TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Monsoon means everything here in Southern Arizona. The rain helps awaken our desert, cool us off and recharge our groundwater. But understanding the monsoon can be tricky.
"When that first monsoon season storm hits it changes the way we feel, changes the way we observe the desert and it really changes the entire landscape in just moments," said Keith Christiansen.
Chrsitiansen has a popular Instagram account called Keith's Trails & Treasures. He knows a lot about our monsoon.
"It's something I've just always been fascinated by," explained Christiansen.
A Tucson native, who now lives in Sierra Vista, Christiansen has become a sort of expert. He has even put together a field guide called Understanding The Monsoon.
"There's a lot of people out there who want to understand more about the monsoon but they need it from a non-academic perspective," Chrsitiansen said. "They need it from the perspective of somebody who's made observations over many years. So, I put together the guide and it's been wildly successful."
Chrsitiansen says the biggest misconception about the Monsoon is that it is not just a storm. It is actually a seasonal shift in the wind pattern.
His guide also helps people understand what it takes for monsoon storms to build. It all starts with our extreme heat, followed by a noticeable increase in the dew point.
"That dew point that comes up from Mexico is really like the fuel," said Chrsitiansen. "When it hits those mountains, that becomes like the match. The instability that we talk about often, that's like how dry is the wood and prepared to burn kind of analogy."
His Understanding The Monsoon guide highlights the shift in wind in late June or early July -- as well as why dew point and our mountains matter. Christiansen says he has learned how to read the sky, but even then, there's no guarantee where rain will hit.
"Monsoon storms are more like popcorn," expalined Christiansen. "They can just pop up anywhere, very different dynamics, which makes it much harder to predict."
"There's a lot that goes on," said KGUN 9 weathercaster Cuyler Diggs. "That's what makes forecasting monsoon so tricky."
Diggs has been forecasting weather for more than 30 years.
"The monsoon is a special time of the year," Diggs said. "It's where we get over half of our average annual rainfall for many communities of Southern Arizona. So, it's an important time of the year."
But monsoon is also a dangerous time of the year.
"Dust storms and the potential of flash flooding," said Diggs. "So, those are the things that you hear about unfortunately that do cause the deaths around here."
But the benefits of monsoon outweigh the dangers.
"You look out at the sky and sometimes it's just absolutely striking what we can see," Diggs said.
"When that monsoon hits it's really the promise of another season, a promise of hope, it's a deeply human experience," said Chrsitiansen. "It makes it really special, especially here in the desert."
The monsoon is not only special, it's Absolutely Arizona.
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Pat Parris is an anchor and reporter for KGUN 9. He is a graduate of Sabino High School where he was the 1982 high school state track champion in the 800 meters. While in high school and college, he worked part-time in the KGUN 9 newsroom. Share your story ideas and important issues with Pat by emailing pat.parris@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
