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 yesterday 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 yesterday 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.

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We're sorry to report that the Valley reached 110° for the first time over the weekend.

The (small) upside: We can now announce the winners of our heat prediction contest from March.

First 100° day: March 18

• 🗓️ Average: May 2
• 👑 Winners: R. Hunt, James McCarthy and Kyra Caruso

First 110° day: June 13

• 🗓️ Average: June 11
• 👑 Winner: Lehem Eyassu came closest with a guess of June 16.

🍽️ Chef Chris Collins of Collins Small Batch Kitchen opened a new restaurant inside of a high-end office building at Camelback Road and 32nd Street. (Phoenix Business Journal)

• The eatery, dubbed One Sixth, will feature six dining concepts in one: A taqueria, pizzeria, Mediterranean cafe, sushi and raw bar, BBQ spot and dessert shop.

🚦 The City of Tempe lowered speed limits by 5mph on seven roadways in an effort to curb traffic deaths. (KTAR)

🧩 An escape room attraction will replace the former Urban Outfitters at CityScape in downtown Phoenix. (AZcentral)

🎶 Becky G and The Offspring have joined the musical lineup for the Arizona State Fair this fall. (12 News)

The road to this year's NBA Championship went through the Valley — Mesa Community College, to be precise.

State of play: New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown began his U.S basketball career at MCC, helping the 1989-1990 team win 30 consecutive games.

The intrigue: Brown's ties to MCC have been well-documented, but longtime Arizona sports reporter Paul Coro recently found a team photo that'd been lost to history.

• Coro, who now covers Grand Canyon University athletics for the school's news site, tells us he found the picture in a tournament program he located in MCC's library files — "Needle in a haystack!"
• He shared the photo on social media over the weekend following the Knicks' championship win, and pointed out another familiar face: GCU president Brian Mueller, who was then the MCC team's assistant coach.

We're adding this to our "Phoenix is the smallest big city in America" files.

Editor's note: The photo caption has been corrected to say GCU president Brian Mueller is kneeling on the far right (not the far left).