An approaching Summer monsoon thunderstorm across the desert sky can be beautiful, but deadly. Image used by permission from © istockphoto.com/Yanstau

Monsoon season has arrived in Arizona. Now these are not like the monsoon storms that visit the tropics. Most people that don’t live here have the wrong idea about what the Arizona monsoon season is all about, or they don’t think Arizona has thunderstorms at all. It’s not always sunny. Believe it or not any kind of vegetation needs water to survive, and during July, and August the Arizona desert is deluged with water. That’s when the cacti store their water for the entire year.

Monsoon season is defined by the National Weather Service. It is when the dew-point temperature is 55 degrees or higher for 3 consecutive days. The low pressure caused by the dropping dew point and heat causes the moist air moving over the hot land to become unstable.

The monsoon season lasts between June 15, and September 30th, but the peak season which brings the most thunderstorms typically lasts from mid-July through August. It is muggy, and hot. So much for it’s a dry heat! Also it brings dust storms. If caught driving in one, pull over to the side of the road, and turn off your lights. People behind you will see your lights, and because of limited visibility think you are still moving, and run into you. It’s best just to wait it out. It typically lasts about an hour.

The dust is created by the downdraft of a thunderstorm cell. It usually arrives before the thunderstorm. Winds can approach 100 miles per hour. Once the dust storm is over, and it starts raining you can travel on, but flash floods can also be a problem.

Flash floods can turn dry river bottoms, washes, and low-lying roads into raging rivers in just minutes. Never drive across a flooded rood if you don’t know how deep it is. It doesn’t matter if it is not raining. Floods are caused by what happened downstream. That’s where it was raining. Lightening is also a consideration, along with those 100 miles per hour winds. It’s best if a monsoon storm is forecasted not to leave home or your hotel room to begin with. Obviously, July, and August are not good months to visit Phoenix. The only people I advise to visit in those months are those people whose personal business or work takes them here for that month. It’s also a good idea to visit in those months at least once if you are planning to move here. It’s like everyone wants to move here after they visit in December when the weather is a balmy, sunny 75°. People change their minds about moving once they realize that December comes with that July, and August.

I suffer from headaches right before a thunderstorm. It is caused by the drastic drop in barometric pressure, but I have to admit while safe at home it is nice to be cooled off by that thunderstorm. And watching the lightening over the setting sun is breathtaking. It is beautiful. It is one of my favorite summertime pasttimes to watch a monsoon thunderstorm from the comfort of my front porch. And the Phoenix Valley receives 1/3 of its annual rainfall during these 2 months. The water feeds the desert and keeps the animals, and the people here alive. After a storm, the air is clean and fresh smelling, but the dust on your lawn furniture, well, because you have a storm almost every night, you just don’t bother washing it off until October. Did I mention that I also have a dust allergy!

Usually you are safe at home, but strong downdrafts underneath the active storm cell can cause a large macroburst or a smaller microburst. We are still taking about the 1997 dust storm that covered almost all of Phoenix at one time, and the ball of dust was miles high! I not only saw it on the news, I looked down on it from work, on the 24th floor of a 36 story building.

These large dust storms can be awesome, but dangerous. Microbursts can not only pick up a car while driving, it happened to me, it can also take out your large tree by the roots. This also happened to us.

The weird part about these storms is that it can be blowing dust, and raining (yes, this creates raindrops of mud) at your house, and your neighbor a mile away hasn’t had a drop, and not even a slight breeze!

Another strange thing is you never really know how long it will last. I mentioned that the monsoon storm usually only lasts an hour, but it also can last 10 minutes or all night long if it wants to, usually, but not always starting at dusk.

You don’t want to be swimming in your hotel pool during a dust storm. You will be swimming in mud, and you might be struck by lightning.

Anyway we full-time residents know if we want the Decembers, we deal with the Julys. Lightening streaking across the desert is a beautiful, and awe inspiring sight. Visitors can't understand that water deprived residents can get excited over watching it rain. Any of you all, if you want a good time, and perfect sunny weather, just don’t visit us here in Phoenix, between July, and August. Oh, and Tucson has monsoon storms too!

References
Alex Dalenberg, “Heart of Monsoon Has Arrived, Forecasters Say,” The Arizona Republic, B1-B3, July 5, 2009

For more desert travel tips see
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1862589/recreational_desert_driving.html?cat=16

And besides watching the Arizona summer monsoon storms from my front porch, my other favorite summer pastime is drinking Arizona Sun Tea. For the recipe see
http://www.xomba.com/my_cure_summer_time_blues_arizona_sun_tea