Description of Arizona’s Monsoon Season
Generally when people speak of monsoons it brings a mental image of the horrendous torrential rains that plague Southeastern Asia. In Arizona we speak of monsoon rains when we have thunderstorms that produce two or three inches of rain in an hour or a day because generally Arizona gets less than 10 inches of rainfall per year. To receive two or three inches of moisture in less than a day causes flash flooding and water accumulating in low-lying areas. This is well demonstrated by the massive flooding in Phoenix on September 8, 2014 when part of the I-10 freeway system was covered with water.
Arizona’s “Monsoon Season” lasts from mid-June to mid-September generally speaking. Do we get heavy rain during that entire time? No, but the potential exists for it. We frequently get afternoon thundershowers that are more wind and lightning than rain. That is why we caution you to be aware of the weather when planning your vacation.