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Understanding the North American Monsoon

The North American monsoon brings beneficial yet disruptive rainfall to the southwestern United States from June to September each year. It occurs when winds shift and bring moist air from the Gulf of Mexico and tropical Pacific north into areas like Arizona and New Mexico. This triggers heavy, localized downpours that can cause flash flooding, especially in usually dry riverbeds. While highly variable, the monsoon provides around a quarter to half of the annual rainfall to parts of the Southwest over its few months.

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11 views4 pages

Understanding the North American Monsoon

The North American monsoon brings beneficial yet disruptive rainfall to the southwestern United States from June to September each year. It occurs when winds shift and bring moist air from the Gulf of Mexico and tropical Pacific north into areas like Arizona and New Mexico. This triggers heavy, localized downpours that can cause flash flooding, especially in usually dry riverbeds. While highly variable, the monsoon provides around a quarter to half of the annual rainfall to parts of the Southwest over its few months.

Uploaded by

Vanika Eiles
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© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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What is the North American monsoon?

By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist


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An annual event, known as the North American monsoon, brings beneficial


rain as well as disruptions, dangers and damage to the southwestern United
States.

While many may believe a monsoon is an episode of heavy rainfall, a


monsoon is the change in wind direction that can trigger persistent rainfall or
long-duration dry weather.

Monsoons are well known in eastern Asia, especially in India, but they occur
in other parts of the world as well.

In the case of the southwestern United States, this change in wind direction
happens when breezes bring moist air northward from Mexico that has
originated from the Gulf of Mexico and the tropical Pacific Ocean.

Highly localized downpours, flash flooding, dust storms and frequent


lightning strikes are common occurrences during a period of about three
months, focused mainly during the summer.
A saguaro cactus is silhouetted by multiple bolts of lightning that strike the ground in the desert
north of Scottsdale, Arizona, during a late evening storm Thursday, Aug. 1, 1996. (AP Photo/Scott
Troyanos)
Officially, the North American monsoon is triggered when a high amount of
moisture (high humidity) in the air is present for three days in a row.
"However, in 2008, National Weather Service officials in Phoenix decided to
make the monsoon easier for people to understand and follow by assigning a
permanent start and end to the season, just like hurricane season,"
according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski.

As a result, the monsoon season now begins on June 15 and ends on Sept.
30.

Even when the monsoon is in full swing, not every location can expect to get
hit on a daily basis, a few communities and stretches of highways can be hit
hard on a given day.

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Highly variable rainfall typically occurs during the monsoon

Much of the rainfall is highly sporadic and may only occur at a given location
a couple of times a week or less.

However, the cumulative nature of the monsoon over a few months brings
an average of one-quarter to one-half of the annual rainfall to the Southwest.

The rainfall can breathe life into the landscape, fill some streams and
reservoirs and temporarily reduce the threat of wildfires.

The rainfall can be intense as well. When combined with the hard, rocky soil
and rugged terrain, flash flooding often occurs.
A small part of a large city or highway may be slammed by flooding, while
other areas barely receive a drop of rain.

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Vehicles in the Phoenix metro area navigate a flooded street that accompanied severe storms on
Monday, July 9, 2018. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
These conditions can be a serious threat to campers, hikers and motorists if
they are not weather aware.
Flash flooding can occur in an area that received no rain at all. This is a
common occurrence in the Southwest as downpours can occur miles away
but cause dry stream beds, called arroyos, to fill with water rapidly and send
a wall of water through canyons and across highways.

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