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Home/Backcountry 911/Monsoon Facts

Monsoon Facts

NOAA has an interesting table showing monsoon statistics showing precipitation amounts for the summer months dating all the way back to 1895! NOAA Monsoon statistics for Tucson (1895-2016)

  • 32 percent of Arizona’s yearly rain totals come during the monsoon.
  • 40 percent of In Pinetop’s yearly rain totals come during the monsoon.
  • 62 percent of Bisbee’s yearly rain totals come during the monsoon.
  • Lightning will strike about 500,000 times during the monsoon.
  • There are between 500 and 600 Arizona weather spotters.
  • The term “monsoon” comes from the Arabic “mausim” meaning “season” or “wind shift”.
  • The Arizona monsoon officially begins June 15th. Until recently, the monsoon was official three consecutive days of dew points above 55 degrees. Now it officially starts whether there is any change in the dew point or not.
  • The official last day of the monsoon is September 30th.
  • The word “monsoon” refers to a season by definition, and should never be used with the word “season”.
  • The Arizona monsoon usually continues for about two months resulting in about 2 1/2 inches of rain and about 1/3 of our yearly rainfall.
  • Monsoon storms range from minor dust storms to violent thunderstorms.
  • Arizona monsoon storms start with heavy winds sometimes resulting in a visible wall of dust hundreds of feet high.
  • Dust storms during the monsoon are normally accompanied by thunder and lightning and often lead to heavy downpours.
  • The longest Arizona monsoon is recorded as 99 days in 1984.
  • The shortest Arizona monsoon on record is 27 days in 1962.
  • The most rain generated from an Arizona monsoon was 9.38 inches in 1984.
  • The driest monsoon in Arizona was .35 inches in 1924

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