Arizona rainfall 200% above normal (in parts) this summer
This spot on Camelback Mountain may still be barren… but the rest of it greened-up for the first time in a long time!
It’s been a long time since I’ve seen the Arizona hiking trails this green.
The summertime weather system called “the monsoon” usually brings moist air up from the south and dumps it on Arizona in July, August, and September.
The system never made it in 2020, and it was weak in 2019. Very little rain fell at all. I don’t remember any rain at our home in Phoenix at all last summer.
Finally, in 2021, we’ve had several decent monsoon rain storms in the Phoenix area. Other parts of the state (Prescott, Tucson, and the rim country up north) see far more frequent storms.
The Payson area saw 13 inches of rain by the end of August, which is 225% above normal. Closer to Phoenix, the gauges in Fountain Hills got about a foot of rain.
These pretty grasses seemed to grow right out of the rocks this summer toward the peak of Camelback Mountain.
On Camelback Mountain, this time of year without the rainfall, most things are dead (or dormant and just appear to be dead). It’s nice to see the wild grasses, trees, and spiky ocotillos come back to life (photo below).
For the record, during the hot summer months, I hike in the evenings on weekends just before sunset. The trails are somewhat shady, and I see very few people. I also overly-hydrate in the hours before my hikes.
As I write this in mid-August, we’re coming off a severe thunderstorm warning from last night, and heading into a 5-day stretch of more possible monsoon activity in Phoenix. Even better, temperatures have cooled off a bit. Rather than 110, the highs are down into the 90s!
The heavy storms always cause problems. We cover a lot of water rescues, downed trees and powerlines, and other issues. Our roof leaked (again) and messed up the ceiling in our kitchen after a huge storm in July. That week I saw roofers at 4 neighbors’ homes on the same day. It’s just expected.
The storm cells are always spotty. It’s rare to have one big storm sweep across and drench the entire valley at one time.
My coanchor got almost two inches of rain at her home last night in Mesa (east of Phoenix) while we didn’t get a drop in Central Phoenix. Today, we did get hit hard during rush hour by a strong cell that flooded two of our freeways for a while.
When I moved here in 2008, several nights a week we’d hear thunder rumble, and the rain would fall. Each season is different, of course, but the lack of rain in 2020 was a big concern.
As a sidenote, our meteorologists are quick to point out: the monsoon is the weather system, not the storm, so we don’t say, “It monsooned today,” unless you’re trying to get under their skin :)
My station website does a good job of keeping track of monsoon activity, and comparing it to years’ past. The weather crew also puts together a “Monsoon Special” each June, which almost always wins an Emmy each year.
A view from near the peak of Camelback, looking south toward Tempe