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Hello and welcome to the Monsoon Safety awareness week series
presented by the National Weather Service in Flagstaff. Todays topics asks the question,
what is the Monsoon? And how can I stay safe and informed in the months ahead?
While a commonly misused term, a monsoon is not a heavy storm or downpour. Actually, a
monsoon is a season where the prevailing wind pattern changes. For us in Arizona, dry southwesterly
winds which keep the state arid most of the year, become south or southeasterly in the
summer as high pressure builds in the four corners and the jet stream lifts north into
canada. This change in wind flow allows moist air to flow into the state from the Gulf of
Mexico and California, resulting in an increase in rainfall and thunderstorm activity across
the Southwest.
So when can we expect this change to occur? Well, Arizona's Monsoon Season offically runs
from June 15th through September 30th. Most of June is very dry, with monsoon moisture
usually limited to the Southeastern sections of the state late in the month. By July the
Monsoon matures with significant precipitation usually falling in the higher terrain, with
more occasional activity in the lower deserts. August fetures the heaviest precipitition
as the monsoon peaks before begining to taper off as we progress into September.
A typical summer day in the southwest during the more active points in the Monsoon features
partly cloudy skies giving way to scattered cloud development along the higher terrain
by late morning or early afternoon. As the temperature warms, the airmass becomes increasingly
unstable and storms develop off the mountain peaks and move into the lower elevations by
later in the afternoon and evening. This daily cycle proves very benifical to the state with
some locations recieving over half their annual rainfall during the monsoon season.
So how can you stay safe and informed during Monsoon Season? First, its important to always
know the forecast. This is especially important when planning outdoor activities and recreation
as the weather can change siginficantly from morning to afternoon. When storms do approach,
seek shelter and listen for possible watches, warning, or advisories. You can keep informed
on the forecast and possible weather alerts by following us on Facebook or Twitter. You
can also listen to the forecast and weather advisory information on NOAA weather radio.
Perhaps favorite our webpage as well so you can have quick access to the most up to the
minute information. Finally, always know your risk. Are you in a location that is suceptable
to flooding? Will you be spending time in open areas exposed to lightning? Always have
a plan of action ready in the event of a weather related emergency.
Stay tuned for tomorrows topic of Flash Flood safety. Also, feel free to find us on Facebook
or talk to us on twitter, as well as subscribe to our YouTube channel. Thanks for watching!