MONSOON

STORM CLOUDS FORMING OVER SAN XAVIER MISSION

DESERT RAINSTORM

The monsoon officially began this weekend and anticipation for the summer rains is running high. After weeks of 100 plus degree temperatures all of Tucson eagerly awaits the seasonal storms and the changes that accompany the much-needed rains. And if you’ve never experienced the desert during the rainy season you are missing a remarkable experience.
The first noticeable sign that the monsoon is active is the thunderheads building in the early afternoon heat. Usually forming towards the south of the city, these clouds are accompanied by hot winds, propelling swirls of dust devils across the valley. By late afternoon a few sprinkles can be felt and the thick white thunderheads have turned dark and foreboding. The wind is now a force to be reckoned with as massive walls of dust can be seen rising from the desert floor with the air filled with moisture. Loud rumbles echo above as bolts of lightening streak across the blackened sky creating a spectacular light show. The rain, noticeable in the distance, seems to form a solid wall of water that slowly churns its way through the desert. Likened by some to a massive tornado of water with clear and defined borders, this deluge of moisture will renew the parched soil and awaken the dry land. The change is dramatic and as the dry soiled drinks up the water the desert is reborn. Even the appearance is changed as the desert comes alive, transforming into a sea of sparkling green with mesquite leaves and cactus blooms shimmering with raindrops and the sweet smell of the evergreen shrub, creosote is in the air. The desert critters, such as Jackrabbits,quail, coyote and javelina seem in abundance as all living things seem to stop for a moment to appreciate the coolness that accompanied the rain.
Here in the Sonoran Desert, the average rainfall is around ten inches a year with the majority falling during the summer monsoon. And with the coming of the rains, also comes a new life for the desert.