August is the monsoon season in Arizona, when we get hit with storms and often very heavy rains. Usually the first indications that we have an incoming storm are the dramatic and beautiful clouds that gather on the horizon. I took this picture this afternoon; we should expect rain this evening.

John

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- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

I remember recently a whole lot of excitement about wildflowers blooming in the Mojave because of unusual rain every 10 or 12 years. It's a gift!

Spent several years at Fort Huachuca, SE of Tucson.
Remember those storms well.
Watch for flash floods in those arroyos!

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-jwk-
US Army '72-'95

Great photo of some huge build-ups. Arizona can produce some great scenes for photographers.

I took these last year, first the dust storm, then the rain and finally clearing to blue skies once again.

I hear ya lots of rain in the desert?

When I go bear hunting in the fall one duffel bag has five sets of outer camos. Another duffel bag is full of pants and shirts. We hit at least monsoon rains for a day or two. At lunch you can't sit there soaked to the bone. Besides rain gear. Then we get a guy from two mountains over looking for his wounded bear. Of course we went out looking too. A year later we harvested a bear with his bullet in its butt stuck in the meat.

We get heavy rains or snow. I've seen it go from your picture being a blue bird day to a blizzard in an hour.

I like it when it blows in and rains mud followed by water........

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dd884
JMHO-YMMV

They called the last storm here in AZ, 100 year storm we got 3 inches of rain in less than a hour. I know most of you will laugh and call that a drizzle, but they say it will be another 100 years for another storm like that. What a mess it left several freeways filled up with water upto the roofs of cars. It was crazy driving to work after the storm I had to put the f350 in 4 high in some areas glad I had the option......

I lived in SE Az for almost 60 yrs . Cowboyed / ranched a big part of those years . I remember , having no rain for 13 months then getting 3 1/2" in an 1 1/2 hr . That kind of rain is called a " tank water " rain cause it fills up the dirt tanks . When you get a slow rain , that's a " grass rain " . It comes down slow enough to soak into the ground and makes the grass grow .

You call that a storm??

Come down here, any day.

Lightening Capital of the USA

Groundwater table is so high it can't take anymore. Last few days sideways rain, wind, lightening right up there with small Hurricane. Tornadoes mixed in also.

Another Day In Paradise!

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Still Running Against the Wind

Yeah.. BUT it's a WET rain..

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SWCA #2306
DAV in honor of POP

Another ANNUAL 100 year flood.

Been through Arizona once on the way to Calif. We were in a 33 foot mobil home--13 of us:

During the day--cant remember where? we had to drive throough a dust devil invasion:

Looks like the area we may have been driving through?

We survived one of these that hit Bisbee at about 10 pm back in 81:

Saw many of these too:

Man....I miss this cartoon strip-Tumbleweeds:

I too was stationed at Huachuca, 1973-74.
You could set your watch by the afternoon thunderstorms.

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CSM, U S Army(Ret) 1963-1990

Old Arizona saying: we only get 11 inches of rain a year, but ya oughta be here the day we get it...

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I used to be disgusted..

You can say what you want about the Monsoons but unlike our brethren to the North we don't have to get out there and shovel it!
We had a monster storm yesterday and aside fronm a few downed trees and some puddles that's all that remains.

Jim

You can expect more, the hurricane season has driven some systems north, and this year they aren't taking the hard westward turn at Puerto Vallarta, but hugging the coast and pushing moisture up your way. Enjoy.

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Halfway and one more step

We are still recovering from a multi-year drought so we'll take all the rain we can get.
Jim

Anybody els see the face in the clouds? 😊
One pointy ear and a big eye! 😋
Nice picture ! 😎

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Wherever my mind isn't
Jim

I see, to the right, a beautiful girl looking upward. A profile.

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Halfway and one more step

The latest storm took down the mesquite tree in my front yard. The top half of the tree fell into my driveway like a meteor, just missing the house. Going to have have the rest taken down.

I always thought desert trees would be light like a sponge, but mesquite has to be the heaviest wood I've ever handled.

For several years in the early 1970s, we lived on the Rim when I worked for the Forest Service. Didn't call them the Monsoon back then, they were the Summer Rains. We welcomed them 'cause it usually marked the end of fire season.

At the beginning of this year--here we WERE 15 inches above normal--now its down to about 4 inches--and we are bone-dry here-and the fools are STILL releasing water by the gazillions od gallons. Rolleyes without the smile.

Yes. To me it looks like Spanky McFarlane from The Little Rascals. Him or either Porky Pig. And no, im not aking fun of eithers weight.

Girl? I also "see" Yoda from Star Wars.

DONT throw it away. Keep it as wood to BBQ with-or in the least--sell it.

Ringo:
Are you located in California??
Jim

As a resident of Michigan, the state whose license plates say "Water Wonderland" I will categorically tell you that I prefer rain to the other type of precipitation we get - snow. I've never in my life had to shovel rain.

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So many S&W's, so few funds!!

No sir, im in the great State of Texas.

We have been living in the Tucson area for the last 11 years. The Monsoon {our favorite time of year}, has to be experienced to be believed.... and even then it will blow you away. Doppler Radar has documented rainfall from a Monsoon cell at up to 13 inches an hour... fortunately they are very localized and rarely rain at that rate for more than 15 to 20 minutes.

I have seen 4 inches fall in 20 minutes on a number of occasions. Tucson and Tampa top the list for lightning but it is too close to call. Microbursts spit out of the thunderstorms with hurricane force winds on a regular basis and don't forget the hail.

Here is a shot of out backyard... ten minutes before it was taken the yard was as dry as a bone. We got nearly three inches in ten minutes and then the grape sized hail started coming down.



Sometimes it comes down so hard and fast that logs start floating off the woodpile across our yard: