On Joe’s return from Houghton, MI to Mesa, AZ one of his stops luckily (maybe a little planning was also involved) was not too far from the east entrance to Grand Canyon National Park. He arrived in the park about 2 hours prior to sunset and was treated to the sight of several monsoon storms moving across the canyon.
In Arizona the monsoon season officially starts June 15 and runs through September 30. During this time the typical dry westerly winds shift to southerly winds and bring moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and the Gulf of California to the desert southwest.
The monsoon storms account for roughly half the annual precipitation in central Arizona, and about two-thirds of the annual precipitation in southern Arizona. The short-lived, intense thunderstorms often result in flash flooding in canyon areas, as well as urban flooding through low-lying roads and normally dry washes.
We experienced a 100-year monsoon weather event in Mesa the weekend after Joe’s return, with up to 7 inches of rain falling in isolated areas and the entire area getting 1-2 inches. Sadly, several people died when they were swept away while attempting to cross flooding streams or washes. Typical rainfall for the Mesa area during the entire monsoon is 2 3/4 inches.
(In this and the two following pictures, the rain is coming toward the photographer.)
