5 things to remember this Tucson Monsoon season:
1. Know when the Monsoon season starts.
The monsoon season starts June 15th and will continue until September 30th, if we’re lucky. Knowing when the rains will start will give you time to get your wind shield wipers ready to face the heavy rain.
Also be prepared for high wind speeds, dust storms and flash flooding; all things to consider before heading out for the day.
2. Driving Tips
If a flash flood hits as you are driving make sure to move off the road and turn your vehicle off. Make sure none of your lights are on to ensure that no one else follows your tail lights.
DO NOT enter roads with visible obvious signs that say Do Not Enter or Flooded Road.
3. Remember to stay safe while taking beautiful lightning photos.
Like many, we want to stay outside and get the perfect lightning photo of the year. Make sure you watch where you are while taking the photo. The National Weather Service has recorded an average 49 deaths by being struck by lightning throughout the country.
One incident happened in Coconino County on July 20th, 2016. A teen was hiking near Humphrey’s Peak when a lightning storm began and struck him.
The best thing to do is stay inside and away from the lightning.
You can track lightning strikes near you at lightningmaps.org.
4. Get out of dangerous dust storms.
One thing we all know about Southern Arizona is that it is extremely dusty. With high winds coming from the soon to be rainstorm, a lot of the dust is picked up and blown across the roads.
When driving this can cause issues with visibility. The best thing to do is slowly pull off the side of the road and wait until the dust storm has passed. These storms can go on from anywhere between a minute to an hour.
5. You can follow the Tucson Monsoons on Twitter.
That’s right Tucson Monsoon has their own Twitter account and brag about all of the rain they have just brought to the Tucson community.
Joining the monsoons on Twitter is also The Tucson Heat; who boasts about causing our dehydration.
