Here's the 2018 Monsoon Thread (Sedona, Cottonwood: home, college, living)

[Colt AZ]

Originally Posted by Valley Native

Agree 100%. The official "season" which the NWS established means very little in the big picture, especially the June 15th start date. We hardly ever have any kind of monsoon weather during all of June, and even the first part of July is often the same. It's usually after July 4th when the humidity increases and more storms start popping up here & there, but it really doesn't get fully established until the middle part of July.

Also, with the June 15th start date, you're correct that people start wishing for rain in June, which very rarely happens since June is the driest month of the year on average. Even when the monsoon is fully established, it's still not a guarantee that there will be rain ... in fact, some places in & around Phoenix, and much of the western part of AZ might have no rain all summer. We should be more focused the winter storm season (December through March) which produces more widespread precipitation, and is much more of a benefit to the water supplies than the summer monsoon.

Sounds right, VN.

[bigbuglf]

Heck, I am just excited to see some clouds in the sky today!

[Hschlick84]

I agree, it's nice to see partly cloudy days. We could use more of them compared to harsh monotonous sunny days frequently.

[Adamson865]

Rain zipping by here in SW Tucson this afternoon. Had to run out and close my sunroof
Temp dropped 14 degrees in a few minutes.

[KurtAZ]

Dust storm in Chandler...now I have to clean out the pool again.../sigh

[teddyearp]

So, I get it that the winter moisture is more significant and that the monsoon doesn't affect Phoenix much at all, the second half is why I have this thread here in the general AZ section and not Phoenix. So if you don't like monsoon threads, don't participate, right? LOL.

Yesterday we got a good dumping up here in Pinetop-Lakeside. We need it bad. You see, there is something VERY significant about the monsoon to us up here on the mountain. It ends the fire season. We who live up here full time as their primary residence hold our breath on some dry years hoping we don't have another Rodeo. So for US, yes the monsoon is something of great importance.

It also means the end of forest closures and fire restrictions so everyone from every where around the state can go out and enjoy the forest.

[infocyde]

So far up North near the Grand Canyon we have avoided a "dry monsoon"...no rain and a lot of lightning, which would have been horrible for fires. We have had the cooling effects with clouds two or three times so far, but no real rain yet. Allegedly that starts tomorrow 7/7...excited about getting some rain. I guess last year though my across the street neighbor's shed got hit by lightning and it burned down...so battening down the hatches. Curious to see what the monsoons up here are like compared to Phoenix/Prescott.

[infocyde]

FYI...

In Prescott usually monsoons would start hitting about 3 PMish at the start of the season and then hit later on towards the end. Usually there were some pretty violent ones in Diamond Valley at least in the beginning and the end of the season.

Out towards Williamson Valley last year there were some huge monsoons. I got caught in one and was worried I was going to get washed off the road. Thunder and lightning hitting all around it was awesome and frightening at the same time. I later did almost get watched off the road going through the Dells...be careful around that area during heavy rain, there was a river right through the road in several places.

[Colt AZ]

Here's hoping that every place in Arizona which needs moisture from Monsoon rains will receive them!

[kttam186290]

Originally Posted by infocyde

FYI...

In Prescott usually monsoons would start hitting about 3 PMish at the start of the season and then hit later on towards the end. Usually there were some pretty violent ones in Diamond Valley at least in the beginning and the end of the season.

Out towards Williamson Valley last year there were some huge monsoons. I got caught in one and was worried I was going to get washed off the road. Thunder and lightning hitting all around it was awesome and frightening at the same time. I later did almost get watched off the road going through the Dells...be careful around that area during heavy rain, there was a river right through the road in several places.

Language police here....please pull over!

Those "violent" and " awesome and frightening" things you were experiencing were called thunderstorms!

The Monsoon is always singular, as it is just a change in the predominant air current and weather pattern. The thunderstorms and moisture are only a result of that change, but not the change itself.

If you are describing something monsoon-related, then the proper term would be "monsoonal", i.e. "monsoonal thunderstorms".

I'm not trying to pick on you, this is just a pet-peeve of mine that gets activated every Monsoon season.