By John Simpson

Rainfall for August was generally above average for most of Vail. Rainfall varied greatly, as usual, from a low of just over 2” in Rita Ranch North and Mesquite Ranch, to a high of an incredible 10” in Mescal. I received 2.94” of rain in Central Del Lago, which is above my 12-year average of 2.39.” The Tucson airport received 2.82” of rain, well above its 30-year average of 1.98.” Rainfall for the Tucson metro area ranged from 1.5” to the high of 10” reported in Mescal. See rainlog.org for reported rainfall throughout Arizona.

On the temperature side, August was 1.1 degrees cooler than average. August 2021 was also below average and this was the first time since 2005-2006 where we had back-to-back lower than average temperatures for August.

For the entire summer of 2022 (June-August), I reported 8.15” of rain, which is above my 12-year average of 6.40.” This is also the first time in the 12 years that I have been keeping data where all three summer month recorded above average rainfall. The Tucson airport recorded 4.13” of rain for the summer, which is near its 30-year average of 4.42.” I recorded nearly double what the airport recorded, which is quite common for the Vail area when compared to the airport. Areas just to my East (3-4 miles), such as Coyote Creek and Mescal, have recorded much more rain than I have.

I will provide a full monsoon report next month, but, at the time of this writing in the middle of September, monsoon totals are slightly below average in the western parts of Vail (Rita Ranch, I-10 / Kolb) to just over average in the central parts (Del Lago), to well above average in the eastern areas as mentioned above. We still have ½ the month of September to go so we will see if rain can be added to the totals seen so far.

John Simpson has lived in southern Arizona the past 33 years and Vail for 17 of those years. John has a bachelor’s degree in Atmospheric Science from the University of Missouri and a master’s degree in Atmospheric Physics from the U of A. He loves exploring the outdoors with his family and photographing weather and the beauty of southern Arizona.

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