Understanding Arizona’s monsoon season | 12news.com

PHOENIX — The word “monsoon” refers to a time of year (season) when the weather pattern shifts from a dry pattern to a moist southerly/southeasterly flow.  That increase in atmospheric moisture helps build thunderstorm activity across the state of Arizona…and other states in the southwestern U.S. and Mexico.

The Monsoon is a season, not an individual storm.  The term actually comes from the Arabic word “mausim,” which means season!  We get storms during the monsoon, but we don’t get “monsoons.”  You may have heard it said that way your entire life, but it’s like saying we get “winters” when it rains in January.

Average Monsoon rainfall in Phoenix is 2.43″, about 1/3rd of our total annual precipitation.  It plays an important role in the ecology of the Sonoran Desert.  

The North American Monsoon used to be defined by 3 consecutive days with an average daily dew point temperature of 54 degrees or greater at Tucson. To maintain consistency and avoid confusion, in 2008, the National Weather Service defined June 15th as the official monsoon start date.

In the Phoenix area, we typically see the first impacts from the monsoon during the first week of July, but every year is different.

During this summer thunderstorm season, the 12News weather team brings you our exclusive monsoon meter to give you an idea of where the storms will be and how bad (or not) things might get.

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Arizona has seen its fair share of severe weather. Here is a compilation of videos from various storms across the Grand Canyon state.