If you’ve lived in Arizona for more than one summer, you know the routine:
Blue skies and 110°
“Looks like rain!”
…dust wall.
Five minutes later: sunshine again.
Welcome to monsoon season.
Arizona’s monsoon officially runs June 15 through September 30 and gives many parts of the state 40–50% of their yearly rainfall.
Despite the name, a monsoon isn’t actually the storm—it’s a seasonal shift in wind patterns. During the summer, winds pull moisture north from the Gulf of California and eastern Pacific. Combine that moisture with our desert heat and mountains… and suddenly we get afternoon thunderstorms, lightning, dust storms, flash floods, and that smell of rain hitting hot dirt.
A typical Phoenix monsoon season brings around 2–3 inches of rain—which doesn’t sound like much until most of it decides to arrive in one afternoon.
And if you’ve been in Arizona long enough, you probably remember September 8, 2014.
That morning, one of the most famous monsoon storms in Valley history rolled through. Moisture from the remnants of Hurricane Norbert combined with monsoon conditions and dumped 3.30 inches of rain at Sky Harbor in about 7 hours—setting an all-time daily rainfall record for Phoenix. Some areas around the Valley measured 5–6 inches of rain, freeways turned into rivers, cars were stranded, schools closed, and images of flooded I-10 and I-17 were everywhere on the news. In some locations, meteorologists estimated the storm was a 1-in-200 to 1-in-1,000 year rainfall event.
And this year? Early outlooks suggest better odds of a wetter-than-normal monsoon across Arizona.
Forecasters are pointing to ocean patterns and a developing El Niño that may increase moisture across the Southwest.
Things every Arizona resident does during monsoon season:
☑️ Stands outside and says “We needed this.”
☑️ Tries to smell the rain
☑️ Watches lightning from the patio
☑️ Immediately checks if the wash is flooding
☑️ Takes 14 pictures of the clouds
Have a great afternoon,
Joy, Jen, Kim, Kathy, Coloradas, Maxfield, Dr Shriner and Dr Ring
PS: We open Monday at 8am and we'll be ready to help with your neck and back pain. Call us at 480-488-1282 to make an appointment or walk in.
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