, businesses, and City Hall. The snow stopped after about a day, but then because of below freezing temperatures El Paso utilities went into a crisis. Electric wires were broken, causing area blackouts; many water utility pipes froze, causing areas of the city to be without water for several days. When the pipes thawed, water was unsafe to drink due to filtration systems not working, therefore schools were closed again.[citation needed]
Monthly means range from 45.1 °F (7.3 °C) in January to 83.3 °F (28.5 °C) in July, but the warmest highs are typically in June. There are 60 nights below freezing, 109 days at or above 90 °F (32 °C) and 20 days above 100 °F (38 °C) each year.[17] The city’s record high is 114 °F (46 °C), and its record low is −14 °F (−26 °C), with weather records for the area maintained by the National Weather Service since 1879.
All information about El Paso courtesy of Wikipedia.
