Our summer Monsoon has arrived early, and with a vengeance! 20 years in Phoenix area, similar desert climate to our present location, we do not recall it arriving this early; July was the earliest. Global warming? We set new high temp. records about two weeks ago, hitting 120 degrees several days. As I understand it, which isn't very well I should add, the summer heating of the desert floor creates the conditions necessary to "suck up" great quantities of moisture in the air from the Gulf of Mexico. This wet air makes it's way clear up into Canada some years, lasts a couple of months only. Rain fell south and east of us today. I took the pic below looking east towards Kingman (AZ). The sky looks very threatening out that way! We hope it doesn't turn out to be a fizzle, as the summer storms are always looked forward to, by us, and the poor beleaguered desert plants! Frank
Well. 30th. June, about 6PM, first big wave of sheets of rain, could not see neighbor's house! Let up a short while, then yet a harder wave, thunder, the works! This afternoon, it was 105 degrees, at 6:30, I stuck our kitchen thermometer outside the back door: 70 degrees! Amazing drop in a half-hour. Here are two views of our backyard right now, just before sunset. Looking northeast and southeast. The desert plants have not seen moisture of any kind for about 8 weeks now; you can bet they appreciated this! Looking westward towards the Colorado River, a nice cloudburst going on down by AVI Resort, highlighted by the sun just setting further north. Today's weather experience here, unique as it is, rare, is one of the things we find rewarding in living here. The winters ain't bad, either! Frank
Monsoon means heavy rains? I'm glad the rains are moderate here. It's ironic because we just came from a terrible drought that ruined farms in the provinces. The weather bureau said that the vengeance of the weather after a drought is monsoon rains that would bring floods. Oh no, I wouldn't like that because our village is a low-lying area that is susceptible to flooding. But as I said, I am wondering why the weather bureau got it all wrong. We already have moderate rains for more than a month and no storm or typhoon yet. It's quite scary.