Here's the 2018 Monsoon Thread (Phoenix, Tucson: activity, deal, money)

[teddyearp]

Yeah, we saw this one when the remnants of Hurricane Bud gave us a tease:

No monsoon thread yet???

But since the Monsoon affects the whole state, we should continue discussion here, yes?

Saw a bit of activity near meo's neck of the woods this afternoon.

I saw a bit of cloudular (hehe) build up this afternoon too, but not yet here on the mountain.

[Texyn]

A big ridge is progged to set up well north in the NE and Central US for the coming weekend and early next week. That may help spread monsoonal moisture north into Arizona.

[Colt AZ]

Monsoon threads usually contain light and variable commentary with a 20% chance of scattered foolishness.

[Adamson865]

Originally Posted by Colt AZ

Monsoon threads usually contain light and variable commentary with a 20% chance of scattered foolishness.

What a terrible, terrible thread.

[meo92953]

That's exactly what it was; a bit of activity. We're back to perfectly clear, blue skies.

I'm patiently waiting.

[teddyearp]

Originally Posted by Adamson520

What a terrible, terrible thread.

Brought to you be terrible ted(dyearp).

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by Colt AZ

Monsoon threads usually contain light and variable commentary with a 20% chance of scattered foolishness.

Right on the money! People make such a big deal out of Arizona's summer monsoon, but it's really not that huge of a weather phenomenon when you consider all the other adverse conditions affecting the U.S. and beyond. The monsoon is the summer rainy season, but mainly in SE Arizona and the White Mountains. The Phoenix metro area and much of western AZ typically see occasional storm activity, but much of it is widely scattered, and confined to the evening hours. Some areas can get no rain at all during an entire summer. In the western half of the state (including Phoenix), the predominant rainy season is winter. What we should be focusing on and embracing more is the winter precipitation, which is much more beneficial than summer thunderstorms.

[Adamson865]

Originally Posted by Valley Native

What we should be focusing on and embracing more is the winter precipitation, which is much more beneficial than summer thunderstorms.

If by "we" you mean Phoenix, you are right. The Phoenix newspaper had a story on this just the other day.

https://www.azcentral.com/story/opin...ply/723539002/

The monsoon is a much bigger deal for Tucson and Southern AZ.

[Texyn]

In all fairness, when you have such a pronounced seasonal rainfall cycle, there's bound to be some attention towards that. It basically becomes a lifeline of the area due to the focus of regimes along that activity.

In any case, the monsoon seems to largely be a Mexican phenomenon, with the Southwest US being on the fringes of activity (and therefore more variable in precipitation impact). And even then, it seems to be focused more on the mountains, rather than rainfall being spread all around in waves: some spots on the western slopes of the Sierra Madre Occidental receive up to 15 inches of rain from the monsoon, yet the coastal locations like Rocky Point and Guaymas don't receive near as much rain.

[meo92953]

Ho hum, yawn. Another beautiful day in Arizona; blue skies & sun.