Arizona’s Monsoon Season is Water Much Needed

Figure 1 Incoming Monsoon, Rain in Distance

Figure 2 Monsoon Cloud Formations

Figure 3 Double Rainbow After Monsoon

(All Photos Taken By Ashton D. Hackney on a Motorola Moto G 5G & a Sony a6400)

Mesa Arizona is known for being hot and dry, but the month of June brings beautiful cloud formations and rainbows to the valley. June does bring something even more beautiful than rainbows though, much needed water to the valley in the form of monsoons. The National Weather Service has listed Mesa Arizona as D4 ( Exceptional Drought ) and most of the East Valley as well, while some surrounding areas fall in the D3 ( Extreme Drought ) category. It can also be noted that nearly half of the state of Arizona is categorized as being in an exceptional drought.

From June to September some of the drought woes are alleviated. This period of time happens to be Arizona’s monsoon season. Forty to Fifty percent of Arizona’s yearly rainfall comes from the monsoons and helps to fill the many reservoirs around the state. These monsoons also play another big role in Arizona. Monsoons help to reduce the threat of wildfires in Arizona. The wildfire season just so happens to be at its height at the end of June. Arizonan’s all over get excited about the monsoon season because of all this much needed water.

Alice Delaluna is a local urban farmer in Mesa Arizona. She says “Monsoons are great because they bring in water that we really need. Especially with Lake Mead and a lot of the Colorado River starting to recede.” Alice also states “The water brings with it quite a bit of humidity to the valley which at times, I must admit, becomes very unbearable. This humidity is perfect though when it comes to growing my agaves, aloes, and all the hibiscus which I use for things like Agua De Jamaica, which is a refreshing hibiscus drink.”

Michael Crimmins is a climate scientist at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona, and an expert in Arizona’s monsoons. He holds a B.S. in Atmospheric Science from the University of Michigan, an M.A. in Geography/Climatology from Western Michigan University, as well as a PhD in Geography/Climatology from the University of Arizona.

Crimmins speaks on how important monsoon season is for the desert communities of Arizona stating “Without the monsoons, most of the state would be in crisis. We already are under extreme drought conditions and our monsoon season fills the state's reservoirs. In our desert communities, we only receive approximately thirteen inches of rain. The monsoons bring in around 8 inches. That’s half of the year’s rainfall in just a few months!” Crimmins also spoke about monsoons keeping Arizona cool. Crimmins says “We live in a hot state. Here in the desert average summer temperatures sit around 100 degrees Fahrenheit but do get much hotter as Summer continues. When Monsoons roll in, they can drop temperatures by upwards of fifteen degrees Fahrenheit. That brings a lot of relief to the state.”

Last year marked the ninth wettest year for Arizona with many floods and sadly even some deaths. The National Weather Service is predicting some above average rainfall for cities like Mesa in southern Arizona this year. This is welcome news to Mesa Arizona and people like Alice who depend on this water to live. Currently, Mesa residents will have to hope the rain decides to keep pouring as this year is starting out drier than the last year according to Maricopa County’s “Automated Precipitation Report”.

More historical monsoon data has been compiled here by Maricopa County.