56 chapter 4 Present weather and Climate: Average Conditions CooRDinATinG LeAD AUThoR W. James Steenburgh (University of Utah) LeAD AUThoRS Kelly T. Redmond (Western Regional Climate Center and Desert Research Institute), Kenneth E. Kunkel (NOAA Cooperative Institute for Climate and Satellites, North Carolina State University and National Climate Data Center), Nolan Doesken (Colorado State University), Robert R. Gillies (Utah State University), John D. Horel (University of Utah) ConTRiBUTinG AUThoRS Martin P. Hoerling (NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory), Thomas H. Painter (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) exPeRT Review eDiToR Roy Rasmussen (National Center for Atmospheric Research) executive Summary This chapter describes the weather and climate of the Southwest, which straddles the mid- and subtropical latitudes and includes the greatest range of topographic relief in the contiguous United States. The key fndings are as follows: Chapter citation: Steenburgh, W. J., K. T. Redmond, K. E. Kunkel, N. Doesken, R. R. Gillies, J. D. Horel, M. P. Hoerling, and T. H. Painter. 2013. “Present Weather and Climate: Average Con- ditions.” In Assessment of Climate Change in the Southwest United States: A Report Prepared for the National Climate Assessment, edited by G. Garfn, A. Jardine, R. Merideth, M. Black, and S. LeRoy, 56–73. A report by the Southwest Climate Alliance. Washington, DC: Island Press.