I’ve been thinking - Monsoon Summer

Monsoon Summer
Per Pima Community College Desert Ecology of Tucson, Tucson has 5 seasons: Spring, Dry Summer, Monsoon Summer, Fall, and Winter. During sometime between July - Early September (the average start date is July 3) we enter the monsoon period. It starts officially after 3 consecutive days with daily mean surface dew point of 55 degrees F or greater (representing an influx of moisture into our area). Dew point - The temperature at which air becomes saturated and produces dew. The increase in dew point occurs when the prevailing winds shift from westerly to southeasterly, bringing more moisture in from the Gulf of California (mostly) and the Gulf of Mexico. Days often begin clear and very warm, but as the heat of the day builds, huge clouds build and tower above, cooling the temperatures somewhat (but increasing relative humidity) and often dumping huge quantities of rain in a very short time. This translates to clear mornings and rainy afternoons we think. In July 2006 we had 5.40 inches of rain, although the average rainfall is 2.07 inches in July, 2.30 inches in August and 1.45 inches in September. In addition to the rain there is lightning. While I was looking up this stuff on the web I found awesome photos of lightning in Tucson, ‘the best place to view lightning in the world’.

I’ve been hearing a lot about Monsoon Summer as it approaches. It is important enough that a significant amount of landscaping is focused around dealing with it: making sure that land is graded and covered with rock to move water and only water away from buildings, making sure that there are openings in walls to enable water to move, etc. For some folks this is their favorite season. It is not what I expected of summer in Tucson. It is going to be interesting for us. I think I am looking forward to it. It reminds me of visiting my brother Steve in Colorado where it rained and/or hailed every afternoon.