Sudden heat arrival sends Yumans outdoors

What does Yuma's warmest day of the year so far have to do with English composition?

The unusually sunny spell for this time of year tempted college student Frances Pino to study English 102 outdoors under 'the big tree" at the Arizona Western College campus Monday afternoon.

"There was something about today," said Pino, who is an AWC sophomore. "It's been cold, but all of a sudden it's hot. So I decided to study outside."

Pino said she likes to sit and study "under the big tree" because it is where she met many of her friends in college and it is much more comfortable and cool than sitting at the benches.

According to Accuweather, The Sun's weather source for the Yuma area, Monday's temperatures reached an unofficial high of 91, which is about 13 degrees above normal for this time of the year.

Ken Clark, an Accuweather forecaster, said the abnormal warm weather follows a 14-day streak of Yuma temperatures below normal from Feb. 21 to March 5.

Along with Pino, there were several other students enjoying the nice breeze while studying or just enjoying the afternoon, talking.

AWC students Francisco Vargas and Armida Lopez were sitting in front of the campus on the grass while they were waiting for their ride into Yuma.

"We don't have many days like this in Yuma," said Lopez. "It's a nice break from not being hot and not being very cold. It's just right."

Meanwhile, the nice weather brought three Yuma ladies out to Smucker Park to hike the winding walkways for exercise. Loli Preciado, along with friends Patricia Ortega and Elvia Roman, have been wanting to take the time after work to walk and begin losing a little weight.

"Today was the first day in three years we have come out," said Preciado jokingly.

The three ladies just finished work at Woodard Junior High School and decided to go out for a walk and begin their exercise, they said.

"It's a nice day," Preciado said. "So we decided to start today."

Clark said today should warm up even more to about 94 degrees, but should cool off to the upper 80s by the end of the week.

He said no rain is in the forecast for this week or the weekend. He added the unusual warm trend is due to nothing more than "just the way the weather pattern is."

The last time day temperatures were in the 90s in Yuma was Oct. 28, when it was 93 degrees, Clark said.