Atmospheric CH3OH (methanol) free tropospheric (2.09-14 km altitude) time series spanning 22 years has been analyzed based on high spectral resolution infrared solar absorption spectra of the strong ν8 band recorded from the U.S. National Solar Observatory on Kitt Peak (latitude 31.9°N, 111.6°W, 2.09 km altitude) with a 1-m Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS). The measurements span October 1981 to December 2003 and are the first long time series of CH3OH measurements obtained from the ground. The results were analyzed with SFIT2 version 3.93 and show a factor of three variations with season, a maximum at the beginning of July, a winter minimum, and no statistically significant long-term trend over the measurement time span.