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Monsoon season starts with rainier outlook
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Monsoon season is officially underway and meteorologists are hopeful that the Valley's in store for a rainier summer than usual.
Why it matters: About half of our annual rainfall typically arrives during monsoon season, which began Monday and runs through Sept. 30.
- While one good monsoon season won't fix the decades-long "megadrought" we're in, it can replenish groundwater and keep our plants and wildlife healthy.
State of play: The season began with a (short-lived) bang — at least for those who live on the Valley's edges.
- Isolated showers popped up in parts of the Valley Monday morning, delivering a lot of thunder and a little bit of rain, National Weather Service Phoenix meteorologist Alicia Ryan tells us.
- Parts of south Phoenix, Ahwatukee, Buckeye, New River, Queen Creek and San Tan Valley saw between 0.04 and 0.35 inches, per Maricopa County Flood Control District rain gauges.
What we're watching: NWS' Climate Prediction Center says there's a 33–40% chance of above-normal rainfall this summer.
- Monsoon season is expected to get a boost from El Niño conditions, which occur when surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean are warmer than normal.
- Some meteorologists are predicting a "super El Niño," with even more extreme weather.
Reality check: Ryan cautioned that the predictions are just that, and that it's much too early to take them to the bank.
- The center also predicted a wetter-than-normal summer last year, but the season actually saw average rainfall, she said.