Monsoon Season

Monsoon season is an unfamiliar thing to a girl coming from the Midwest.  Where I grew up the thunderstorms come anytime they want, day or night and last for hours or sometimes days.  Monsoon season here means that you will wake up to a beautiful morning every day with only a few clouds.  The day gets hotter and stickier as it progresses and the thunderstorms roll through every afternoon between three and midnight.  The storms instantly cool the air while they put on an intricate display of lightning and thunder.  The rains can be heavy or light.  The winds usually precede the storm and fade out as the rains die down.  These are the kinds of storms that make good sleeping weather once they calm down.

In the Midwest you always have the worry of tornadoes.  While we do get strong winds here, the closest thing to a tornado would be a large dust devil.  These don't really seem to do much damage, though you can see them pick up small things and whirl them a few feet.  I've stood in my garden on many occasions and have felt the swirling winds rush through.

The larger worry out here is lightning.  Many times you can see lightning flashing from the clouds in the distance but have no rain where you are.  Lightning plays a big role in starting wildfires out here, and the monsoon rains play a big role in extinguishing those fires.  This year I am hoping that it turns out to be a wet year.  This area has been in a drought for a long time and even the reservoirs here are running low.  Not a great thing when you are surrounded by a forest that is as dry as a tinderbox.  Lets just hope the monsoons hang around for awhile this summer.