What happens in a relatively short time (in fact it sometimes arrives overnight but not by FedEx) is something that those who live in the desert for years can come to love and hate. Love the return of moisture and much needed rain, but hate the humidity and destructive force of the storms.

I see it as a weather event that presents all the "real" aspects of severe weather. Some people in other parts of the country don't see Arizona as having any "real" weather. Having spent years in hurricane plagued Florida as a broadcast meteorologist and having grown up in the mid west as a youngster, I have seen a few severe storms in other parts of the country over the years. The Arizona monsoon does indeed produce "real" storms, storms that destroy property and kill people. Consequently, I believe it is necessary to learn all we can about the monsoon in order to be better able to predict, forecast, and track dangerous storms here in Arizona.

Some of the top monsoon researchers are here in Arizona. Here is a basic link:

Take care,

Steve