Flagstaff, Arizona. – After two years of drought that submerged the southwestern United States, the rainy season this summer was furious and unleashed.
The monsoon storm brought spectacular lightning shows, wildflower and mushroom blessings and brought record rainfall to the deserts of the region. They also caused destruction, flooding streets and homes, leading to some quick water rescues and the deaths of more than a dozen people.
This is a marked reversal from 2019 and 2020 when an annual period simply called “monsoons” dried up the region. Seasonal weather patterns from mid-June to September give rise to expectations of rain, but humidity cannot be guaranteed.
Mike Climins, a climatologist at the University of Arizona, said, “And here comes the 2021 monsoon. It’s like we’re trying to catch up on the last two seasons.”
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Tucson, southern Arizona had the wettest July on record, finishing third on Thursday with record rainfall during the monsoons. Phoenix Airport is above average this season, but far from breaking city records, the National Weather Service said. Some high-altitude cities in the Phoenix metropolis worked better.
Payson has recorded about 13 inches (33 centimeters) of rain so far – about 15 centimeters above normal. According to the Meteorological Bureau, hail with a diameter of 6.4 centimeters fell in the area south of Flagstaff.
“You usually see that on the Midwestern news during tornado season,” said Flagstaff meteorologist Cindy Kobolb. .. “
Some locations, like Navajo Nation’s Window Rock and Farmington, New Mexico, have lagged a little behind schedule this season. The Hopi recently ordered a livestock reduction in a northeastern Arizona settlement that was hit by severe to extreme droughts.
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Albuquerque meteorologist Clay Anderson said, “You have seen some improvement, but more is needed.”
Roswell, in southeast New Mexico, saw almost twice as much rainfall as normal, but Albuquerque to the northwest was behind. Due to the random nature of the monsoons, rainfall can vary even within cities.
That week, tropical cyclone debris pushed moisture into the area and increased total rainfall. In the event of a storm, the authorities warn of flooding. Since this year’s monsoons began, at least 10 people have been killed in flooding in Arizona and at least four in New Mexico.
Despite the abundant rainfall, the region is still heading for hotter and drier weather due to climate change. According to US drought monitors, the entire state of Arizona is experiencing some level of drought, and most of New Mexico is in a state of drought.
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“I don’t think I’ll be seeing this every summer so I’m really enjoying it in its current state,” said Crimins.
The monsoons are characterized by a changing wind pattern that draws moisture away from the tropical coast of Mexico. Many cities in Arizona and New Mexico experience much of the annual rainfall during the monsoons. During the strong season, the moisture spreads to southern Utah, Colorado, and California, Crimins said.
Downpours can fill shallow aquifers and temporarily enlarge reservoirs. But rain is not a solution for drought-stricken lakes and rivers like the Colorado River, which runs across the western United States. These systems are mainly based on snowmelt and have been in decline for over 20 years due to mega-droughts.
Forecasts suggest that the expected weather pattern in La Niña this winter means that there may be a lack of snow in the west. It worries about the fire chief who, like California, is fighting ever heavier flames.
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Punky Moore, a spokeswoman for the Southwestern US Forest Office, said: Region.
Gene Hall, an entomologist at the University of Arizona, said the same vegetation that could fuel the wildfires would feed the insects as well. He said there were more butterflies, more moths and more ugly mosquitos.
Some insects, like the palo verde beetle, like cockroaches, only mate during the monsoons. Hundreds or thousands of flying ants and termites mate after the monsoon rains, Hall said.
“Water was desert life and we had a lot of water,” he said. “Everything seems to be working pretty well.”
Count the mushrooms.
Christopher May from Scottsdale spotted more than 100 mushrooms, including some rare ones, on a trip to the Arizona mountains this summer. He said the more rain it has, the easier it is to find it, and it can even cover the bottom like a coral reef in the ocean.
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“We’re doing some of the best mushroom hunts in the country now, probably the best,” he said.
Anissa Doten has a love-hate relationship with the monsoons. She grew up in Tucson, watching the sky clear when thunderstorms fell and listening to the rain. It was her favorite weather and it was almost magical, she said.
Living with Flagstaff in the shadow of a burning mountain in 2019 makes her feelings more complicated. The house she shares with her five children has been flooded repeatedly this year, including during a single storm that authorities have described as a “500 year” rainy event.
Every time an alarm goes off on their cell phone, they rush to check the meteorological gauge to make sure everyone is safe and someone is pumping water into the house to rebuild the sandbag layer. Increase.
“It’s a completely different kind of fear-driven behavior,” she said.
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The rainy season is unleashed in the American Southwest with anger and beauty
Source link The rainy season is unleashed in the American Southwest with anger and beauty
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